August Heismans
Though the 2018 college football season doesn’t really get rolling until September, 36 FBS teams will spring into action before August comes to a close.
That means almost one-third of FBS teams will have played already played a game by the time September hits.
It used to be that college football seasons didn’t get started until much later in the fall. In fact, the 1947 edition of Notre Dame football, starring eventual-Heisman winner John Lujack, commenced on October 4, the latest-ever start for a Heisman-winning season. Other Heisman winners who started their seasons in October include Yale’s Larry Kelley and Clinton Frank, whose 1936 and 1937 seasons started on October 3 and October 2, respectively.
On the other end of the spectrum are the 11 Heisman winners who kicked off their seasons in August. It’s worth noting that no player has ever lost a game in August before going on to win the Heisman. Here’s the complete list of those Heisman winners who kicked off their campaigns in August, along with how they performed (earliest start first):
| Player | Year | Date | Opponent | Result |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Eric Crouch | 2001 | August 25 | TCU | Nebraska won, 21-7, as Crouch threw for 151 yards, with 69 rush yards and a score. |
| Chris Weinke | 2000 | August 26 | BYU | FSU won, 29-3, with Weinke throwing for 318 yards and 2 TDs. |
| Eddie George | 1995 | August 27 | Boston College | Ohio State won 38-6 as George rushed for 99 yards and 2 TDs and also added 48 yards on 4 receptions. |
| Matt Leinart | 2004 | August 28 | Virginia Tech | USC won, 27-17, as Leinart threw for 272 yards and 3 TDs. |
| Charlie Ward | 1993 | August 28 | Kansas | FSU won, 42-0, with Ward passing for 194 yards and 0 TDs. |
| Mike Rozier | 1983 | August 29 | Penn State | Nebraska defeated Penn State, 44-6, but Rozier contributed just 71 yards on 16 carries with no TDs. |
| Marcus Mariota | 2014 | August 30 | South Dakota | Oregon won, 62-13, as Mariota threw for 267 yards and 3 TDs and added 43 yards on the ground with a score. |
| Sam Bradford | 2008 | August 30 | Chattanooga | Oklahoma won, 57-2, with Bradford tossing 2 TDs to go with 183 passing yards. |
| Jason White | 2003 | August 30 | North Texas | Oklahoma won, 37-3, as White passed for 248 yards and 3 TDs. |
| Vinny Testaverde | 1986 | August 30 | South Carolina | Miami won, 34-14, as Testaverde threw for 231 yards and 1 TD. |
| Danny Wuerffel | 1996 | August 31 | SW Louisiana | Florida won, 55-21, with Wuerffel passing for 224 yards and a score. |
