Texas Football: 3 greatest Longhorns never to win the Heisman

Three seasons for players out of the Texas football program, all in the last three decades, stuck out without Heisman Trophy honors at the end of the road.

The Heisman Trophy is the grandest of all individual honors, and multiple players out of the Texas football program have either won the award or come close to doing so. Texas does have two Heisman Trophy winners in their program history, and a number of other finalists.

The two Heisman Trophy winners in the history of the Texas program included legendary running back Earl Campbell (in 1977) and fellow running back Ricky Williams (in 1998). Campbell is one of the greatest running backs in college football history, and Williams was an electrifying spark plug to the Texas offense that saw his skill set translate immediately to the NFL.

Of all the Heisman Trophy finalists for Texas, the latest came in 2016 with former star running back D’Onta Foreman. A 2,000 rushing yard season in less than a dozen games didn’t even crack the top five finalists for the Heisman Trophy voting in 2016, though.

There were also a number of other worthy seasons in program history that just didn’t come from  a position that is usually up for the honors. The 2009 season alone got two seasons from Texas players that deserved more national attention than they got, from safety Earl Thomas (eight interceptions) and wide receiver Jordan Shipley (nearly 1,500 receiving yards and more than a dozen touchdown catches).

Now, Texas is trying to push to-be senior quarterback Sam Ehlinger to the point of becoming a Heisman finalist. He’s their best chance since Foreman. But what other potentially forgotten seasons from Texas Exes worthy of Heisman contention should be looked back upon with grace?

Here’s a look into the three greatest seasons from any player out of the Texas Longhorns football program that never got a Heisman Trophy award to follow.