HEISMAN TROPHY: DECEMBER 8, 2007

Florida QB Tebow First Sophomore to Win Heisman

Tim Tebow, the versatile quarterback from Florida, won the Heisman Trophy tonight, becoming the first sophomore to win the award. Tebow, who passed for 3,132 yards and 29 touchdowns and rushed for 838 yards and 22 touchdowns, edged Arkansas junior running back Darren McFadden by 254 points, according to voting tabulations released during the Heisman presentation in New York. Tebow received 462 first-place votes and 1,957 total points. McFadden received 291 first-place votes and 1,703 total points. The other finalists, Missouri junior quarterback Chase Daniel and Hawaii senior quarterback Colt Brennan, finished third with 632 points and 425 points respectively.

CollegeBLITZ.com’s own Heisman expert, The Voter, offers his analysis of the Heisman selection:

BLITZ: Why was Tim Tebow such a worthy choice for the Heisman?

VOTER: Tebow could run with power and pass with finesse. He’s playing for probably the best offensive mind in the country in Urban Meyer and the quarterbacks coach, Dan Mullen, worked with Tebow to develop his passing game. When they saw him last year, they saw him as a raw freshman who had trouble getting the ball to the receivers. In the offseason they refined him and they did a terrific job.

BLITZ: Tebow was able to win despite two supposed handicaps — he is a sophomore and his team lost three games this year. What does that say about him and the Heisman voting process?

VOTER: It shows that Tebow was a double threat, as a runner and a passer. He’s powerful, built like a fullback, and the voters recognized his talent and his ability to play courageously, especially in the final regular season game with a broken hand. I don't think class standing enters into it. In the past, when freshman and sophomores didn't succeed in the Heisman voting, it was because juniors and seniors had better talent. This year, the sophomore had the better talent.

BLITZ: This season lacked clarity, both in the ranking of the top teams and the Heisman race. How did Tebow emerge as the winner when there was a different Heisman favorite each week and when players who had been favored fell out and other players, like Missouri’s Chase Daniel, emerged late?

VOTER: I think the fact that he had 51 touchdowns, 22 rushing and 29 passing, was probably the most impressive statistic outside of McFadden’s 234 yards against L.S.U. in Arkansas’ upset. Tebow performed the entire season, while McFadden had to deal with rib injuries that went unreported. I voted for Chase Daniel No. 1 based on how I saw him perform against Kansas. Not everyone had the opportunity to see all four candidates play, especially Colt Brennan, whose Hawaii team plays six time zones away from Heisman headquarters.

BLITZ: Tebow’s success this season not withstanding, is the Heisman Trophy honoring the right players, or should changes be made to the way it is voted on and awarded?

VOTER: I think the Heisman has become a popularity contest driven by the media and the records of teams, rather than by performance and talent. This year, the Heisman voters got it right, recognizing four talented athletes. But, outside of the voters, the media create a horse race that doesn't really exist. They create a horse race based on popularity, statistics and records. When a team loses, the candidate loses. What happened to Mike Hart after Michigan’s 0-2 start (even before he suffered injuries), what happened to Matt Ryan, the Boston College quarterback, after the Florida State loss? What about Oregon’s Dennis Dixon? These guys were taken out either by losses or injuries. If it is truly a horse race, then team losses should not affect whether a player gets to the finish line. Tebow had the statistics to overcome that.

BLITZ: We usually reserve such speculation for ESPN and its horse race handicapping, but if Tebow has a junior season like he did this year, might he be challenging more Heisman history — Archie Griffin’s back-to-back wins in 1974 and 1975?

VOTER: If Tebow continues on the same pace, he has the chance to be the first three-time Heisman Trophy winner. The danger of awarding the Heisman to a sophomore is: suppose he has better seasons as a junior and a senior and doesn't win it? There's a possibility that his merit in the next two years will not be awarded because he's already won it.