USC has eight Heisman Trophy winners, one more than Ohio State, Notre Dame and Oklahoma, and they came in two clusters: four tailbacks between 1965 and 1981, when the program was called Tailback U, and three quarterbacks plus a running back between 2002 and 2022. One of the eight, Reggie Bush, forfeited his trophy in 2010 and had it restored in 2024.
| Year | Player | Position | Coach |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1965 | Mike Garrett | Tailback | John McKay |
| 1968 | O.J. Simpson | Tailback | John McKay |
| 1979 | Charles White | Tailback | John Robinson |
| 1981 | Marcus Allen | Tailback | John Robinson |
| 2002 | Carson Palmer | Quarterback | Pete Carroll |
| 2004 | Matt Leinart | Quarterback | Pete Carroll |
| 2005 | Reggie Bush | Running back | Pete Carroll |
| 2022 | Caleb Williams | Quarterback | Lincoln Riley |
Bush forfeited his 2005 trophy in September 2010 after NCAA sanctions and the Heisman Trust reinstated it in April 2024, citing changes to the sport’s compensation rules.
Tailback U
Mike Garrett in 1965 was the program’s first winner, running for 1,440 yards behind John McKay’s power sweep. O.J. Simpson in 1968 won by the largest margin the award had seen to that point after running for 1,709 yards and 22 touchdowns, a year after finishing second. Charles White in 1979 ran for 1,803 yards on a team that finished second in the country. Marcus Allen in 1981 became the first player to run for 2,000 yards in a season, finishing with 2,342.
Four tailback Heismans in seventeen years, all in the same offence, is the origin of the nickname. Anthony Davis and Ricky Bell each finished second in the same span without winning.
The Carroll Three
Carson Palmer won in 2002 as a fifth year senior after throwing for 3,942 yards, then went first overall in the draft. Matt Leinart won in 2004 on a 13 and 0 national championship team and finished third the following year. Reggie Bush won in 2005 with 2,890 all purpose yards by one of the widest margins in the award’s history, then lost to Texas in the Rose Bowl in his final game. Three Heismans in four years, with Leinart and Bush in the same backfield for two of them.
The Bush Trophy
In June 2010 the NCAA found that Bush and his family had received improper benefits from prospective agents while he was at USC, vacated the 2004 championship and the 2005 season, and banned USC from bowls for two years. Bush returned the trophy that September, and the Heisman Trust left 2005 vacant for nearly fourteen years. In April 2024, after athletes gained the right to be paid, the Trust reinstated the award. USC counts eight winners and always did.
Caleb Williams, 2022
Williams followed Lincoln Riley from Oklahoma and threw for 4,537 yards and 42 touchdowns with five interceptions in his first season at USC, winning the Heisman over Max Duggan of TCU and giving Riley his third winning quarterback in six seasons. USC went 11 and 3 and lost the Pac-12 championship game. Williams went first overall to Chicago in 2024. Our head coaches page covers Riley’s tenure.
The Runners Up
USC has produced more second place finishers than almost any school. Simpson in 1967, Anthony Davis in 1974, Ricky Bell in 1976, Rodney Peete in 1988 and Sam Darnold’s fourth place finish in 2017 are the near misses most cited, and Leinart finished third in 2005 while his own teammate won. Our Heisman winners by year page has every recipient since 1995.
The Bottom Line
USC has eight Heisman winners, the most of any school: Mike Garrett, O.J. Simpson, Charles White, Marcus Allen, Carson Palmer, Matt Leinart, Reggie Bush and Caleb Williams. Four were tailbacks from the McKay and Robinson years, three came in four seasons under Pete Carroll, and Bush’s trophy was returned in 2010 and restored in 2024. Our Notre Dame Heisman page covers the rival with seven.