Heisman Trophy Winner 2019: Twitter Reacts to Joe Burrow's Presentation

Joe Tansey @JTansey90Featured ColumnistDecember 15, 2019

ATLANTA, GA - DECEMBER 07: Joe Burrow #9 of the LSU Tigers gets outside of the pocket for a run during a game between Georgia Bulldogs and LSU Tigers at Mercedes Benz Stadium on December 7, 2019 in Atlanta, Georgia. (Photo by Steve Limentani/ISI Photos/Getty Images)

Steve Limentani/ISI Photos/Getty Images

Joe Burrow became the second LSU player to win the Heisman Trophy on Saturday night and the first since Billy Cannon took home the honor in 1959.

The senior quarterback's position atop the Heisman balloting was expected for quite some time, as he turned in plenty of dominant performances for the No. 1 seed in the College Football Playoff.

Burrow finished well ahead of Oklahoma quarterback Jalen Hurts and the Ohio State pair of Justin Fields and Chase Young.

USA Today's Paul Myerberg posted the wide gap in votes between Burrow and the other three finalists:

Paul Myerberg @PaulMyerberg
1. Burrow (2,608 points) 2. Hurts (762) 3. Fields (747) 4. Young (643) ... 5. Taylor (189) 6. Dobbins (114) 7. Lawrence (88) 8. Hubbard (68) 9. Etienne (25) 10. Tagovailoa (24)

According to ESPN Stats & Info, Burrow had the largest margin of victory in the award's history and broke the record for first-place votes:

ESPN Stats & Info @ESPNStatsInfo
Joe Burrow received 1,846 more points than runner-up Jalen Hurts. That’s the largest margin of victory in Heisman history. Burrow also received 90.7% of first place votes, breaking the record held by Troy Smith (86.7%) in 2006. https://t.co/XyEsJoFIZY

Burrow added to his Heisman legacy by delivering a memorable speech that began with him thanking his offensive linemen and teammates at LSU, as The Athletic's Bruce Feldman observed:

Bruce Feldman @BruceFeldmanCFB
Joe Burrow with an epic Heisman speech, right from the start by naming each of his O-linemen--and his chipping tight end and right on thru his journey, dripping with heart and emotion.

Before he even started his remarks, the Ohio native was choked up, and it made for an emotional few minutes on stage that impressed many, including Yahoo's Pete Thamel:

✨ Watch more top videos, highlights, and B/R original content

Pete Thamel @PeteThamel
Joe Burrow may also win the best Heisman speech by a mile, too. What a wonderful moment. So much genuine emotion.

Near the end of his time at the dais, Burrow handed out praise to head coach Ed Orgeron by saying he "deserves" a lifetime contract at the program, per The Athletic's Brody Miller:

Brody Miller @BrodyAMiller
Joe Burrow says Ed Orgeron deserves a lifetime contract. "He deserves it." #LSU

Burrow's performance in the pocket was a welcome sight for LSU fans, who waited a long time for a star at the position.

Just a year ago, the Heisman winner produced 2,894 passing yards, 16 touchdowns and five interceptions.

In 2019, he blew away those totals by recording SEC single-season records for passing yards and touchdowns, per ESPN Stats & Info:

ESPN Stats & Info @ESPNStatsInfo
Joe Burrow set the SEC single-season record for most pass TD (48) and pass yards (4,715). He is the 1st player in SEC history to throw at least 4,000 yards and 40 TD in a season. Now Burrow joins Billy Cannon (1959) as the only players in LSU history to win the Heisman Trophy. https://t.co/taxJSSBCl2

Burrow was fantastic in the games that mattered most, and after his first Top 10 win over the Texas Longhorns, Orgeron knew he had something special going for his team, per WAFB's Jacques Doucet.

Jacques Doucet @JacquesDoucet
#LSU Ed Orgeron says that when Joe Burrow made the 3rd and 17 throw against Texas, he knew he had the best player in the country. He finishes his interview with a resounding "Geaux Tigers" and big smile.

He thrived in all aspects of the passing game by besting the FBS average in short, intermediate and deep throws by at least 20 percent, according to Sports Info Solutions:

Sports Info Solutions @SportsInfo_SIS
Joe Burrow accuracy by throw depth Short (0-10 yards) *Burrow: 92%, rank = 1st *FBS avg: 70% Intermediate (11-19 yards) *Burrow: 86%, rank = 1st *FBS avg: 63% Deep (20+ yards) *Burrow: 74%, rank = 1st *FBS avg: 48%

To put into context Burrow's meteoric rise to stardom, Feldman noted he was a 200-1 Heisman pick before the campaign started.

Bruce Feldman @BruceFeldmanCFB
#LSU QB Joe Burrow wins the Heisman. He was a 200-to-1 pick to win it before this season.

According to CBSSports.com's Dennis Dodd, Burrow is the fifth SEC player to win the Heisman this century:

Dennis Dodd @dennisdoddcbs
Most Heismans this century: 1, Big 12 7 2, SEC 5 (including Burrow) 3, Pac-10/12 4 (including Bush) 4, ACC 3 5, Big Ten 1

He joins Florida's Tim Tebow (2007), Auburn's Cam Newton (2010), Texas A&M's Johnny Manziel (2012) and Alabama's Derrick Henry (2015) in that club.

Burrow was also the third consecutive transfer to take home the award following in the footsteps of Baker Mayfield and Kyler Murray.