College football: Ranking every Heisman Trophy winner

45. Ranking every Heisman Trophy Winner: Carson Palmer, USC Trojans football

For USC star quarterback Carson Palmer, he arrived as the starter for the Trojans with a ton of pressure on him, as the program needed someone to get them back to the mountaintop in college football. Palmer was originally slated to be a backup during his true freshman season, but he was thrust into the role towards the end of the year, setting the stage for him to be the man under center at USC the rest of his career.

After a broken collarbone as a sophomore, Palmer was able to redshirt and had three years of eligibility left. He played well as a redshirt sophomore and junior, but after Norm Chow got ahold of him, he became the quarterback everybody thought he would be. Palmer would go on to dominate as a senior, becoming the fifth USC Trojan to win the Heisman Trophy.

Outside of the fact that he took home the most coveted individual honor in college football, Palmer also helped the program get back on top, leading them to their best finish since the late 1970s. He threw for over 3,600 yards and 32 touchdowns his final season with the Trojans, was named a unanimous All-American, and finished out as the No. 1 overall pick in the 2003 NFL Draft, heading to Cincinnati.

44. Ranking every Heisman Trophy Winner: John Lujack, Notre Dame football

The Notre Dame Football program has had its fair share of elite players. They have multiple Heisman Trophy winners, have won multiple national titles, and are arguably the biggest brand in college football, if not all of sports. During the 1940s, the Irish were a dominant team, and thanks to quarterback John Lujack, they would end up winning three national titles with him at the helm.

Incredibly, Lujack sandwiched those championships around him spending a few years in the Navy, as he won one in 1943, and then went back to back in 1946 and 1947. He did not lose a single game across those two seasons either. A tremendous passer, runner, and defensive player, Lujack was perfect at running the T-Formation, and was a two-time All-American for Notre Dame, as he became the second Heisman Trophy winner in school history.

A halfback as a sophomore, some believe his best moment as a member of the Irish came on defense when he brought down Doc Blanchard in a 1 vs. 2 matchup with Army during the 1946 season. A third-place Heisman finisher as a junior, Lujack capped off his collegiate career by winning it in 1947 and is still widely regarded as one of the best players in the history of Notre Dame’s storied program.