Will Florida football’s win-loss record affect Kyle Trask’s Heisman hopes?

Is team success necessary for Heisman?

I will argue that Kyle Trask does not need an outstanding year from his Florida team this season to merit Heisman hardware.

Louisville’s Lamar Jackson, the 2016 Heisman winner, provides a helpful example. The Cardinals finished the regular season at 9-3 with losses to Clemson, Houston, and Kentucky. The team, ranked No. 15 heading into the postseason, lost handily to LSU in the Citrus Bowl.

Johnny Manziel from 2012 provides another case. The Aggies entered the postseason with two losses and no SEC title, having lost to Florida and LSU. It helps, of course, that A&M had the signature 29-24 win against then-No. 1 Alabama.

The year before, 2011, Baylor quarterback Robert Griffin III won the Heisman after finishing with three Big 12 losses.

Lastly, maybe it’s most prudent to look at Tim Tebow in 2007. The former Florida star’s Heisman-winning season included three regular-season losses to SEC foes.

Florida had won the 2006 title and would go on to win the 2008 crown, as well. In Tebow’s sophomore season, he threw for 3,286 yards, 32 touchdowns, and six interceptions while rushing for 23 touchdowns. That 2007 campaign was his best statistically, and although his standout play continued for two more years, he would finish third and fifth in Heisman voting for 2008 and 2009, respectively.

Late-game heroics and clutch wins against top teams can sway Heisman voters, but it’s not a necessity. Even if the Gators stumble against LSU, Georgia, Tennessee, or a possible SEC West foe in the conference title game, it won’t be the end of Trask’s 2020 Heisman candidacy.