On Tuesday, the Alabama Crimson Tide will likely have three of the top five finishers in Heisman Trophy voting.
Alabama QB Mac Jones, receiver DeVonta Smith and running back Najee Harris join Ohio State QB Justin Fields and Clemson QB Trevor Lawrence as the final five trying to take home college football’s top honor.
In the recent history of the Heisman, two teammates being finalists together is fairly common. Prior to the Heisman Trust naming finalists, teammates could still be found in the top five of the final voting.
Here’s a look at the teams that were loaded with Heisman finalists:
Who: Defensive end Chase Young and QB Justin Fields
How they got there: The Buckeyes were in the College Football Playoff thanks to the two superstars on both sides of the ball. Young, a first-team All-American, set an Ohio State record with 16.5 sacks. After transferring from Georgia, Fields became a scoring machine. In 2019, he accounted for 51 total touchdowns.
How they finished: Fields 3rd; Young 4th.
Who: QB Baker Mayfield and WR Dede Westbrook
How they got there: Arriving at Oklahoma the prior season and taking the Sooners to the College Football Playoff, Mayfield was a megastar in OU’s high-powered offense and Westbrook was his main target. That season, Mayfield threw for 3,965 yards and accounted for 46 total touchdowns. Westbrook, who won the Biletnikoff Award as the nation’s top receiver in 2016, had 80 catches for 1,524 yards and 17 touchdowns.
How they finished: Mayfield 3rd; Westbrook 4th. Mayfield would win the award the next year.
Who: RB Reggie Bush and QB Matt Leinart
How they got there: They were integral parts of one of the most loaded college football teams in history. Leinart was the reigning Heisman winner and had better stats in 2005 than in his Heisman-winning season. Leinart had over 3,800 passing yards and 34 touchdowns as the Trojans were aiming for a third straight AP national title and second BCS title. Bush was the do-everything back. He had a game with over 500 total yards. In all, Bush accounted for nearly 3,000 all-purpose yards and 19 scores while easily winning the Heisman.
How they finished: Bush 1st; Leinart 3rd.
2004 USC Trojans and Oklahoma Sooners
Who: USC QB Matt Leinart and RB Reggie Bush; Oklahoma RB Adrian Peterson and QB Jason White
How they got there: Both duos led high-powered offenses and would meet in the BCS championship shortly after the Heisman ceremony. White won the trophy the previous season. Peterson was a freshman phenom who rushed for 1,925 yards and 15 scores in 2004. Peterson would become the first true freshman runner-up for the award. Leinart and Bush had won a share of a split national title in 2003. Leinart led the undefeated Trojans to a 2004 national title win over OU and threw for 3,322 yards on the season with 33 touchdowns.
How they finished: Leinart 1st; Peterson 2nd; White 3rd; Bush 5th.
Who: QB Ken Dorsey and RB Willis McGahee
How they got there: The Canes were in the midst of historic run. The legendary 2001 Miami team had clobbered Nebraska for a BCS championship and would play Ohio State for the 2002 title. At the time of the award, Dorsey was 38-1 as a starter and had finished third in Heisman voting the previous season. For the season Dorsey threw for 28 scores. McGahee was part of a prolific offense with receiver Andre Johnson and tight end Kellen Winslow II. In the running back room, McGahee was ahead of Frank Gore and Jarrett Payton. In 2002, McGahee had over 1,700 yards rushing and 28 touchdowns.
How they finished: McGahee 4th; Dorsey 5th.
Who: RB Ki-Jana Carter and QB Kerry Collins
How they got there: In Penn State’s last undefeated season, Joe Paterno’s team was loaded. In the BCS or playoff era, Penn State would have had a chance at No. 1 Nebraska and a national title. In 1994, the Nittany Lions went 12-0 and won the Rose Bowl behind Carter and Collins. Carter had 23 rushing touchdowns and was a consensus All-American. Collins threw for 21 scores while winning the Maxwell and Dave O’Brien awards.
How they finished: Carter 2nd; Collins 4th.
Prior to naming finalists and hosting a ceremony, only the Heisman winner was announced following the voting. However, several teams had multiple top-five finishers.
Who: WR Johnny Rodgers and DT Rich Glover
How they got there: The Cornhuskers were coming off consecutive national titles and Rodgers was a multipurpose talent. He accounted for 1,978 all-purpose yards and 17 scores. Glover was a first-team All-American and won the Outland and Lombardi awards with 100 total tackles.
How they finished: Rodgers 1st; Glover 3rd.
Who: QB John Huarte and WR Jack Snow
How they got there: Huarte started just one season for the Irish and went 9-1. He averaged over 10 yards per completion with 16 scores. He did most of his passing to Snow, Notre Dame’s top receiver. Of Huarte’s 12 passing touchdowns, Snow caught nine of them. In 1964, he set five Notre Dame records.
How they finished: Huarte 1st; Snow 5th.
1956 Oklahoma Sooners
Who: RB Tommy McDonald and C-LB Jerry Tubbs
How they got there: The Sooners were in the middle of a historic winning streak and McDonald was Oklahoma’s leading rusher. He led the team with 119 carries for 853 yards and 12 rushing touchdowns. Tubbs was an All-American at center and went on to win two Super Bowls with the Dallas Cowboys.
How they finished: McDonald 3rd; Tubbs 4th.
1949 Notre Dame Fighting Irish
Who: End Leon Hart and QB Bob Williams
How they got there: They were part of Notre Dame’s seventh national championship team and were the leaders of an offense that outscored opponents 360-86. Williams had 16 scores in 1949. According to the Heisman website, Hart, at 6-foot-5, 260 pounds, is the largest player to win the Heisman.
How they finished: Hart 1st; Williams 5th.
Who: FB Felix Blanchard (’44, ’45 and ’46), RB Glenn Davis (’44, ’45 and ’46) and QB Arnie Tucker (’46)
How they got there: Army was in the middle of three straight national titles and its powerful backfield was the reason. Blanchard won the award in 1945 and Davis was the runner-up. Blanchard and Davis combined for 97 touchdowns in their careers.
How they finished: 1944 — Davis 2nd; Blanchard 3rd. 1945 — Blanchard 1st; Davis 2nd. 1946 — Davis 1st; Blanchard 4th; Tucker 5th. The 1946 Heisman was the last time three teammates finished in the top five.
1943 Notre Dame Fighting Irish
Who: QB Angelo Bertelli and RB Creighton Miller
How they got there: Bertelli played in only six games in 1943 and threw 10 touchdown passes. During the 1943 season Bertelli’s Marine Corps unit was called up to fight in World War II. He was in boot camp when he learned he won the Heisman. Miller, with 911 yards, led the nation in rushing.
How they finished: Bertelli 1st; Miller 4th.
Who: End Larry Kelley and QB Clint Frank
How they got there: Kelley was a two-way player on a 7-1 Yale team. In 1936, he had four scores on offense and one interception on defense. Frank, who would win the award the following season, was a two-time All-American.
How they finished: Kelly 1st; Frank 5th.