How California became college football’s most decorated Heisman state

Forty-one schools have produced a Heisman Trophy winner since the award debuted in 1935, and no state can claim more of them than California.

Ten Heisman winners built their college football careers at California schools — more than any other state in the country. USC accounts for eight of them, with Stanford and UCLA adding one apiece.

Florida, Indiana, Oklahoma and Texas each have eight winners produced by their in-state schools. Alabama has seven.

Here’s how the Golden State built its Heisman lead.

USC: The gold standard

The Trojans stand alone in college football’s most exclusive club. USC has produced eight Heisman winners, more than any program in the country — almost enough on its own to push California past every other state.

The USC dynasty began with running back Mike Garrett, who won the trophy in 1965. Three years later, O.J. Simpson took home the award in 1968, capping one of the most celebrated individual seasons in Trojans history and cementing USC’s status as a national power.

The late 1970s and early ’80s belonged to a run of Trojan tailbacks who defined the program’s identity. Charles White won in 1979. Marcus Allen followed in 1981, delivering another Heisman to Heritage Hall in a stretch that turned USC into the sport’s premier running back factory.

After a two-decade gap, the Trojans returned to the top of college football in the Pete Carroll era.

Carson Palmer won the Heisman in 2002. Matt Leinart, another quarterback, took the trophy in 2004. Running back Reggie Bush followed in 2005 — three winners in four years, a stretch unmatched in the modern era.

The Trojans’ most recent Heisman came in 2022, when quarterback Caleb Williams won the award in his first season after transferring from Oklahoma.

Position by position, USC’s Heisman lineage tells the story of college football’s evolution. Five running backs — Garrett, Simpson, White, Allen and Bush — reflect the program’s ground-and-pound heritage.

Three quarterbacks — Palmer, Leinart and Williams — reflect the passing era that followed.

No other program in the country has managed a run of eight winners across so many decades.

Stanford’s lone winner

Stanford’s contribution to California’s total came in 1970, when quarterback Jim Plunkett won the Heisman Trophy.

He remains the Cardinal’s only Heisman recipient.

UCLA’s Heisman moment

Across town from USC, UCLA has one Heisman winner: quarterback Gary Beban, who took the trophy in 1967 — sandwiched between the USC victories of Garrett and Simpson at the height of the crosstown rivalry.

Beban remains the Bruins’ only Heisman winner.

The chase behind California

While California sits at 10, four states are tied for second with eight winners apiece:

Florida’s total comes from three programs: Florida (3), Florida State (3) and Miami (2).
Indiana’s eight include seven from Notre Dame and Indiana’s first winner, former Cal quarterback Fernando Mendoza, who took home the award in 2025.
Oklahoma’s total is split between OU, which has produced seven Heisman winners, and Oklahoma State, whose lone recipient was Barry Sanders in 1988.
Texas has spread its eight winners across six programs — Texas (2), Texas A&M (2), Baylor, SMU, TCU and Houston.

Alabama sits at seven, with four from the Crimson Tide and three from Auburn.

Every school with a Heisman winner

Here is every program that has produced a Heisman winner, from USC’s record eight to Indiana, the newest member of 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)

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)

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.