Caleb Williams gives USC more Heismans than any other school, and Lincoln Riley 3 in the last 6 years

The Heisman Trophy carries a lot of history with it. This is more than just a reflection of the fact that the most prestigious individual award in American sports is 87 years old, dating back to 1935 when Jay Berwanger became the first Heisman winner. College football history is interwoven with the history of the Heisman, since this award’s winners have so often shaped the narrative arc and dramatic tensions of each college football seasons.

It is true that the Heisman vote can easily devolve into a contest of which College Football Playoff quarterback had the best season. To that extent, Heisman voting has lost the plot. However, Heisman voters did not get it wrong this year. Caleb Williams really was the best player in college football.

Let’s look at the history of the Heisman Trophy and how Caleb Williams, USC, and Lincoln Riley all fit into it:

USC MOVES TO THE TOP OF THE LIST

USC PASSES OHIO STATE FOR ALL-TIME HEISMAN WINNERS, INCLUDING ARCHIE GRIFFIN, WHO WON TWO

Jan 1, 1973; Pasadena, CA, USA: FILE PHOTO; Ohio State Buckeyes running back Archie Griffin (45) in action during the 1973 Rose Bowl game where OSU beat USC 42-17 at the Rose Bowl. Mandatory Credit: Long Photography-USA TODAY Sports

USC PASSES NOTRE DAME, WHICH ALSO HAD SEVEN HEISMAN WINNERS

John Huarte, 1964 Heisman winner — Associated Press Photo

USC PASSES OKLAHOMA, WHICH HAD SEVEN WINNERS

FILE – This Dec. 9, 2017 file photo shows Oklahoma head football coach Lincoln Riley, left, standing with Oklahoma quarterback Baker Mayfield, winner of the Heisman Trophy, during a news conference in New York.  (AP Photo/Craig Ruttle)

LINCOLN RILEY COACHED TWO OKLAHOMA HEISMAN WINNERS

Dec 8, 2018; New York, NY, USA; Oklahoma Sooners quarterback Kyler Murray (right) poses for photos with head coach Lincoln Riley (left) during a press conference at the New York Marriott Marquis after winning the Heisman Trophy. Mandatory Credit: Brad Penner-USA TODAY Sports

MOST HEISMAN WINNERS COACHED

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Nick Saban of Alabama and Frank Leahy of Notre Dame have both coached four Heisman winners.

LINCOLN RILEY

MORE RILEY FACTS

SELECT CLUB

LINCOLN AND PETE

ELITE

THE BREAKDOWN

TCU HAD A HEISMAN QB IN 1938

MAX DUGGAN

TCU’s quarterback narrowly missed becoming the Horned Frogs’ first Heisman winner since Davey O’Brien in 1938. He finished second to Caleb Williams.

GREAT PHOTO

THE RILEY BROTHERS COACHED THE TOP TWO HEISMAN FINISHERS

Nov 17, 2018; Norman, OK, USA; Oklahoma Sooners head coach Lincoln Riley (left) takes a photo with his brother Kansas Jayhawks offensive analyst Garrett Riley after the game at Gaylord Family – Oklahoma Memorial Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Kevin Jairaj-USA TODAY Sports

Garrett Riley is TCU’s offensive coordinator. He coached Max Duggan to his runner-up finish. Lincoln Riley coached Caleb to the Heisman. Not bad for a pair of brothers in the coaching business.

GARRETT RILEY

Garrett Riley won the 2022 Broyles Award, given to the best assistant football coach in the country. It was quite a year for the Riley family in the coaching world.

QUARTERBACK AVALANCHE

Caleb Williams is the 19th QB to win the Heisman in the last 22 seasons of college football.

NO. 38

Caleb Williams is the 38th quarterback to win the Heisman in the award’s 87-year history.

HEISMAN ORIGINALS

2 Jan 1997: Florida Gators head coach Steve Spurrier celebrates after the Nokia Sugar Bowl against the Floirda State Seminoles at the Superdome in New Orleans, Louisiana. Florida won the game, 52-20. Mandatory Credit: Doug Pensinger /Allsport

Fun Heisman fact: Steve Spurrier is the only man in Heisman history to win the award as a player (1966) and then coach a Heisman winner (Danny Wuerffel, 1996).

ONLY TWO

Oct 25, 2021; Seattle, Washington, USA; New Orleans Saints quarterback Jameis Winston (2) passes against the Seattle Seahawks during the fourth quarter at Lumen Field. Mandatory Credit: Joe Nicholson-USA TODAY Sports

Jameis Winston (2013) and Johnny Manziel (2012) are the only two freshmen to win the Heisman Trophy.

MOST HEISMAN RUNNERS-UP

Dec 28, 2019; Atlanta, Georgia, USA; Oklahoma Sooners quarterback Jalen Hurts (1) runs the ball during the second quarter of the 2019 Peach Bowl college football playoff semifinal game against the LSU Tigers at Mercedes-Benz Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Jason Getz-USA TODAY Sports

Oklahoma and Stanford have 6 runner-up finishes in Heisman races. Jalen Hurts was the 2019 runner-up.

MORE RILEY FACTS

DON’T FORGET

Lincoln Riley coached Baker Mayfield to a third-place finish in 2016 as Oklahoma offensive coordinator. Dede Westbrook was fourth in the 2016 Heisman balloting. Mayfield also finished fourth in 2015.

Riley’s footprints are all over the past eight years of Heisman history.

CALEB WILLIAMS AND CARSON PALMER

LOS ANGELES – NOVEMBER 30: Quarterback Carson Palmer #3 of the University of Southern California Trojans celebrates after defeating the University of Notre Dame Fighting Irish at the Los Angeles Coliseum on November 30, 2002 in Los Angeles, California. The Trojans defeated the Fighting Irish 44-13. (Photo by Robert Laberge/Getty Images)

Both men nailed down Heisman Trophies by beating Notre Dame in prime time in Los Angeles near the end of their respective Heisman seasons.

Palmer did so in 2002, and Caleb did it 20 years later.

WORDS FROM PALMER AND LEINART ON CALEB WILLIAMS

Story originally appeared on Trojans Wire