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Alabama's Mark Ingram Wins Heisman Award

Frank Coyle's Heisman Vote

The 75th annual Heisman Trophy award was awarded to Alabama's Mark Ingram in the closest voting in the history of the prestigious award. Ingram has been the catalyst for the Crimson Tide's #1 ranking and preparing for the BCS title game vs Texas next month. Ingram was the third consecutive sophomore to win the award and the first Alabama player ever to win the most coveted trophy in college sports.

The five finalists for the 75th annual Heisman Trophy award were announced this week. The total of five players will attend the ceremony in New York City at the Downtown Athletic Club on Saturday evening. All five players hail from BCS conferences; four of the five are seniors and from the offensive side of the ball. Here is the official finish of the five finalists and Frank Coyle's vote:

Photo – Heisman Trophy

Heisman Trophy 2009 Official Finish
#1 Mark Ingram - RB - Alabama
#2 Toby Gerhart - RB - Stanford
#3 Colt McCoy – QB - Texas
#4 Ndamukong Suh - DT - Nebraska
#5 Tim Tebow - QB - Florida

Frank Coyle's Vote
#1 Toby Gerhart - RB - Stanford
#2 Mark Ingram - RB - Alabama
#3 Colt McCoy - QB - Texas
Official Ballot accepts only the Heisman voters top three selections in a point system.

#4 Ndamukong Suh - DT - Nebraska
#5 Tim Tebow - QB - Florida

Here is my reasoning in a very competitive Heisman Trophy race. RB Toby Gerhart of Stanford led the nation in rushing and scoring and had huge performances vs top ten clubs, Southern Cal and Oregon when he rushed for over 200 yards vs both Pac 10 rivals. He was consistent throughout the entire season despite defenses focusing on him in every game. He made a significant difference on a team that has struggled to play even at the .500 level over the past decade. RB Mark Ingram of Alabama also had an outstanding ‘09 season, though his numbers and big game production was clearly below Gerhart’s efforts. He was a difference maker on a Tide club that will play for the national title vs Texas next month. QB Colt McCoy was a player I voted #1 for the Heisman Trophy last season. He had another excellent performance, leading the Longhorns to an undefeated season. He could win the award outright off a consistently strong senior season. DT Ndamukong Suh of Nebraska was a dominant defensive lineman who has been rated my #! Pro Prospect since August ’09 and never moved off the top spot. We will become only the 2nd defensive player to win the Heisman Trophy along with Charles Woodson should he win the balloting. QB Tim Tebow of Florida is a former Heisman Trophy winner as a sophomore and actually earned the most #! votes for the award last December when he finished 3rd in the overall balloting. He may go down in college football history as the greatest player of all time, though I rank him no better than the 5th best player for the current Heisman Trophy race.

Frank Coyle’s Heisman vote 2008
1. QB Colt McCoy - Texas
2. QB Tim Tebow - Florida
3. QB Sam Bradford - Oklahoma

Heisman Trophy 2008 Official Finish
1. QB Sam Bradford - Oklahoma
2. QB Colt McCoy - Texas
3. QB Tim Tebow - Florida
4. QB Graham Harrell - Texas Tech
5. WR Michael Crabtree - Texas Tech

Frank Coyle is a longtime Member of the FWAA and voter in College team and player awards - Heisman, Outland, Nagurski, Thorpe, etc. He is a voter for weekly Team and Player Awards. He has voted in the Heisman Trophy balloting for the past 15 years.

Heisman Finalists Announced
The five finalists for the 75th annual Heisman Trophy award were announced tonight. The total of five players will attend the ceremony in New York City at the Downtown Athletic Club this Saturday.
All five players hail from BCS conferences; four of the five are seniors and from the offensive side of the ball. Here are the five finalists:

Toby Gerhart - RB - Stanford
Mark Ingram - RB - Alabama
Colt McCoy - QB - Texas
Ndamukong Suh - DT -Nebraska
Tim Tebow - QB - Florida

Frank Coyle is a longtime Member of the FWAA and voter in College team and player awards - Heisman, Outland, Nagurski, Thorpe, etc. He is a voter for weekly Team and Player Awards. His Heisman Trophy vote will be announced later this week.

