TCU’s Max Duggan is runner-up for Heisman Trophy
TCU quarterback Max Duggan came up shy of winning the 2022 Heisman Trophy.
Duggan finished second in the national voting as USC quarterback Caleb Williams was announced as the winner Saturday night at the Jazz at Lincoln Center’s Appel Room.
Williams had 2,031 total points and 544 first-place votes. Duggan had 1,420 points and 188 first-place votes.
Georgia’s Stetson Bennett and Ohio State’s C.J. Stroud were the other finalists invited to the ceremony. Stroud had 37 first-place votes while Bennett had 36.
It’s the 41st time a quarterback won the Heisman; the eighth time a USC player won the award.
Williams completed 66% of his passes for 4,075 yards and 37 touchdowns with 9.1 yards per attempt and a passer rating of 167.9 He set a school record for most total offensive yards with 4,447.
It’s the second year in a row that ESPN has presented the Heisman from the Appel Room and the design of the hall is as grandiose as the pageantry surrounding college football’s highest individual honor.
Twenty-three former Heisman Trophy winners attended the ceremony.
Earlier this week Duggan beat his Heisman finalists in two other national awards. Duggan received the Johnny Unitas Golden Arm Award in Baltimore and was named the winner of the Davey O’Brien Award, which will be presented in Fort Worth in February. Both awards honor the nation’s top quarterback.
The Big 12 Offensive Player of the Year and unanimous First-Team All-Big 12 selection threw for 3,321 yards, 30 touchdowns while leading TCU an undefeated regular season and the College Football Playoffs.
While he didn’t win the Heisman, the trip to New York was still viewed as a success for Duggan who got to experience the city for the first time and share the story of TCU to national audiences.
“I just have so much pride with putting that jersey on,” Duggan said.
He was joined by his mother Deb and his father Jim during the ceremony where they shared how proud they were of their son.
“He really loves TCU,” Deb Duggan said. His father said he always knew his son had something special in him.
“From when he was just a little boy competing in youth sports into high school and into college, he was just wired different,” Jim Duggan said. “He had the will to succeed, the will to win. It’s just part of his DNA.”
TCU coach Sonny Dykes and offensive coordinator Garrett Riley were also in New York for the presentation. Dykes had a moment to share a story about Duggan’s mentality as a teammate during the program after learning in the preseason he wasn’t going to be the starting quarterback.
“He came back and said ‘Coach I get it, I’m not happy about it, but I’m going to do everything I can to help this football team,’” Dykes said. “ ‘In my role as the backup quarterback, I’m going to be the best backup quarterback in the country.’ Fortunately for all of us he got an opportunity and took it and ran with it.”
Duggan will be remembered as one of the best starting quarterbacks after being TCU’s first Heisman finalist since 2000 when NFL Hall of Famer LaDainian Tomlinson finished fourth.
“Having TCU be on this national stage, it means so much for our football program, our athletic department, our university and academics,” Duggan said. “People see our logo out there and continue to see it. As a little kid back in the day you see those schools and now TCU is one of those schools kids can look to.”
Now the focus shifts to the Michigan Wolverines and trying to keep this special season going.
“It’s special to be in this spot,” Duggan said. “I think after the season everybody will be able to reflect on what happened, but we’ve still got work to do, games to play. We can make it a better season.”
TCU (12-1) will play Michigan (13-0) in the national semifinals on Dec. 31 in the Fiesta Bowl in Phoenix.
This story was originally published December 10, 2022 at 8:00 PM.
