Yahoo Finance Heisman Trophy will be awarded in virtual ceremony on Jan. 5
The Heisman Trophy ceremony will look a little different this year.
In announcing its new “multi-year” agreement with ESPN, the Heisman Trust announced Saturday that the 86th annual Heisman ceremony will air on Tuesday, Jan. 5 at 7 p.m. ET from ESPN’s studios in Bristol, Conn.
The ceremony is moving to ESPN headquarters instead of its usual location in New York City due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Chris Fowler will host the event and will be joined by Tom Rinaldi and Maria Taylor in studio with Desmond Howard and Tim Tebow contributing remotely. Heisman finalists will “appear via satellite from either their homes or schools.”
“Although college football may look and feel a lot different, there is no shortage of incredible talent on the gridiron this year. One thing the pandemic cannot change is the spirit of a true winner and we are eager to again celebrate that winner on the annual Heisman Trophy Ceremony,” said Mike Comerford, president of the Heisman Trophy Trust.
The deadline for Heisman voters this year is Dec. 21, two days after the majority of conference championship games are slated to be played. The Heisman finalists will be announced on Thursday, Dec. 24 at 7:30 p.m. on ESPN.
“Heisman voting will be based solely on on-field performances during the college football regular season through the conference championship games,” the Heisman Trust said.
The 2019 Heisman Trophy ceremony was held on Dec. 14. The award was won by LSU quarterback Joe Burrow with Ohio State’s Justin Fields finishing second. Fields, now a junior, is one of the favorites to win this season.
Earlier this month at BetMGM, Fields was listed at +175 behind only Alabama quarterback Mac Jones at +150. Clemson quarterback Trevor Lawrence, who missed two games after testing positive for COVID-19, dropped to third at +300.
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