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You could fill a storage shed with the names of players talented enough to win a Heisman Trophy but never hoisted the prestigious award into the air. It’s an indication of just how much talent there is across the field.
Recently, ESPN asked which college football players were the best to never win a Heisman Trophy. Since it’s been awhile since a B1G name has won the award, we decided to put our own little spin on that.
There have been plenty of talented players from the B1G this decade (2010-2019) alone who came up short of winning the Heisman. But which players were the best? We came up with a list of the top five, and one honorable mention.
Honorable Mention: LB Jabrill Peppers, Michigan (2016)
It’s rare that you find a player as versatile as Jabrill Peppers. The Michigan star was capable of playing just about any position on the field for the Wolverines in 2016, and nearly did. He finished his final season in Ann Arbor with 71 tackles, 15 for loss and an interception. That was just on defense. Peppers also registered 167 rushing yards and nearly 600 yards as a punt and kick returner and accounted for four total touchdowns. He was literally Michigan’s do-it-all player in 2016.
5. QB J.T. Barrett, Ohio State (2014)
Not many freshman quarterbacks can lead their team to a B1G title and eventual national title, but that’s what J.T. Barrett accomplished in 2014, filling in for Braxton Miller under center. And he put up some really impressive numbers in the process. Barrett threw for 2,834 yards and rushed for 938 more while scoring 45 total touchdowns and leading Ohio State to an 11-1 record and a spot in the B1G Championship Game. A season-ending injury did prevent him from quarterbacking the Buckeyes to a B1G or national title, though. Marcus Mariota would’ve been difficult to dethrone that year, but that doesn’t diminish everything Barrett did for the Buckeyes that year.
4. RB Melvin Gordon, Wisconsin (2014)
2014 was a good year for B1G Heisman candidates. Melvin Gordon actually earned an invitation to New York for the Heisman ceremony, but fell well short of winning the award. Gordon rushed for 2,587 yards and 29 touchdowns in his final season with the Badgers. That includes a then record-setting performance against Nebraska with 408 yards and four touchdowns on 25 carries. Gordon was nearly impossible to stop in 2014, and was held under the 100-yard mark just twice that season. A 59-0 blowout loss to Ohio State in the B1G Championship Game really hindered any shot he had at claiming the award.
3. RB Saquon Barkley, Penn State (2017)
Many will argue that Saquon Barkley is the best college football player they’ve ever seen, which makes it unfortunate that he was never awarded a Heisman Trophy. But if there was a season in which he deserved it, 2017 was that season. Barkley accounted for 2,329 all-purpose yards and scored 18 rushing touchdowns, three receiving touchdowns, two kickoff return touchdowns and a passing touchdowns. That’s nothing short of spectacular. His toughness and athleticism was often unmatched, as well. Through the first half of the 2017 season, Barkley looked like a lock to win the Heisman. His odds took a hit after back-to-back losses to Ohio State and Michigan State.
2. QB Dwayne Haskins, Ohio State (2018)
If Dwayne Haskins’ remarkable season would’ve come any other year, he would’ve most certainly been holding the trophy. Unfortunately, his 4,811-yard, 50-touchdown campaign came the same year that Alabama’s Tua Tagovailoa and Oklahoma’s Kyler Murray also dominated college football. Haskins took a hit because of Ohio State’s blowout loss to Purdue, but that was more to do with the Buckeye defense than the first-year starting quarterback. Still, Haskins led OSU to a B1G title and a Rose Bowl victory in what resulted in the best statistical season for a B1G quarterback ever. It was a simple case of wrong place, wrong time for Haskins’ Heisman hopes.
1. RB Montee Ball, Wisconsin (2011)
Montee Ball essentially built his own resort in the end zone during the 2011 season. He finished the year with 40 total touchdowns — 33 rushing, 6 receiving and 1 passing. Those numbers went along with 1,923 rushing yards and an additional 306 receiving yards. All that while Wisconsin finished the year with an 11-3 record and a B1G title. But those numbers weren’t enough to defeat Robert Griffin III’s season at Baylor. Ball had excellent speed and strength and had a will for finding the end zone. Perhaps if the Badgers hadn’t fallen to Michigan State and Ohio State, the Wisconsin back would’ve been given more serious consideration. It’s still hard to believe that a running back credited with 40 touchdowns on an 11-win team didn’t win a Heisman Trophy.
Dustin grew up in the heart of Big Ten country and has been in sports media since 2010. He has been covering Big Ten football since 2014. You can follow him on Twitter: @SchutteCFB