10 biggest Heisman busts of the last 25 years

The Heisman Trophy is the most prestigious award in college football, but not every winner has panned out. These are the biggest busts of the last 25 years.

There’s no denying the body of work that a Heisman Trophy winner puts forth in college football. Even if there was someone who was just as deserving as the eventual winner in a given year, no one wins the most famous and prestigious without doing great things during a college season. However, the thing about college success is that it does not always translate to success at the professional level.

Obviously this isn’t just a caveat that’s limited to Heisman winners. As much as we can prognosticate and project when it comes to college players and NFL prospects, there’s always a crap-shoot element involved. Some players come from a system and aren’t ready for all the nuances of the NFL. Others log too many miles, bumps and bruises at the NCAA level. And then there are those with other issues.

Of course, there are those that fill the opposite category. There are always players who weren’t that impactful in college who break out once they get an opportunity in the NFL, but it’s much more common to lament the ones that didn’t make it. And when it comes to Heisman Trophy winners that didn’t make it, that becomes even more of the case.

With that in mind, let’s look back into recent history and look at the 10 biggest Heisman busts that we’ve seen over the last 25 years.

10. Ron Dayne, RB, Wisconsin (1999)

Entering his senior year with the Wisconsin Badgers, running back Ron Dayne had already made himself a fixture in Madison. He burst onto the scene as a freshman with 2,109 rushing yards and 21 trips to the end zone and then followed that up with seasons of 1,457 yards and 1,525 yards in his sophomore and junior seasons, respectively, while scoring 15 rushing touchdowns in each campaign. Then came his monster senior season.

In his final year with the Badgers, Dayne amassed 2,034 yards with 20 touchdowns. He was a force to be reckoned with and helped lead Wisconsin to a 10-2 overall record and finishing fourth in the final AP Poll for the year. He was the workhorse that carried the team and deservedly was awarded the Heisman Trophy for his efforts.

Fast-forward to the NFL Draft and the New York Giants used their first round pick — 11th overall — to nab the running back. However, there was something that the Giants severely overlooked: A player coming into the NFL with over 1,200 carries in his college career has a ton of miles on the tires, even if the guy is 5-foot-10 and 250 pounds.

Dayne’s NFL career wasn’t a complete bust. He finished with 28 touchdowns in 96 games. However, he also averaged only 3.8 yards per carry for his career and was hardly the same dominant force at the pro level that he was playing in the Big Ten for four years. So while not a massive bust, that’s still a pretty sizeable fall and bust in my eyes.