Davey O'Brien Award: Winners by Year 1981–2025

College football's best quarterback, presented since 1981 by the Davey O'Brien Foundation in Fort Worth and named for TCU's 1938 Heisman winner.

All Davey O'Brien Award Winners by Year

Season	Winner	School
2025	Fernando Mendoza	Indiana
2024	Cam Ward	Miami (FL)
2023	Jayden Daniels	LSU
2022	Max Duggan	TCU
2021	Bryce Young	Alabama
2020	Mac Jones	Alabama
2019	Joe Burrow	LSU
2018	Kyler Murray	Oklahoma
2017	Baker Mayfield	Oklahoma
2016	Deshaun Watson	Clemson
2015	Deshaun Watson	Clemson
2014	Marcus Mariota	Oregon
2013	Jameis Winston	Florida State
2012	Johnny Manziel	Texas A&M
2011	Robert Griffin III	Baylor
2010	Cam Newton	Auburn
2009	Colt McCoy	Texas
2008	Sam Bradford	Oklahoma
2007	Tim Tebow	Florida
2006	Troy Smith	Ohio State
2005	Vince Young	Texas
2004	Jason White	Oklahoma
2003	Jason White	Oklahoma
2002	Brad Banks	Iowa
2001	Eric Crouch	Nebraska
2000	Chris Weinke	Florida State
1999	Joe Hamilton	Georgia Tech
1998	Michael Bishop	Kansas State
1997	Peyton Manning	Tennessee
1996	Danny Wuerffel	Florida
1995	Danny Wuerffel	Florida
1994	Kerry Collins	Penn State
1993	Charlie Ward	Florida State
1992	Gino Torretta	Miami (FL)
1991	Ty Detmer	BYU
1990	Ty Detmer	BYU
1989	Andre Ware	Houston
1988	Troy Aikman	UCLA
1987	Don McPherson	Syracuse
1986	Vinny Testaverde	Miami (FL)
1985	Chuck Long	Iowa
1984	Doug Flutie	Boston College
1983	Steve Young	BYU
1982	Todd Blackledge	Penn State
1981	Jim McMahon	BYU

18 of 45 winners have a player page here: college data starts in 2011, and winners who never played in the NFL from 2016 on are not in our data. Source: Wikipedia, Davey O'Brien Award.

All awards and honors

Honors are compiled from public award and league lists; the list text comes from Wikipedia (CC BY-SA 4.0). A name links to a player page when we have that player in our data and the match is certain; winners from before our data have no link. See an error? Tell us.

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