Baker Mayfield, Dede Westbrook Finish Three and Four in Heisman Voting
By Chip Rouse
Lamar Jackson of Louisville is the winner of the 2016 Heisman Trophy. Quarterback Baker Mayfield and wide receiver Dede Westbrook of Oklahoma were third and fourth, respectively, in this year’s Heisman voting.
Jackson received 2,144 overall votes, beating out runner-up Deshaun Watson of Clemson by 620 votes.
Mayfield, who led the nation this season in several passing categories, received 361 votes from the Heisman voters (26 first place, 72 second place and 139 third-place votes). His Sooner teammate, received 209 votes, edging out Michigan’s Jabrill Peppers by a single point for fourth place among the five finalists.
Westbrook, the only senior among the five finalists who were invited to New York for the presentation of the 2016 Heisman Trophy, received seven first-place votes for the Heisman along with 49 second-place and 90 third-place votes. He also is only the fifth wide receiver all-time to be a Heisman finalist.
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The OU wide receiver caught a school-record 16 touchdown passes in 12 games this season, averaging 48.8 yards per TD reception, the highest mark by any FBS player in the last 21 years.
Mayfield, who finished fourth in the Heisman balloting a year ago, and Westbrook were the second pair of Oklahoma Sooners while Bob Stoops has been head coach of the Sooners to be named Heisman finalists in the same year (Jason White and Adrian Peterson were both finalists in 2004). That becomes even more significant when you consider that two finalist from the same team has happened just five times in the 82 years the Heisman Trophy has been awarded.
Neither Mayfield nor Westbrook were among the top five candidates on the Heisman watch list until the final month of the season, when both delivered outstanding performances and put up incredible numbers in Oklahoma wins over Baylor, West Virginia and Oklahoma State to close out the regular season and secure a 10th Big 12 championship under Stoops.
Mayfield and Watson moved up one spot from the 2015 Heisman voting. Watson finished third a year ago; Mayfield was right behind him in fourth place.