Ohio State sophomore quarterback Justin Fields (1) catches a snap during the first half of the game against Michigan at Michigan Stadium Nov. 30. Ohio State won 56-27. Credit: Amal Saeed | Photo Editor
Ohio State laid claim to two of the four Heisman Trophy finalists in New York Saturday, but neither ended up with the coveted award.
Sophomore quarterback Justin Fields finished third in voting, while junior defensive end Chase Young finished fourth.
LSU redshirt senior quarterback Joe Burrow won with 90.7 percent of the first-place votes. Burrow spent three years at Ohio State before transferring in May 2018 and playing the past two seasons in Baton Rouge, Louisiana.
Burrow has 4,715 yards this season, and his 48 touchdowns and 77.9 percent completion rate lead the nation. Ohio State head coach Ryan Day was Burrow’s quarterbacks coach from 2017 up until his transfer.
Oklahoma senior quarterback Jalen Hurts finished second.
Fields trails Burrow with 40 passing touchdowns, which are the third-most in the country. His 50 total touchdowns are four shy of former Ohio State quarterback Dwayne Haskins’ Big Ten record 54, set in 2018.
Young’s 16.5 sacks and 1.9 tackles for loss per game are the most in the nation. Despite not winning the Heisman, Young has won a litany of awards this season, including the Bednarik Award, the Big Ten’s Defensive Player of the Year and Defensive Lineman of the Year, the Hendricks Award, Nagurski Trophy and the Chicago Tribune Silver Football Award.
Fields was named the Big Ten’s Quarterback of the Year and Offensive Player of the Year Dec. 4.
Ohio State was just the fifth school to have multiple Heisman finalists since they were first invited to New York in 1982.
It’s the second consecutive season that an Ohio State player finished in the top three in voting, as Haskins finished third in 2018.
Fields and Young will be back on the field Dec. 28 for their College Football Playoff semifinal matchup against Clemson at the Fiesta Bowl.
