Fansided

10 biggest Heisman busts of the last 25 years

By Cody Williams

TALLAHASSEE, FL - NOVEMBER 29, 2008: Tim Tebow, #15 quarterback of the University of Florida Gators football team celebrates after a big play during the game against the Florida State Seminoles at Doak Campbell Stadium in Tallahassee, Florida on November 29, 2008. The Gators won 45-15. (Photo by Jim Burgess/University of Florida/Collegiate Images/Getty Images)
TALLAHASSEE, FL - NOVEMBER 29, 2008: Tim Tebow, #15 quarterback of the University of Florida Gators football team celebrates after a big play during the game against the Florida State Seminoles at Doak Campbell Stadium in Tallahassee, Florida on November 29, 2008. The Gators won 45-15. (Photo by Jim Burgess/University of Florida/Collegiate Images/Getty Images) /
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9 Oct 1999: Chris Weinke #16 of the Florida State Seminoles looks to pass the ball during the game against the Miami Hurricanes at the Doak Campbell Stadium in Tallahassee, Florida. The Seminoles defeated the Hurricanes 31-21. Mandatory Credit: Andy Lyons /Allsport
9 Oct 1999: Chris Weinke #16 of the Florida State Seminoles looks to pass the ball during the game against the Miami Hurricanes at the Doak Campbell Stadium in Tallahassee, Florida. The Seminoles defeated the Hurricanes 31-21. Mandatory Credit: Andy Lyons /Allsport /

5. Chris Weinke, QB, Florida State (2000)

Whenever you have a player who is dominating the competition, he’s often referred to as a “man among boys”. Well, in the case of former Florida State Seminoles quarterback Chris Weinke, that phrase was actually applicable. After pursuing professional baseball, Weinke accepted a scholarship offer to play for Bobby Bowden starting in the 1997 season, eventually taking on the starting job in the 1998 campaign at the ripe age of 26 years old.

Weinke really broke out as a junior, but it was his senior campaign that won him the Heisman Trophy. In 12 games on the season, he finished with 4,167 yards passing to go with 33 touchdowns and 11 interceptions. He looked the part of an unflappable signal-caller that seemed to have the poise to potentially step into the NFL and succeed — even if his career would be immediately shorter than most rookies as he’d come in at 29 years old.

The age was the biggest reason that he fell to the fourth round, where the Carolina Panthers eventually selected him in the 2001 NFL Draft. Despite being taken that low, he still started 15 games as a rookie. However, the results were less than inspiring, to put it mildly. He went 1-14 on the season while completing a meager 54.3 percent of his throws and throwing 19 interceptions to only 11 touchdowns.

He lost the starting job for the next season and played in only 14 games for the rest of his career, finishing with an overall 2-18 record as a starter. Granted, it could’ve been expected, but it was a horribly bad experience in the NFL for the Heisman winner.

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