After a sensational season capped with the SEC title, Alabama quarterback Bryce Young won the 2021 Heisman Trophy.
Ohio State quarterback C.J. Stroud, Pitt quarterback Kenny Pickett and Michigan defensive end Aidan Hutchinson were also finalists for college football’s most prestigious honor. He is the first Alabama quarterback to win the award.
“First and foremost, I’d like to thank my Lord and Savior Jesus Christ,” Young said. “Without him, I couldn’t be here. Through him, all things are possible.”
The sophomore went on to thank his parents, who were visibly tearing up and all smiles in the audience, and his teammates, giving a special shoutout to his offensive line and defense. “It’s a team award,” Young said.
“For me, I’ve always been someone who’s been labeled as ‘not the prototype,'” he later said. “Being a [Black] quarterback and ‘being undersized’ and not being that prototype, I’ve always been ruled out and kind of doubted. People a lot of times have told me that I wasn’t going to be able to make it, and for me, it’s always been about not really proving them wrong, but proving to myself what I can accomplish.
“I always push myself to work the hardest, and I try my best to do all I can to maximize all I can do. Thanks to the people around me, and through the grace of God, I’ve been able to make it here.”
The Alabama quarterback had more than eight times as many first-place votes than the second place finalist, which was Hutchinson.
Young seemingly established himself as the favorite following an epic performance in the SEC Championship, tallying 421 passing yards and four total touchdowns in the win. He’s accumulated 4,322 passing yards with 43 passing touchdowns, four interceptions and three rushing touchdowns this season.
Fans have also argued that his fourth quarter performance against Auburn was his Heisman moment. The Crimson Tide were down 10–0 heading into the fourth quarter with its offense struggling to click all evening. With less than two minutes to go, the sophomore quarterback led an epic 97-yard drive, capped by a 28-yard pass to the end zone as he faced pressure that sent the Iron Bowl into overtime. Alabama would eventually triumph.
This is Young’s first year as the full-time starter, but he still managed to deliver when his team needed him the most. He threw for 559 passing yards and five touchdowns in the Crimson Tide’s 42–35 victory over Arkansas several weeks ago, breaking a 52-year-old school record.
While the sophomore seemed to be the obvious choice, Young still faced some stiff competition in the voting race.
Ohio State’s Stroud has tallied 3,862 passing yards, 38 passing touchdowns and just five interceptions during the 2021 campaign. The program has the top offense in yards per game (551.4) thanks to the quarterback’s leadership.
Pickett has thrown for 4,319 passing yards, 42 passing touchdowns and seven interceptions, along with five rushing touchdowns for Pitt this season. He even has his own signature moment, a flawless “fake slide” in the ACC Championship that prompted a subsequent rule change.
The senior is the first Heisman finalist from the school since Larry Fitzgerald in 2003, but the only person to win the Heisman from Pitt is Tony Dorsett back in 1976.
Michigan’s Hutchinson was the only Heisman finalist who is not a quarterback. The Big Ten champion has 14 sacks on the season and two forced fumbles, as well as 33 tackles and three pass deflections.
Young and Hutchinson have the chance of facing each other with Alabama in the Cotton Bowl Classic and Michigan in the Orange Bowl. With victories, the two finalists could face off in the national championship.
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