Of the 39 Heisman Trophy finalists since 2010, just 13 have returned to suit up for the following college football season.
Ohio State quarterback Justin Fields will become a member of that small contingent this season as the only returning finalist from a 2019 batch that featured the top two picks in the NFL Draft.
That’s one reason Fields is picked by many as the early favorite to win the award in 2020, but he’ll need to become a member of a couple even more exclusive groups in order to get there.
Since 2010, Only five of the 13 returning Heisman Trophy finalists were selected a finalist again the following year, and only one –– former Oklahoma quarterback Baker Mayfield –– actually won the award after coming back.
Fields will aim to become the second, but the past decade shows that there are plenty of alternate paths that could take his train to New York off its charted course.
