The senior quarterback was announced as the 2019 winner of the prestigious honor at the end of ESPN’s live broadcast of the Heisman ceremony from Manhattan’s PlayStation Theater.
Burrow shattered Heisman voting records, notching the highest percentage of first place votes, the highest percentage of possible points and appearing on the most ballots. His margin of victory (1,846 points) bettered the long-standing record set by O.J. Simpson in 1968.
“It’s an honor to stand on the same stage as all of these guys,” said an emotional Burrow after hearing his name called. “I’m so thankful to have played for two of the best programs in the country. I wouldn’t have traded my journey for anything.”
Burrow is the second LSU player to win the trophy and first since the late Billy Cannon did so in 1959. His Heisman triumph makes him the third-consecutive transfer player to win the award (and seventh overall), though he is the first to do so under the NCAA’s graduate transfer rule.
The 6-4, 216-pounder from Athens, Ohio, had an extraordinary season, passing for 4,715 yards and 48 touchdowns (tying a Heisman record), while adding another 289 yard and three scores on the ground. He had a remarkable completion percentage of 77.9 percent, the best in Heisman history. As the field general for the nation’s top offense, he led No. 1 LSU to a 13-0 record, the SEC title (its first since 2011), and its first berth in the College Football Playoff.
Ballots were emailed to 870 media personnel across the nation plus 56 Heisman winners and one fan ballot, for a total of 927 electors. The ballots were received and tabulated by the independent accounting firm of Deloitte & Touche LLP. Burrow polled 2,608 points to capture the award over Jalen Hurts of Oklahoma (762 points), Ohio State quarterback Justin Fields (747 points) and Ohio State defensive end Chase Young (643 points). The point total is reached by a system of three points for a first place vote, two for a second and one for a third.
Burrow will be officially inducted into the Heisman family at the 85th annual Heisman Memorial Trophy Dinner Gala on Sunday evening, December 15, 2017, at the Marriott Marquis in New York.
Final 2019 Heisman results
Number of electors: 927 – Announced: December 14, 2019.
PlayerClassPositionSchool1st2nd3rdTotal Points
1Joe BurrowSRQBLSU8414132,608
2Jalen HurtsSRQBOklahoma12231264762
3Justin FieldsSOQBOhio State6271187747
4Chase YoungJRDEOhio State20205173643
5Jonathan TaylorJRRBWisconsin64483189
6JK DobbinsJRRBOhio State23636114
7Trevor LawrenceSOQBClemson3252988
8Chuba HubbardSORBOklahoma State0114668
9Travis EtienneJRRBClemson071125
10Tua TagovailoaJRQBAlabama141324
Three points are awarded for first place on a ballot, with two points for second place and one point for third place. Finalists in bold.