Alabama RB Derrick Henry Walks Away With 2015 Heisman Trophy After Record

Derrick Henry swept the College Football Awards on Thursday night and continued his winning ways tonight when he was announced as the victor of the 81st Heisman Trophy.

“The year of the running back is what they call it this year”, Stanford running back and Heisman Trophy runner-up Christian McCaffrey said during a Heisman presser on Friday. He is the -500 favorite, with McCaffrey coming in second with +325, and Watson in third rather far behind for +1200. Deshaun Watson rounded out the top three with 148 first-place votes (16.5 percent) and 1,165 total points. The Tide stuffed Fournette and Henry ran for 210 yards and three touchdowns on 38 carries, assuming the role of front-runner.

Alabama running back Derrick Henry has taken home this year’s Heisman Trophy.

Between his consistency, award-winning play and statistical achievements, Henry joins the ranks of many other college footbal legends as the 78th victor of the Heisman Trophy. Before Saturday, he had won the Maxwell Award as college football’s best player and the Doak Walker award for being the nation’s top running back. Clemson sophomore quarterback Deshaun Watson finished third with 1,265 points. Since Ingram won the award, it had gone to five straight quarterbacks. When I look at it, even objectively, and you can’t really dispute what I’m about to say, you could say he had the best year in the history of college football. He stands 6’3, weighing in at 242 pounds, the prototype bruiser of a running back.

Seniors have won 56 Heisman trophies, but this will be the ninth consecutive season with a non-senior victor – the last was Ohio State quarterback Troy Smith in 2006 – and everything is lined up for 2016 to be more of the same. “We just waited for him to ask us”. Then came the Alabama game, when the Crimson Tide defense shutdown the Bayou Bengal, holding him to 31 yards on 19 carries (1.6yards per carry).

He will return to Stanford next season as a junior – with another shot at the Heisman. A significant amount of those yards came down the stretch as Henry gained 732 yards and scored six touchdowns in the Crimson Tide’s final four games after Kenyan Drake broke his arm.

McCaffrey, often playing on TV late on the East Coast, trails Henry at No. 2 in 2015 yards rushing with 1,847. Yet, Watson has led Clemson to a number one ranking, ACC Championship, playoff-berth, as they remain the only undefeated team in Division One.