There are so many factors that have prevented running backs from winning the Heisman Trophy in recent college football seasons.
Not since Derrick Henry starred for 2015 Alabama has a running back won a Heisman Trophy. Even more alarming, the last running back to even be invited to New York for the ceremony itself was former Stanford Cardinal star tailback Bryce Love way back in 2017. What even gives, man?
Connor O'Gara from Saturday Down South examined what all has contributed to the former focal point of many college offenses largely being seen as a non-factor by Heisman voters now. It is not a quarterback-driven award; it is a quarterback award. The only non-quarterback to win the trophy since Henry was fellow Alabama alumnus in wide receiver DeVonta Smith during the COVID year.
The worst part in all this is we haven't had a dearth of great running backs in the sport since Henry won it nearly a decade ago. Christian McCaffrey was a finalist for the trophy that same year. Some may argue he should have won it over Henry, but that is nearly here nor there. Whether it be guys like Dalvin Cook, Saquon Barkley, Travis Etienne, Jonathan Taylor or Bijan Robison, we got nothing.
Let's discuss why it keeps happening, and if there is any hope that this could change in the future.
Why running backs are no longer a factor in the Heisman Trophy conversation
I mean, how do we even unpack this? For starters, passing the ball has been all the rage in college football for most of the 21st century. It is why the Wishbone is dead, the Triple-Option is hokey and the Wing T is reserved for lesser high school programs. They only way to get top-flight high school recruits is to run an offense that is either somewhat Pro-Style, or dabbles in the Air Raid.
Yes, it still serves the best teams in the country to run the ball. Frankly, you cannot win a national championship if that offensive philosophy isn't part of your team's winning equation. You need to break the opposition's will and burrow through another man's soul in the final minutes of a contest to close it out. However, we have adopted a running back by-committee approach as well.
To me, I think that is the biggest reason why running backs aren't even being invited to New York anymore. Yes, there are still Robinsons and Taylors out there, but even the running back with the best shot of being a Heisman finalist this year in Michigan's Blake Corum will have to share the workload with Donovan Edwards. The weirdest part is it serves both Wolverines to honestly do so.
See, I don't really see it being in a running back's favor to have or approach a 2,000-yard season anymore, in college, so to speak. By the time it happens, he will have either just gotten onto the national voters' radar, or will have turned pro. NIL will probably allow more great college running backs to stay in school longer, but you always have to factor in this one big thing: Winning, man!
Not only would this running back have to have something akin to a 2,000-yard season, but he would have to do so as the driving force of an offense that happens to be part of a top-tier team in the sport. Basically, you will need for him to play for an Alabama with a great defense and a quarterback who is not quite there. That is why Henry won it back in 2015. It all lined up for him.
Even if a guy has a sensational season like Kenneth Walker III did in his one year with the Michigan State Spartans in 2021, Sparty needs to play for a conference title for him to honestly have a seat at the front row in New York. The fact Walker wasn't even invited in 2021 shows everyone that even if you can get great production out of a running back, the position is not valued by the voters.
Ultimately, I just don't see a running back winning the Heisman anytime soon. It will remain a quarterback-driven award until offensive philosophies pivot back to something from the Cold War. What could be done to rectify this is to place a greater emphasis and importance on winning the Doak Walker. We have seen other positional awards be elevated, so why not do the same there?
Corum has the best shot of winning the Heisman as a running back this year, but don't count on it.
