Urban Meyer said all season long that Ohio State running back Ezekiel Elliott was one of the best college football players in the country.
The star Buckeye running back did not earn an invitation to the 2015 Heisman Trophy ceremony as a finalist, but he did finish eighth in the voting for the award.
The award — given to the most outstanding player in college football — was presented to Alabama junior running back Derrick Henry, who led the SEC with 339 carries, 1,986 yards and 23 touchdowns and led the Crimson Tide to a conference title and berth in the College Football Playoff.
Henry is the second Alabama player to win the Heisman, awarded annually since 1935. Stanford all-purpose back Christian McCaffrey finished second to Henry, while Clemson quarterback Deshaun Watson took third.
Oklahoma's Baker Mayfield finished fourth. The junior led the Sooners to an 11-1 season and a spot in the College Football Playoff. Navy's Keenan Reynolds, LSU's Leonard Fournette, and Florida State's Dalvin Cook rounded out the top seven.
Elliott earned Big Ten Offensive Player and Running Back of the Year honors, and won the Chicago Tribune Silver Football as the conference's best player Thursday. He received five first-place votes for the Heisman.
This is the second year in row that a Buckeye has contended for the award. Quarterback J.T. Barrett finished fifth in the 2014 Heisman voting.
