Oklahoma State football running back Chuba Hubbard was not invited to New York City as a 2019 Heisman Trophy finalist. Why was he a major snub?
The 2019 Heisman Trophy finalists announced earlier this week are LSU’s Joe Burrow, Oklahoma’s Jalen Hurts, and Ohio State’s Justin Fields and Chase Young. Absent from that list is star Oklahoma State running back Chuba Hubbard.
Hubbard was electric for the Oklahoma State this season. The sophomore from Sherwood Park, Alberta led the nation in rushing, finishing the 2019 season 1,936 yards on the ground. He also finished as the nation’s leader in all-purpose yards, besting Wisconsin’s Jonathan Taylor and Ohio State’s J.K. Dobbins.
Hubbard carried the Cowboys on his back throughout the season, especially in November as the team struggled to replace its two other offensive stars that went out with season-ending injuries. The Cowboys’ 8-4 win-loss record was an improvement from last year, but less than outstanding in the eyes of Heisman voters.
As part of a trend in offensive systems and rules in college football, quarterbacks are becoming more skilled, more statistically prolific and more recognized. In the previous four seasons, including this year, only one running back has finished in the top three in terms of total votes — Stanford’s Bryce Love in 2017.
Alabama’s Derrick Henry was the last non-quarterback to win the award in 2015. Since 1999, Henry is one of only two running backs to win the award, along with another Crimson Tide rusher, Mark Ingram. USC’s Reggie Bush vacated his Heisman Trophy from the 2005 season.
How is Hubbard’s absence from the Heisman ceremony a snub?