Touchdown passes and the Heisman
Quarterbacks have won 15 of the last 17 Heismans, the most dominant stretch by any one position in the trophy’s history.
In addition to passing yards, efficiency and completion percentage, the component of a quarterback’s production that is most often scrutinized is the number of touchdown passes thrown. After three weeks of the 2018 season, several quarterbacks are on pace to easily surpass 40 touchdown passes on the season. It stands to reason that the more touchdown passes you throw, the better your chances of winning a Heisman.
Here are the 10 Heisman winners with the most touchdown passes in a single season (totals are from the time of the Heisman vote). Notable is the fact that the vast bulk have played since the beginning of the new century.
| Rank | TDs | Year | Player | Team | TDs/Game |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 48 | 2008 | Sam Bradford | Oklahoma | 3.7 |
| 2 | 46 | 1989 | Andre Ware | Houston | 3.8 |
| 3 | 41 | 2017 | Baker Mayfield | Oklahoma | 3.2 |
| 41 | 1990 | Ty Detmer | BYU | 3.4 | |
| 5 | 40 | 2003 | Jason White | Oklahoma | 3.1 |
| 6 | 38 | 2014 | Marcus Mariota | Oregon | 2.9 |
| 38 | 2013 | Jameis Winston | Florida State | 2.9 | |
| 8 | 36 | 2011 | Robert Griffin III | Baylor | 3.0 |
| 36 | 1996 | Danny Wuerffel | Florida | 3.0 | |
| 10 | 33 | 2000 | Chris Weinke | Florida State | 2.8 |
