The 2020 Heisman Trophy presentation ceremony was missing something this year: an Oklahoma football representative as one of the finalists.
Alabama’s sensational wide receiver DeVonta Smith is the 2020 Heisman winner. This is the first year in the last five that an Oklahoma quarterback has not been a finalist. In fact, since 2016, five Sooners have been invited to New York as Heisman finalists, and twice during that time an OU quarterback walked away with the prestigious trophy.
Baker Mayfield and Kyler Murray won the Heisman in back-to-back years (2017 and 2018), and Jalen Hurts was runner-up to LSU’s Joe Burrow a year ago. Mayfield was also a finalist in 2016 and was joined that year by wide receiver and teammate Dede Westbrook.
Even before he had thrown a single pass as the next in line of Oklahoma starting quarterbacks, redshirt freshman Spencer Rattler was being touted as the next Sooner Heisman winner. In fact, his name was high up on the Heisman watch list at the start of the 2020 season.
Let’s face it, Rattler was getting high Heisman marks prior to the 2020 season largely because of Oklahoma and Lincoln Riley’s reputation of developing and producing Heisman-winning quarterbacks. Rattler had a very strong year as a first-year starter at OU, and he got stronger and more impressive as the season progressed.
Rattler didn’t receive a single vote for the Heisman this season, but with what the Sooners have returning and with how well he was playing at season end, it would be a huge surprise if he doesn’t get Heisman attention in 2021. He will be a third-year sophomore next season in terms of his eligibility an. importantly, it will be his third year in Riley’s offense.
The Las Vegas oddsmakers certainly see it that way, already establishing the Sooner quarterback as the Heisman favorite at 5/1.
Another factor in Rattler’s favor is that Iowa State running-back Breece Hall is the only player among the top-10 vote getters in this year’s Heisman balloting that will be back in the 2021 season.
Rattler’s debut as the Sooner starter got off to a somewhat rocky start, with Oklahoma losing its first two conference games, in both games giving up double-digits leads and with the Rattler-led offense going stagnant in the second half.
After a first-half benching in the annual Red River rivalry game with Texas, Rattler returned to the game in the second half and led the Sooners to a thrilling 54-48 double-overtime victory. And he and Oklahoma have not lost a game since, running off seven consecutive wins, including a win in a rematch with Iowa State for the Big 12 championship and a dominant 55-20 victory over No. 7 Florida in the Cotton Bowl Classic.
Rattler led all Big 12 quarterbacks this season with 3,031 passing yards, 28 touchdowns and a 68.0 completion percentage. The OU Phoenix, Arizona, native ranked 11th nationally in 2020 with a passing efficiency rating of 172.56. That was a full three points better, by the way, than Trevor Lawrence of Clemson, the runner-up in this year’s Heisman voting and expected to be the No. 1 overall pick in the 2021 NFL Draft.
Things always have a way of changing in a college football season, but Rattler has shown this season that he has the talent, skills and mental toughness to be a solid Heisman contender next season.
And, who knows, potentially the eighth Oklahoma Heisman winner and the fifth Sooner quarterback — all since 2003 — to receive college football’s highest individual honor.