Major College Award Finalists

Heisman Trophy Finalists
The 2009 Heisman Trophy Finalists will be announced Monday on the 6 pm EST edition of ESPN's SportsCenter. The voting will be completed this weekend with most voters waiting until after the Conference Championship and final regular season games. The top vote getters will attend the Heisman Trophy ceremony in NYC on Dec 12th. The expected top vote getters are Toby Gerhart of Stanford, Mark Ingram of Alabama, Colt McCoy of Texas, Tim Tebow of Florida and Ndamukong Suh of Nebraska. Scout Frank Coyle is a longtime Member of the FWAA and voter in College team and player awards - Heisman, Outland, Nagurski, Thorpe, etc.

Photo - Running back Toby Gerhart - Stanford

Finalists for The Home Depot ESPNU College Football Awards – live on Thursday, Dec. 10, at 7 p.m. ET on ESPN have all been announced. The Home Depot ESPNU College Football Awards will feature the live presentation of nine player awards, along with the recipients of Disney’s Spirit Award; The Coach of the Year Award, the NCFAA Award; and student-athletes selected to the Walter Camp All-America Team.

Updated Award Finalists
Manning and Hendricks Finalists Added

Outland Trophy (Best Interior Lineman)
Mike Iupati, Idaho
Russell Okung, Oklahoma St
Ndamukong Suh, Nebraska

Jim Thorpe Award (Best Defensive Back)
Eric Berry, Tennessee
Joe Haden, Florida
Earl Thomas, Texas

Chuck Bednarik Award (Best Defensive Player)
Terrence Cody, Alabama
Brandon Spikes, Florida
Ndamukong Suh, Nebraska

Maxwell Award (Best All-around Player)
Mark Ingram, Alabama
Colt McCoy, Texas
Tim Tebow, Florida

Walter Camp 2009 Player of the Year award
Mark Ingram, Alabama
Case Keenum, Houston
Colt McCoy, Texas
Tim Tebow, Florida
Ndamukong Suh, Nebraska

Davey O’Brien Award (Best Quarterback)
Case Keenum, Houston
Colt McCoy, Texas
Tim Tebow, Florida

Finalists Manning Award
Jimmy Clausen, Notre Dame
Andy Dalton, Texas Christian
Max Hall, BYU
Case Keenum, Houston
Dan LeFevour, Central Michigan
Ryan Mallett, Arkansas
Colt McCoy, Texas
Kellen Moore, Boise St
Tony Pike, Cincinnati
Tim Tebow, Florida
The winner will be announced on Thursday, Jan. 14.

Doak Walker Award (Best Running Back)
Toby Gerhart, Stanford
Mark Ingram, Alabama
C.J. Spiller, Clemson

Biletnikoff Award (Best Receiver)
Freddie Barnes, Bowling Green
Jordan Shipley, Texas
Golden Tate, Notre Dame

John Mackey Award (Best Tight End)
Dorin Dickerson, Pittsburgh
Aaron Hernandez, Florida
Dennis Pitta, BYU

Bronko Nagurski Trophy (Best Defensive Player)
Pat Angerer, Linebacker, Iowa
Eric Berry, Safety, Tennessee
Terrence Cody, Tackle, Alabama
Jerry Hughes, End, Texas Christian
Ndamukong Suh, Tackle, Nebraska

Hendricks Award Finalists
Jeremy Beal (Oklahoma)
Brandon Graham (Michigan)
Jerry Hughes (Texas Christian)
Sergio Kindle (Texas)
Von Miller (Texas A&M)
Derrick Morgan (Georgia Tech)
Greg Romeus (Pittsburgh)

Butkus Finalists (Best Linebacker)
Sergia Kindle, Texas
Rolando McClain, Alabama
Eric Norwood, South Carolina
Brandon Spikes, Florida
Sean Weatherspoon, Missouri

Lou Groza Award (Best Kicker)
Kai Forbath, UCLA
Leigh Tiffin, Alabama
Blair Walsh, Georgia

Ray Guy Award (Best Punter)
Drew Butler, Georgia
Chas Henry, Florida
Zoltan Mesko, Michigan

George Munger Award (Best Collegiate Coach of the Year)
Al Golden - Temple'
Brian Kelly - Cincinnati
Gary Patterson - Texas Christian

Frank Coyle's Blog
College Title Chase and Heisman Trophy Award

Click on Frank Coyle's new Blog link. He will post there regularly with news, updates, and insights throughout the season and postseason.

