Recruiting: How last 10 Heisman Trophy winners ranked as recruits
By David Rouben
Robert Griffin III – 2011 Heisman Winner
Robert Griffin doesn’t fall into the same category as Johnny Manziel since he actually showed flashes of brilliance at the NFL level, but he’s still a bust. And while he wasn’t heavily recruited out of high school – he only received one offer from Baylor – he still won a Heisman Trophy before flaming out.
When RG3 attended Copperas Cove, he juggled three different sports – football, track, and basketball. But football was where he showed the most promise. During his two seasons as a starter, he had 73 total touchdowns – 32 on the ground – and just nine interceptions. Here are his highlights from the 2007 season:
During the recruiting process, there was one man who persuaded Griffin the most: Art Briles. He initially committed to Houston to play for him, then followed him to Baylor when he took over as their head coach.
Even though Griffin stayed in Baylor for all four years, he was limited to just three games in his sophomore year after tearing his ACL. In 2010, RG3 came back better than ever looking to build on the promise he showed during his true freshman year. He finished with 30 touchdowns and eight interceptions, then took that tally to 47 and six in his Heisman-winning year. He also posted an absurd QB rating of 189.5 in his final season at Baylor.
Not only did Griffin win the Heisman in 2011, his stellar play boosted his draft stock significantly. He went from a mid-first rounder in some mock drafts to the second overall pick in 2012. But while his rookie season suggested he would become a future star in the league, he regressed significantly in his second year while Kirk Cousins got his first run as the Redskins starter.
From then on, his career has been ravaged by injuries, and it’s clear that he’s not the same player that he used to be. It’s sad to see him become one of the big “what could’ve been” stories of the NFL.