Heisman Trophy Winner 2015: Speech, Highlights from Derrick Henry's Presentation

The only thing left for Derrick Henry was to make it official Saturday night.

Considered the front-runner for much of the season, the Alabama Crimson Tide junior running back became the second player in school history to win the Heisman Trophy, joining Mark Ingram, who secured the trophy in 2009.

Henry earned 1,832 points in the voting and became the fourth player in the last seven years to win the Heisman from an SEC school. He also became the first junior running back in 21 years to win the award, per ESPN Stats & Info.

"Since I was a kid, this has been a dream," Henry said, per ESPN's broadcast. 

Stanford running back Christian McCaffrey, who broke Barry Sanders’ record for the most all-purpose yards in a season, finished second with 1,539 points, and Clemson quarterback Deshaun Watson, the leader of the only undefeated team in college football, finished third with 1,165.

"To my teammates, my brothers, my family...coming into Alabama from Florida, they all accepted me," Henry said. "This year, they viewed me as a leader. I want to thank them so much. [The offensive line] works so hard for me."

Henry has been the catalyst for Alabama’s offense all year long, rushing for 1,986 yards and 23 touchdowns. The nearly 2,000 yards Henry has run for account for 36 percent of Alabama’s total yards and are the No. 1 reason why the Crimson Tide are in the College Football Playoff as the No. 2 seed.

Freelance journalist David Ubben tweeted about Henry's win and how exciting of a player he's been this year:

"When you got teammates like that, it don't matter how hurt you are," Henry said.

Bruce Feldman of Fox Sports shared his thoughts on Henry's speech, which he considered to be thoughtful and touching:

Nick Saban has now coached two Alabama running backs to the Heisman Trophy. When Ingram won it in 2009, Alabama won the national championship. Lightning could strike twice, with Alabama set to face Michigan State in the semifinals.

"Every day I come to that football facility, I know it's going to be a challenge. I love you, Coach. Without you, I wouldn't be here today."

Peter King of Sports Illustrated also chimed in with his thoughts on Henry's speech:

Skip Bayless of ESPN shared his thoughts on Henry, whose grandmother has been in the hospital for the past eight weeks, fighting for her life:

"

Congrats to Derrick Henry. Memorable from-the-heart God-first speech. Did his mom and his school proud.

— Skip Bayless (@RealSkipBayless) December 13, 2015"

Henry has carried Alabama all year, so it’s no surprise that he’s in possession of the most prestigious trophy in college football. Watson and McCaffrey both made their cases, but if not for Henry, Alabama would not have been in the national championship conversation this year.

"If you have dreams, go chase them. If you believe it, you can achieve it," Henry said. "Growing up, having this dream...I never thought I'd be here."