Photo QB Sam Bradford - Oklahoma
Frank Coyle has been a Heisman Trophy voter for the past 15 years

The upcoming college season presents an interesting group of premier players rated as the top Heisman Trophy candidates. For the first time, there are two former Heisman Trophy winners in Sam Bradford and Tim Tebow returning with each hoping to become only the second player in college history to win two of the games’ most coveted award. Only running back Archie Griffin of Ohio St. has won two Heisman Trophy Awards during the Woody Hayes power teams of the 1970s
This year the top three vote getters return from last year, all QBs, Sam Bradford, Tim Tebow and Colt McCoy are each back at the helm with highly ranked teams that should make the both the Heisman Trophy award and national championship race highly competitive battles with the winning player and team probably claiming both trophies. Oklahoma’s Sam Bradford and Texas’s Colt McCoy face a key matchup in early October in the Red River Rivalry that will have a strong bearing on both the Heisman Trophy and National title races. I voted for Colt McCoy last season and felt the late loss to Texas Tech probably cost him the coveted award. If a Texas defender could have tackled TT wideout Michael Crabtree at the yard line we might be discussing Colt McCoy pursuing a second Heisman Trophy award this fall. Such is college football.
Florida’s Tim Tebow will lead the Gators in an attempt to repeat as national champions and his second Heisman award. Only two teams since the 1980s have repeated as national champions and the Gators certainly have several critical components inline to claim another title. Tebow actually received the most first place votes in the Heisman Trophy last year, but came in 3rd in the overall voting. Florida plays in the tough SEC, but faces an average schedule this fall with no Alabama, Auburn or Ole Mss on the regular schedule. A key early SEC matchup with LSU in October could have a strong bearing on both the national title and Heisman races and eventual winners in those prestigious awards

Heisman Trophy Preseason Candidates

QB Sam Bradford - 6’3” 215 lbs - Oklahoma
Athletic fourth year junior QB has had an incredible early career with the Sooners that includes winning the Heisman award last season. He is a big tough passer who has a quick compact delivery with good touch and fine accuracy. He has progressed quickly in all aspects of play and has gained valuable experience after starting the past three seasons in this premier program. His chances of repeating as the Heisman winner may hinge on his performance in the Red River Rivalry vs Texas’s Colt McCoy in a head to head classic. He is a good runner and shows the ability to throw effectively on the move as well as move quickly within the pocket. He needs to refine his game in all areas related to the NFL and will be working with many new offensive starters this fall.

QB Tim Tebow - 6’4” 220 lbs. - Florida
Savvy senior passer has developed nicely in the efficient pro style Gator. He has a good arm with a nice touch and the quick release to get the ball to receivers. He has shown fine arm strength with nice development especially in his accuracy. He won the Heisman award as a sophomore in ’07 and actually earned the most first place Heisman ballots last year when he finished 3rd in the overall balloting. He looks to compete vs Sam Bradford and Colt McCoy for both the Heisman award and national title in what looks like the winner takes all competition. He shows the ability to make the difficult throw and the quickness in the pocket to avoid a rush. His decision making is his greatest asset which has minimized mistakes throughout his early career. He is a terrific runner in the mold of Steve Young with the ability to beat you with his arm or feet.

