Every school with a Heisman winner: Where do Florida, FSU and Miami stack up?

For football fans in Florida, the Heisman Trophy is more than a national honor — it is part of the state’s football DNA.

The Miami Hurricanes have produced two Heisman winners, while the Florida Gators and Florida State Seminoles have each celebrated three winners of their own.

Together, the three programs have helped give the Sunshine State a Heisman legacy matched by few places in the country.

Only 41 schools have produced a Heisman winner since the award debuted in 1935. USC leads the way with eight winners, while Notre Dame, Ohio State and Oklahoma have seven. Alabama is next with four.

Miami’s Vinny Testaverde.
Miami Herald file photo

The Miami chapter

For The U, the Heisman story is one of dominance followed by drought.

Vinny Testaverde brought the trophy to Coral Gables in 1986, and Gino Torretta added another in 1992 during the height of the Hurricanes dynasty.

Since then, nothing — a gap that has stretched more than three decades, spanning the program’s move to Hard Rock Stadium and multiple attempts to recapture the swagger of the Jimmy Johnson and Dennis Erickson eras.

Florida’s Tim Tebow. Miami Herald file photo

The Florida State and Florida factor

Florida State’s three winners — Charlie Ward (1993), Chris Weinke (2000) and Jameis Winston (2013) — all played quarterback and all delivered national championships during their time in Tallahassee.

The Gators, meanwhile, have their own Heisman trio: Steve Spurrier (1966), Danny Wuerffel (1996) and Tim Tebow (2007). Wuerffel and Tebow led UF to national titles, and Spurrier coached the Gators to the 1996 crown.

Between the three programs, the state has produced eight Heisman winners.

How Sunshine State programs stack up

Here’s every school that has produced a Heisman winner, from USC’s record eight recipients to Indiana, the newest program to join the club after Fernando Mendoza’s 2025 victory:

8 winners

USC: RB Mike Garrett (1965), RB O.J. Simpson (1968), RB Charles White (1979), RB Marcus Allen (1981), QB Carson Palmer (2002), QB Matt Leinart (2004), RB Reggie Bush (2005), QB Caleb Williams (2022)

7 winners

Notre Dame: QB Angelo Bertelli (1943), QB John Lujack (1947), TE Leon Hart (1949), RB John Lattner (1953), QB Paul Hornung (1956), QB John Huarte (1964), WR Tim Brown (1987)

Ohio State: HB Les Horvath (1944), RB Vic Janowicz (1950), RB Howard Cassady (1955), RB Archie Griffin (1974, 1975), RB Eddie George (1995), QB Troy Smith (2006)

Oklahoma: RB Billy Vessels (1952), RB Steve Owens (1969), RB Billy Sims (1978), QB Jason White (2003), QB Sam Bradford (2008), QB Baker Mayfield (2017), QB Kyler Murray (2018)

4 winners

Alabama: RB Mark Ingram (2009), RB Derrick Henry (2015), WR Devonta Smith (2020), QB Bryce Young (2021)

3 winners

Army: FB Doc Blanchard (1945), RB Glenn Davis (1946), RB Pete Dawkins (1958)

Auburn: QB Pat Sullivan (1971), RB Bo Jackson (1985), QB Cam Newton (2010)

Florida: QB Steve Spurrier (1966), QB Danny Wuerffel (1996), QB Tim Tebow (2007)

Florida State: QB Charlie Ward (1993), QB Chris Weinke (2000), QB Jameis Winston (2013)

LSU: RB Billy Cannon (1959), QB Joe Burrow (2019), QB Jayden Daniels (2023)

Michigan: RB Tom Harmon (1940), WR Desmond Howard (1991), CB Charles Woodson (1997)

Nebraska: WR Johnny Rodgers (1972), RB Mike Rozier (1983), QB Eric Crouch (2001)

2 winners

Colorado: RB Rashaan Salaam (1994), WR/CB Travis Hunter (2024)

Georgia: RB Frank Sinkwich (1942), RB Herschel Walker (1982)

Miami: QB Vinny Testaverde (1986), QB Gino Torretta (1992)

Navy: RB Joe Bellino (1960), QB Roger Staubach (1963)

Texas: RB Earl Campbell (1977), RB Ricky Williams (1998)

Texas A&M: RB John David Crow (1957), QB Johnny Manziel (2012)

Wisconsin: FB Alan Ameche (1954), RB Ron Dayne (1999)

Yale: TE Larry Kelley (1936), HB Clinton Frank (1937)

Fernando Mendoza, the 2025 Heisman winner, played at Christopher Columbus High in Miami. IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

1 winner

Baylor: QB Robert Griffin III (2011)

Boston College: QB Doug Flutie (1984)

BYU: QB Ty Detmer (1990)

Chicago: HB Jay Berwanger (1935)

Houston: QB Andre Ware (1989)

Indiana: QB Fernando Mendoza (2025)

Iowa: QB/HB Nile Kinnick (1939)

Louisville: QB Lamar Jackson (2016)

Minnesota: HB Bruce Smith (1941)

Oklahoma State: RB Barry Sanders (1988)

Oregon: QB Marcus Mariota (2014)

Oregon State: QB Terry Baker (1962)

Penn State: RB John Cappeletti (1973)

Pittsburgh: RB Tony Dorsett (1976)

Princeton: HB Dick Kazmaier (1951)

South Carolina: RB George Rogers (1980)

SMU: HB Doak Walker (1948)

Stanford: QB Jim Plunkett (1970)

Syracuse: RB/LB Ernie Davis (1961)

TCU: QB Davey O’Brien (1938)

UCLA: QB Gary Beban (1967)

The high school route

Five Heisman winners played their high school football in the Sunshine State: Danny Wuerffel (Fort Walton Beach High), Tim Tebow (Nease High in Ponte Vedra Beach), Derrick Henry (Yulee High), Lamar Jackson (Boynton Beach High) and Fernando Mendoza (Christopher Columbus High in Miami).

Mike Garbett is a content specialist working with McClatchy’s Content Innovation Lab.

This report was produced with the assistance of a proprietary tool powered by artificial intelligence and using our own originally reported, written and published content. It was reviewed and edited by our journalists.