Bryce Young, the 2021 Heisman Trophy winner, is the first Alabama Crimson Tide quarterback to win the honor. He defeated C.J. Stroud, Kenny Pickett, and Aidan Hutchinson to become Alabama’s fourth Heisman winner in the previous 12 years, joining wide receiver DeVonta Smith, who won last season.
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Until Young surged in the closing weeks of the season, the 2021 Heisman race seemed wide open. After Ohio State’s offensive burst in November, Stroud became the favorite, but he faded from contention when the Buckeyes lost to Michigan in the final week of the season. Hutchinson’s dominance in the win propelled him into the Heisman competition.
Young was the clear favorite to win the award going into the night, but fans and sports analysts believe that Hutchinson had a tremendous year and deserved to be recognized. Young handily defeated Michigan’s defensive end, Aidan Hutchinson, with 684 first-place votes and 2,311 points.
It was a Heisman-worthy season for Bryce Young 👏 🏆
( 📍 @NissanUSA) pic.twitter.com/JQFixc0rTZ
— ESPN (@espn) December 12, 2021
Pittsburgh quarterback Kenny Pickett and Ohio State quarterback C.J. Stroud finished third and fourth, respectively. Alabama linebacker Will Anderson Jr. finished fifth, making it the first time since 1962 that two defensive players made the top five.
Bryce Young takes home the 2021 Heisman Trophy
Young led No. 1 Alabama to a Southeastern Conference title and a position in the College Football Playoff by passing for 4,322 yards and 43 touchdowns. The reigning national champion Crimson Tide will face No. 4 Cincinnati in the Cotton Bowl on Dec. 31.
Last year’s winner was a wide receiver, DeVonta Smith. Young is Alabama’s fourth Heisman Trophy winner in the previous 13 years, all under Nick Saban’s leadership. In the 86-year history of the trophy, only Notre Dame, Ohio State, Oklahoma, and Southern California have each won seven times.
BACK TO BACK ! @_bryce_young
— DeVonta Smith (@DeVontaSmith_6) December 12, 2021
On Nov. 20, against Arkansas, Young established the Alabama single-game throwing record with 559 yards and five touchdowns. After going 21-of-23 for 270 yards in an easy day’s work against New Mexico State the week before, he had five touchdown passes in his next two games.
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