One Man's Vote - Heisman, Outland & Thorpe

Heisman Trophy Vote

Photo - Tim Tebow - Florida

The 2008 Heisman Trophy voting will be announced this weekend on ESPN with Tim Tebow hoping to become only the 2nd player in college football history to be nominated a two time winner. Tebow won the award last season off a great sophomore performance and would be the only player in history along with Ohio St's running back Archie Griffin to be a two time recipient. Tebow has responded with another huge effort this fall including some last minute heroics vs Alabama in the SEC title game that ranks him with the top candidates. That performance could earn him the prestigious Heisman. Colt McCoy of Texas has had a great season and has directed Texas to a near perfect season except for some last minute heroics by the Texas Tech offense. McCoy earned our vote off a consistently fine '08 season that included huge performances vs highly regarded Oklahoma, Missouri, Kansas and Texas Tech their most critical Big 12 matchups. Sam Bradford of Oklahoma also had a terrific '08 performance including a huge effort vs Missouri in the Big 12 title victory.

Frank Coyle 2008 Award Votes

Heisman Trophy Vote
1. Colt McCoy - QB - Texas
2. Tim Tebow - QB - Florida
3. Sam Bradford - QB - Oklahoma

Outland Trophy vote
#1 Andre Smith - OT - Alabama
#2 Michael Oher - OT Mississippi
#3 Duke Robinson - OG - Oklahoma

Jim Thorpe Ballot
#1 Malcolm Jenkins - CB - Ohio St
#2 Eric Berry - S - Tennessee                    
#3 Taylor Mays - S - USC     

COLLEGE FOOTBALL AWARDS FINALISTS -
(listed alphabetically)

Photo - RB Knowshon Moreno - Georgia

Finalists for The Home Depot ESPNU College Football Awards - live on ESPN, Thursday, Dec. 11, from 7:30-9:30 p.m.- have been announced. Quarterbacks Sam Bradford of Oklahoma, Graham Harrell of Texas Tech, Colt McCoy of Texas and Tim Tebow of Florida highlight the list of contending outstanding student-athletes. The show, hosted by ESPN's Chris Fowler, Lee Corso and Kirk Herbstreit, will originate from the Atlantic Dance Hall at Disney's Boardwalk at the Walt Disney World Resort near Orlando, Fl.
The Home Depot ESPNU College Football Awards features the live presentation of nine awards, along with the recipients of Disney's Spirit Award; The Home Depot Coach of the Year Award, the NCFAA (National College Football Awards Association) Contributions to College Football Award; and student-athletes selected to the Walter Camp All-America Team.

Complete List of Award Finalists

Outland Trophy (best interior lineman)
Michael Oher, Ole Miss
Duke Robinson, Oklahoma
Andre Smith, Alabama

Doak Walker Award (best running back)
Shonn Greene, Iowa
Knowshon Moreno, Georgia
Javon Ringer, Michigan St

Jim Thorpe Award (best defensive back)
Eric Berry, Tennessee
Malcolm Jenkins, Ohio St
Taylor Mays, USC

Maxwell Award (best all-around player)
Graham Harrell, Texas Tech
Colt McCoy, Texas
*Tim Tebow, Florida

Chuck Bednarik Award (best defensive player)
James Laurinaitis, Ohio St.
Ray Maualuga, USC
Aaron Maybin, Penn St.

Biletnikoff Award (best receiver)
Dez Bryant, Oklahoma St.
*Michael Crabtree, Texas Tech
Jeremy Maclin, Missouri

Knowshon Moreno Heads Heisman Race

Photo - Knowshon Moreno - Georgia

Pro Prospect '08 Scouting Report
Knowshon Moreno - 5'11" 215 lbs. - Soph - Georgia
Electrifying tailback returns after an outstanding '07 performance in the SEC. He is an imposing back who is very quick to the hole with an excellent burst of speed through the hole. He has good change of direction skills to create running lanes and the breakaway speed to go the distance every time he touches the ball. He explodes thru the hole that allows him to get to the second level consistently and break tackles and outrun defenders. He shows good hands as a receiver but must improve further as a route runner. He is a third year sophomore and a prospect we scouted earlier after an All-American career as a New Jersey HS star. He has natural openfield running skills to makes him a threat to hit the home run regularly, in addition to the power to run inside and carry the game to game load. He could one of the nation's best player and capable of being one of the super blue chip prospects for the NFL Draft '09 if he declares in January.