Beyond the Heisman, college football hands out a full December shelf of position and player-of-the-year awards: the Biletnikoff for receivers, Doak Walker for running backs, Davey O’Brien for quarterbacks, Outland for interior linemen, Butkus for linebackers, Thorpe for defensive backs and a dozen more.
Here’s the map of the trophy case – what each award honors and how the winners get picked.
COLLEGE FOOTBALL EXPLAINED
The Awards Guide
December’s full trophy shelf
THE BIG ONE
The Heisman
Most outstanding player, any position (in theory)
POSITION AWARDS
A dozen+
Every position group has its own trophy
WHEN
December
Awards week runs alongside the Heisman ceremony
WHO VOTES
Media + coaches
Each award runs its own selection committee
The offensive trophy case
Award by award
| Award |
Honors |
| Maxwell & Walter Camp |
Player of the year awards that predate and parallel the Heisman – the Maxwell dates to 1937, Walter Camp honors the sport’s founding father |
| Davey O’Brien Award |
Best quarterback – named for TCU’s 1938 Heisman winner |
| Doak Walker Award |
Best running back – honoring SMU’s three-time All-American |
| Biletnikoff Award |
Best receiver (any pass catcher qualifies) – named for the Florida State and Raiders great |
| Mackey & Rimington |
Best tight end (Mackey) and best center (Rimington) – the specialists’ specialists |
| Outland Trophy & Joe Moore Award |
The Outland honors the best interior lineman (either side of the ball, since 1946); the Joe Moore goes to the best entire offensive line UNIT – the sport’s only true team-within-team award |
Defense, special teams and character
The rest of the shelf
| Award |
Honors |
| Bednarik & Nagurski |
The two defensive player of the year awards – rival trophies that frequently disagree, doubling the December debate |
| Butkus Award |
Best linebacker – with high school and pro versions attached to the same name |
| Jim Thorpe Award |
Best defensive back – corners and safeties compete for one trophy |
| Lou Groza & Ray Guy |
Best kicker (Groza) and best punter (Guy) – specialists get December too |
| Burlsworth Trophy |
The best player who began his career as a walk-on – named for Brandon Burlsworth’s storybook Arkansas career |
| Broyles Award |
The nation’s top assistant coach – the award that predicts head-coaching hires |
AWARDS FACTS
The awards show
Most position awards are revealed at ESPN’s Home Depot College Football Awards broadcast – one December night, a dozen trophies.
Watch lists are marketing
Preseason watch lists run 30-80 names per award – press-release season in July, meaningful in November.
The sweep seasons
A transcendent player can stack the Heisman, Maxwell, Camp and his position award in one December – the full-shelf sweep.
A Trophy for Every Job
The awards shelf is college football’s answer to the Heisman’s quarterback bias: linemen, corners, punters and walk-ons all get a December of their own, judged by committees who actually watch the position. The main event’s machinery – the one that overshadows all of these – is covered in how Heisman voting works. The season these trophies crown is governed by the NCAA.
The Bottom Line
O’Brien for QBs, Doak for backs, Biletnikoff for catchers, Outland and Joe Moore up front, Bednarik-Nagurski-Butkus-Thorpe on defense, Groza and Guy for the legs, Burlsworth for the walk-ons – December hands out a trophy for every job in football, and the Heisman just gets the biggest room.
