Ballots from 928 total voters will determine the winner of the 2012 Heisman Trophy. Among that number are 57 former winners of the honor, according to the Heisman Trust.
One of those winners, Eric Crouch, the former Nebraska quarterback, who took home the honor in 2001, joined a debate about the next winner on HuffPost Live. Joining Crouch in the debate was Hall Of Fame quarterback Fran Tarkenton, HuffPost Sports columnist Jordan Schutlz and Steve Herring of The New Notre Dame Nation Network. The conversation ranged from the credentials and social media campaigns of the three finalists to the possibility that Texas A&M quarterback Johnny Manziel's stats were padded.
Perhaps the strongest statements of the conversation came from Tarkenton, who believes that the award should simply go to the best player, regardless of age or other considerations. Aside from contending with two impressive finalists in Manti Te'o and Collin Klein, Manziel also faces decades of history. No freshman has ever taken home the trophy.
"I think if you're eligible to be a football player in the NCAA then that speaks for itself. This trophy has been given to be people who are eligible for that and play the best football for that particular year," said the legendary Vikings quarterback who starred at Georgia during his college career. "I don't care whether they're freshman, seniors or what."
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