Bryce Young has been named the 2021 Heisman winner, and college football fans are already complaining, saying Kenny Pickett should have won the award.
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The Alabama quarterback becomes the second consecutive player to win the award from perhaps the best school in College Football history. Last year, it was wide receiver DeVonta Smith who won the award after a record breaking year for his position.
Young had some big shoes to fill, following up Mac Jones’ incredible performance last year, but the sophomore showed he could live up to the hype, guiding Alabama to the top spot in the CFP rankings once more. Bryce Young also joins a prestigious list of Alabama Heisman winners. Only three other athletes have won the award from the school: Mark Ingram, Derrick Henry, and DeVonta Smith, making him the first quarterback from Alabama to win the award.
CFB fans argue over Bryce Young winning Heisman over Kenny Pickett
If you look at Young’s stats from this year, it almost seems like a no-brainer that he’d win the Heisman. He threw for 4,322 yards, 43 touchdowns, and only four interceptions. His passing yards ranked fourth in the league and his touchdowns ranked second. He also added three scores on the ground.
Alabama finished the year 12-1 and ranked #1 in the CFP race. Young’s best performance may have been the last game before the playoffs start. Going against the then-number one ranked Georgia, Young faced a tall task of trying to take down the Bulldogs’ top ranked defense.
Young responded beautifully, however. He finished the game 26/44 for 421 yards and three touchdowns to capture the SEC title. He was simply amazing that game. That game probably sealed the Heisman for Young.
However, fans of college football are arguing that Young doesn’t deserve the award, citing Nick Saban’s system, Alabama’s prestige, and Alabama’s elite talent at all positions for their success.
For the year, Kenny Pickett 4,319 yards and 42 touchdowns, ranking just behind Young in both categories. The difference between him and Young was marginal, but the dealbreaker may have been Alabama’s success.
Pittsburgh finished the year 11-2 and 12th in the CFP rankings. Being out of the top four definitely hurt Pickett’s chances, as did the fact that he threw seven interceptions. While that’s still an absurdly low number, when you’re comparing two quarterbacks, the slightest differences can be the biggest factors in ranking one ahead of the other.
Young definitely deserved this award, and now he’ll look to take down the undefeated Cincinnati Bearcats who come in at 13-0. ranked #4 in the CFP semi-finals as Alabama looks to repeat as National Champions.
