Can a Freshman Win the Heisman? At 6-feet, Texas A&M's Johnny Manziel is noticeably shorter than Tim Tebow, who is 6-3, or Cam Newton (6-5). Yet in a couple of weeks, this probable All-S.E.C. quarterback could very well be looking down on his predecessors in the conference record books. Manziel has been putting up numbers at a rate eclipsing nearly all dual-threat phenoms before him, and he is on pace to become the first player in S.E.C. history to top both 3,000 passing yards and 1,000 rushing yards. He is not the only freshman quarterback breaking records. 2 Oregon's Marcus Mariota leads the nation in passing efficiency with a 72 percent completion rate and 28 touchdowns. He has attempted 78 runs, reeling off 6.6 yards a carry. And with most of Oregon's games well in hand early on, Mariota typically sits much of the second half. No doubt these players' numbers merit consideration for All-American teams. But are they good enough to win the Heisman Trophy? No freshman -- true or redshirt -- has won the sport's most prestigious award since 1972, when freshmen were first eligible to play on varsity N.C.A.A. teams. The three freshmen who finished highest in Heisman voting were Herschel Walker (third in 1980), Michael Vick (third in 1999) and Adrian Peterson (second in 2004). All three broke plenty of individual records, but they also led their teams to undefeated regular seasons and into the national championship game. Such success gave them cachet not normally afforded freshmen. In this way, Mariota more resembles Walker, Vick and Peterson. He leads an undefeated team with a strong shot at playing for a national title. Manziel won't do that this year. Texas A&M has already lost two games, 20-17 to Florida and 24-19 to L.S.U. But the Aggies then beat No. 1 Alabama last week. And while college football doesn't yet have a precedent, freshmen in other sports have won national player of the year awards by putting up stunning stats while leading merely very good -- but not great -- teams. Consider college basketball, where in 2006-7, Kevin Durant averaged 25.8 points and 11.1 rebounds for Texas. His Longhorns finished 25-10 and were ousted in the second round of the N.C.A.A. tournament. Indeed, it has happened in every other major American team sport. College Ice Hockey: the Hobey Baker Award: 1993 Paul Kariya, a left wing for the University of Maine, led the nation in scoring. He finished with 100 points in 38 games, an N.C.A.A. record. He led Maine to the national title and a 42-1-2 season. College Baseball: the Golden Spikes Award 2010 Seventeen-year-old Bryce Harper, 17, of the College of Southern Nevada, hit a school-record 31 home runs and batted .443 with 98 R.B.I. as a junior college freshman. College Basketball: the Naismith Award* 2007 Texas' Kevin Durant won multiple player of the year awards, including the Wooden Award. In 2012, Kentucky's Anthony Davis also won this award as a freshman. In the pros, too, first-year stars have snared player of the year awards. Each of the following athletes was chosen as a league M.V.P. during his rookie season: 1980 Edmonton's Wayne Gretzky won the Hart Trophy after tying Marcel Dionne for the scoring title. Major League Baseball Two rookies have won American League M.V.P. awards: 1975 Fred Lynn's zenith came on June 18, 1975 for the Red Sox when he hit three home runs, a triple, and a single. He drove in a Sox-record 10 runs and collected an American League record 16 total bases. 2001 Ichiro Suzuki, a 28-year-old making his debut with the Mariners, had already played nine pro seasons in Japan. After joining the Mariners, he hit a rookie-record 242 hits, led the American League in steals and won the Gold Glove. 1960 Wilt Chamberlain, a 7-1 center for the Philadelphia Warriors, scored 43 points and grabbed 28 rebounds in his debut against the Knicks and didn't slack off much afterward. He averaged 37.6 points and 27 rebounds that season. 1969 Wes Unself, a 6-7 center for the Washington Bullets, averaged nearly 19 points and rebounds while helping Washington improve 21 victories over its previous season. 1957 Jim Brown rushed for 942 yards and led the Cleveland Browns to the title game, where it lost 59-14 to Detroit. Major college football is already following the precedent of other sports by establishing a playoff system to determine its champion. It will continue to follow suit if for the first time a freshman hoists the Heisman Trophy this December. Evin Demirel is on Twitter at @evindemirel.