Story highlights Deshaun Watson came in second in Heisman voting

Jackson was the early front-runner but struggled down the stretch

(CNN) Lamar Jackson, a sophomore quarterback at the University of Louisville, has won the Heisman Trophy, given to the most outstanding player in college football. Clemson quarterback Deshaun Watson, one of the biggest preseason favorites to win the award after finishing third last season, was the runner-upwith 1,524 points and 269 first-place votes, followed by Oklahoma quarterback Baker Mayfield (362), Sooners wide receiver Dede Westbrook (209) and Michigan’s Jabril Peppers(208). Steve Entman placed fourth in 1991, when Michigan’s Desmond Howard won it. “Man, I almost cried.”

Sporting a Cardinals-themed red-and-black tuxedo for his coronation, Jackson received 526 first-place votes, totaling 2,144 points. The sensational sophomore quarterback leapt over a loaded field of Heisman Trophy contenders early in the season and by the time he slowed down nobody could catch him. As a freshman at Louisville, Jackson threw for 12 touchdowns and eight interceptions, but the dual-threat star evolved into the leader of the nation’s highest-scoring offense, throwing for 1,550 yards more than the previous season, with only one more interception despite 135 more passing attempts. Jackson (19 years, 337 days), who is five days younger than Florida State’s Jameis Winston was when he won the award in 2013, is the first Louisville player to win and also the fourth sophomore to claim the trophy, joining Tim Tebow, Sam Bradford and Mark Ingram. When Louisville lost its final two games of the regular season, Jackson’s runaway campaign lost a little momentum, leaving him uncertain whether his name would be announced.
Lamar Jackson of the Louisville Cardinals wins the Heisman Trophy. At 19, Jackson is the youngest ever winner of the Trophy.