The Heisman Trophy Podcast

Send us Fan Mail In this bonus pod, we go over the history of the Heisman ceremony itself, which evolved from a humble luncheon in 1935, to a variety show with Farrah Fawcett and Elliott Gould in 1977, to the format on ESPN we know and love today. Hall of Fame sportscaster Don Criqui recalls his long tenure as emcee of the Heisman gala. And to close things out, former Presidential speechwriter and...

Send us Fan Mail Welcome to Heisman Week!  The 2024 Heisman finalists are on their way to New York and 50th anniversary winner Archie Griffin rejoins the pod to talk about how the joy of dotting the "i" and how his life changed since he won his first of two bronze statues all those years ago.  Friend of the pod Neil Everett also returns to share his perspectives on the playoff, the Heism...

Send us Fan Mail Fresh off leading his team to a 49-35 victory over USC, Notre Dame quarterback Riley Leonard joins the pod to discuss why the middle eight minutes of a football game are important, how the Northern Illinois loss motivated him and his teammates, his connection with former NFL great Phillip Rivers , and why the Golden Dome was always in his future -- even growing up in Fairhope, Ala...

Send us Fan Mail With November winding down and the 2024 Heisman Trophy ceremony just three Saturdays away, Penn State tight end Tyler Warren joins the show to discuss his amazing versatility, how it helped him become one of the best players in the country and how Rob Gronkowski ended up endorsing him for Heisman. The Editor in Chief of college football coverage for The Athletic, Stewart Mandel, j...

Send us Fan Mail Former AP and current The Athletic college football writer Ralph Russo joins the pod to talk about everything under the sun, including the playoff picture, the Heisman race, officiating conspiracy theories and why players are suddenly rarely ineligible. Next we hear from California Bears cornerback Nohl Williams , the nation's interception leader and Thorpe semifinalist, who...

Send us Fan Mail This week on the Official Heisman Trophy Podcast: A feature interview with star sports journalist Holly Rowe of ESPN, with whom we run the gamut of topics while getting her takes on the current state of college football, why she loves rain games, what stadiums are the loudest, the challenges of getting info from coaches in the heat of the moment , her longtime love of the Heisman,...

Send us Fan Mail The BY-Jew himself, Jake Retzlaff , is this week's featured guest. The Cougars quarterback discusses his football journey from SoCal to Provo, how he adjusted to the idea of attending a Mormon university, his competitive nature and what it's like to be a shining star to Jews worldwide.  Also joining the show is 1980 Heisman Trophy winner George Rogers out of South Caroli...

Send us Fan Mail With his team off to a 7-1 start, sophomore dual-threat QB John Mateer of Washington State comes on the pod to talk about his emergence as one of the best players in the country, his Texas roots and his seemingly mythical ability to squat 600 pounds. Cougars coach Jake Dickert follows with some insight into how his program found Mateer and why he thinks his young QB could be the r...

Send us Fan Mail "Cool-headed, hot-hearted" Army quarterback Bryson Daily shares his journey from Abernathy, Texas, to West Point, New York.  The Black Knights are off to a 7-0 start thanks to Daily, who leads the nation with 19 rushing touchdowns. Could Army and Navy be on a collision course not seen since the 1940s?  Then the Ol' Ball Coach himself, 1966 Heisman Trophy winner  Ste...

Send us Fan Mail Senior Indiana quarterback Kurtis Rourke -- AKA the Maple Missile -- joins the pod to discuss his team's fast start, Canadian football, married life and why the Hoosier offense is so darn explosive.  Then we talked to 1964 Heisman Trophy winner John Huarte of Notre Dame, who shares his experience playing for the Irish under coach Ara Parseghian and reflects on his football jo...

Send us Fan Mail Navy junior quarterback Blake Horvath joins the podcast to discuss his team's 5-0 start, his school's Heisman tradition, his future in the service and how a small toy was once lodged in his nose for seven years. The show continues with 2002 Heisman Trophy winner Carson Palmer out of USC, who reflects in great detail on his journey from struggling freshman to superstar se...

Send us Fan Mail It's a packed pod as Iowa running back Kaleb Johnson joins the show fresh off a 206-yard performance against Minnesota. We learn a ton about the Cincinnati-area native, including his early love of baseball, his exploits as a defensive lineman and how a billboard of Derrick Henry helped convince him to play football. He's followed by 1967 Heisman Trophy winner Gary Beban...

