The Florida State quarterback became the second straight freshmen to win the Heisman, earning college football’s most prestigious individual award with a performance so spectacular and dominant that even a criminal investigation couldn’t derail his candidacy.
Winston received 668 first-place votes and 2,205 points to finish 1,501 points ahead of Alabama quarterback A.J. McCarron for the seventh-largest margin of victory in Heisman history. Winston was left off 115 ballots altogether.
Northern Illinois quarterback Jordan Lynch finished third, followed by Boston College’s Andre Williams, Texas A&M’s Johnny Manziel and Auburn’s Tre Mason.
Manziel was the first freshman to win the Heisman, and Winston made it two in the 79-year history of the award. Winston also is the youngest winner at 23 days short of 20 years old.
Winston is the nation’s top-rated passer and has led the top-ranked Seminoles to the BCS championship game against No. 2 Auburn on his birthday, Jan. 6. The 19-year-old also was investigated last month for a year-old sexual assault, but no charges were filed and the case was closed four days before Heisman votes were due.