When LSU quarterback Jayden Daniels won the Heisman Trophy last season, some wondered if the 2023 Tigers were one of the worst FBS teams to have a Heisman winner.
But historically, they don’t even make the top 10 in that category. He was only the 12th Heisman winner to be on a three-loss squad. Some endured four losses during their Heisman campaigns, and one was even on a team with an overall losing record.
Here are the 10 worst teams to produce Heisman Trophy winners throughout the years.
Heisman Winners On The Worst Teams, Ranked
| Rk | Player | Team |
| 1 | Paul Hornung | Notre Dame |
| 2 | Jay Berwanger | Chicago |
| 3 | Ty Detmer | BYU |
| 4 | Steve Owens | Oklahoma |
| 5 | Bo Jackson | Auburn |
| 6 | George Rogers | South Carolina |
| 7 | Jim Plunkett | Stanford |
| 8 | Andre Ware | Houston |
| 9 | Lamar Jackson | Louisville |
| 10 | Robert Griffin III | Baylor |
10. Robert Griffin III, Baylor
There’s no denying how exciting Griffin’s senior year was with the Bears as he threw for 3,998 yards and 36 touchdowns while running for 644 yards and another nine scores. While Griffin led Baylor to a top-15 ranking, its best at the time since 1986, the Bears still finished the year third in the Big 12 and suffered crushing defeats to Texas A&M (55-28) and Oklahoma State (59-24).
9. Lamar Jackson, Louisville
The most recent addition on this list, Jackson was electric en route to winning the Heisman in 2016. He was in the top 20 in the country in passing yards (3,543) and touchdowns (30) and top 10 in rushing yards (1,571) and touchdowns on the ground (21). He completed 56.2% of his throws and had just nine interceptions.
But Louisville didn’t make the College Football Playoff or even the SEC Championship after going 9-3 during the regular season. The Cardinals ended the year 9-4 with a loss to LSU in the Citrus Bowl and was 21st in the Final AP Top 25 poll.
8. Andre Ware, Houston
Arriving at Houston at the same time as head coach Jack Pardee’s run and shoot offense, Ware torched defenses in 1989 for 4,699 yards and 46 touchdowns. But those stats were aided in part by a 95-21 thrashing of an SMU program recovering from the Death Penalty.
And while Houston also rolled over some cupcake teams, it lost both of its most difficult road contests at Texas A&M and Arkansas to finish the year 9-2.
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7. Jim Plunkett, Stanford
Going up against Heisman favorites Archie Manning and Joe Theismann in 1970, Plunkett threw for 2,715 yards and 19 touchdowns to lead his team to the Pac-8 title. While Plunkett’s squad would go on to win the Rose Bowl over No. 2 Ohio State, it suffered a home loss to Purdue and road defeats to Air Force and California to go 9-3 overall.
6. George Rogers, South Carolina
Rogers was an unbelievable running back for South Carolina from 1977-80. He was seventh in Heisman voting after rushing for 1,548 yards and eight touchdowns as a junior. Rogers won the award the following year as a senior in 1980 after recording 1,781 yards and 14 touchdowns while averaging 6 yards per carry.
But South Carolina wasn’t exactly spectacular that season. The Gamecocks went 8-4 after losing to USC and Georgia, both ranked in the top five at the time, as well as unranked Clemson before falling against No. 3 Pitt in the Gator Bowl.
5. Bo Jackson, Auburn
Jackson is widely regarded as one of the best athletes of all time. Before going on to play in the NFL and MLB, he was a star at Auburn. He rushed for 1,786 yards and 17 touchdowns on 278 carries for a 6.5 yards-per-carry average as a senior in 1985 to win the Heisman.
But Auburn went 3-3 in SEC contests and was 8-4 overall that year, ending the season with a 36-16 loss in the Cotton Bowl to Texas A&M. Jackson is one of the few players to be on a four-loss team during a Heisman campaign, but he’s not the only one.
4. Steve Owens, Oklahoma
Before he became the first Detroit Lions running back to go over 1,000 yards, Owens won the Heisman despite playing on a 6-4 Sooners squad that suffered all of its losses to ranked teams. He carried the ball 358 times in 1969 for 1,523 yards and 23 touchdowns and went over the 200-yard mark twice.
3. Ty Detmer, BYU
Detmer’s 4,031 yards and 35 touchdowns tormented defenses during the 1991 season. But the Cougars lost or tied in all four of their matchups against ranked teams, which included a second tie to unranked San Diego State to give BYU a very average 8-3-2 record.
2. Jay Berwanger, Chicago
The only Heisman winner to play for a team that finished the year with a .500 record, Berwanger’s squad went just 4-4 back in 1935. He was the very first recipient of the award which was called the Downtown Athletic Club Trophy at the time.
Taken with the first pick in the 1939 NFL Draft by the Philadelphia Eagles and then traded to the Chicago Bears, Berwanger declined to play in the pros and instead founded a rubber company.
1. Paul Hornung, Notre Dame
Before he was dominating the NFL for the Green Bay Packers, Hornung became the only Heisman recipient in college football history to win the award on a losing team. Hornung’s Fighting Irish went just 2-8 in 1956, but his 1,337 total yards of offense (420 rushing and 917 passing) was good for second in the nation and enough to bring home the hardware.