Send us Fan Mail James Madison quarterback Alonza Burnett III joins the show to discuss the details of his 7-touchdown performance in the Dukes' stunning 70-50 blowout of ACC power North Carolina last Saturday in Chapel Hill, what it felt like to play in such a wild game, and why dwelling on the victory is "rat poison" for his team. Then comes legendary CBSSportsline.com college foo...

Send us Fan Mail Kansas State Wildcats quarterback Avery Johnson , a rising star in college football, joins the podcast to discuss the Wildcats' impressive start to the season, his close friendship with running back Dylan Edwards , and the comparisons to NFL star Lamar Jackson . Johnson also shares why K-State fans are some of the best in college football. The podcast continues with college f...

Send us Fan Mail Mississippi Rebels quarterback Jaxson Dart joins the pod to talk about his recent hot streak as a passer, his relationship with wide receiver Tre Harris , how he became such a hard-nosed player, his innate fashion sense, his love of hunting, his bond with USC QB Miller Moss , how close he came to bolting to the NFL last December and more!  Also, elite Missouri wide receiver Luther...

Send us Fan Mail Fresh off a school-record 267-yard, 6-TD performance in a season-opening victory over Georgia Southern, Boise State junior running back Ashton Jeanty joins the show to talk about his football journey from Naples, Italy, to Frisco, Texas. Post-game, he also breaks down some of the touchdown runs from his record-setting day. Next, NBC Sports college football expert Nicole Auerbach s...

Send us Fan Mail Alabama junior quarterback Jalen Milroe returns to the Official Heisman Trophy Podcast to talk about his team's transition from the Nick Saban Era to the Kalen DeBoer Era, the "Bamily" that binds the program together and his fun-filled summer that included a trip to New York and hang outs with Aaron Judge and Michael Jordan . We also get some insight on Milroe (who...

Send us Fan Mail Season two of the Official Heisman Trophy Podcast kicks off as writers Pat Forde of SI.com and Tom Fornelli of CBSSports.com join Chris on the show to discuss all the tumult going on in college football. Can the sport handle this much change so fast? Who are the favorites and dark horses for this year's Heisman?  Will someone throw for 6,000 yards?  Can the Trojans and Sparta...

Send us Fan Mail Newly-crowned Heisman winner Jayden Daniels of LSU joined the podcast the morning after the ceremony to talk about his journey and how his life is already changing. We also caught up with AP college football writer Ralph Russo , who reflected on his 20 years covering Heisman weekend. Finally, Mike Colleran , the Senior Vice President of Nissan North America came on to chat about t...

Send us Fan Mail On Saturday morning, with the 2023 Heisman ceremony looming, we sat down with Jayden Daniels of LSU, Marvin Harrison, Jr. , of Ohio State, Bo Nix of Oregon and Michael Penix, Jr. , of Washington to get their thoughts on their experiences so far as Heisman finalists. Support the show The Heisman Trophy Podcast streams every Wednesday during the college football season and monthly d...

Send us Fan Mail With the four Heisman finalists selected for 2023, we take a deep dive into the trophy's history. What is a Heisman finalist? Did you know that Herschel Walker , John Elway and Eric Dickerson were the first Heisman finalists?  How does the Heisman vote work?  Did you know that LSU's  Joe Burrow holds the record for the largest Heisman landslide? And that Stanford's...

Send us Fan Mail Miami 1992 Heisman Trophy winner Gino Torretta joins the podcast to talk about the recent retirement of his jersey, the story of how he ended up in Coral Gables, how the Canes would have beaten UW in 1991, the difference between Jimmy Johnson and Dennis Erickson and what he thinks of the current state of college football (among other things). Then, we chat with former ESPN anchor...

Send us Fan Mail With Heisman votes for this year's award set to go out on November 27, Heisman Trophy winner Barry Sanders of Oklahoma State comes on the show to talk about his new Amazon Prime documentary Bye Bye Barry. He also takes a deep dive into his incredible, record-breaking 1988 season. If you love college football history, this an interview you won't want to miss. How could su...

Send us Fan Mail Crimson Tide sophomore quarterback Jalen Milroe joins the Official Heisman Trophy Podcast to talk about Alabama's improvement and how his early-season benching was an opportunity. With three games left to play, he wants to L et A ll N aysayers K now that the Tide is back in business. The show closes out with one of the greatest college quarterbacks of all time, 1990 Heisman T...

Send us Fan Mail Hall of Famer and 5-time national champion basketball coach Mike Krzyzewski of Duke University joins the Official Heisman Trophy Podcast to discuss his efforts with the Emily K Center in Durham, North Carolina.  The 2022 Heisman Humanitarian Award winner also reflects on life after basketball and gives his thoughts on conference realignment as well as this season's Blue Devil...