Griffin III wins Heisman, Richardson distant third

Baylor quarterback Robert Griffin III has been awarded the 77th Heisman Trophy. “RG3” becomes the first Heisman winner in Baylor history.

Alabama running back Trent Richardson, who was considered a front-runner less than two weeks ago, finished a distant third.

Whether it was due to “BCS backlash” surrounding the Alabama Crimson Tide and the SEC, or the fact “RG3” happened to finish his regular season one week after Richardson, it only took a matter of days for the ‘Bama running back to be eliminated from Heisman contention.

Not only did Richardson finish third in the overall voting…he failed to “carry” the South region.

National Vote Ranking

1) Robert Griffin III (Baylor)
1,687 points-405 first-place votes

2) Andrew Luck (Stanford)
1,407 points-247 first-place votes

3) Trent Richardson (Alabama)
978 points-138 first-place votes

4) Montee Ball (Wisconsin)
348 points-22 first-place votes

5) Tyrann Mathieu (LSU)
327 points-34 first-place votes

South Region

1) Griffin 303 points
2) Richardson 256 points
3) Luck 182 points

The Honored Tide: 2011 College Football Awards

Postseason honors continue to mount for the Alabama Crimson Tide football team.

Thursday night at the 2011 Home Depot College Football Awards several members of the Crimson Tide, including the program as a whole, received awards acknowledging on and off the field excellence.

Running back Trent Richardson received the coveted Doak Walker Award which is presented to the nation’s best running back. Richardson is the first running back in Crimson Tide history to win the award.

‘Bama offensive lineman Barrett Jones earned the Outland Trophy which is presented to the nation’s most outstanding interior lineman. Jones is the third player in Alabama history (Chris Samuels-1999, Andre Smith-2008) to receive the award.

RB Trent Richardson, OL Barrett Jones, LB Dont’a Hightower, and DB Mark Barron were named to the Walter Camp All-America First-Team, while
C William Vlachos and LB Courtney Upshaw received All-America Second-Team honors.

With a total of four players chosen, Alabama had the most players selected to the Walter Camp All-America First-Team.

Without question the most emotional moment of the night came when the University of Alabama football program, represented by long snapper Carson Tinker, received the Disney Spirit Award.

Alabama was selected for the award due to the overall response and recovery efforts following the tornado that devastated the city of Tuscaloosa on the afternoon of April 27.

Denzel Devall Gives Verbal to ‘Bama

Bastrop High School (Bastrop, LA) linebacker Denzel Devall has given his verbal commitment to the University of Alabama for 2012.

Devall, who stands 6-foot-2 and tops the scale at 236-pounds, selected the Crimson Tide over the likes of LSU and Texas A&M.

Devall, who is considered the fifth-rated linebacker in the nation according to Rivals.com, becomes the 22nd Alabama verbal commitment in respect to the 2012 signing class.

Wuerffel Trophy, Coaches' All-SEC Team Selected

Alabama offensive lineman Barrett Jones has been awarded the coveted Wuerffel Trophy for 2011.

Named after former Florida quarterback and Heisman winner Danny Wuerffel, the award is presented to the FBS player who achieves high standards not only on the field, but in the classroom and in the community.

Jones, who graduated from the University of Alabama in August with a 4.0 GPA, has done mission labor in Haiti and has been recognized for his relief efforts following the April 27 tornado in Tuscaloosa.

The Wuerffel Trophy will be presented to Jones on Feb. 17 at the All Sports Association Awards Dinner in Fort Walton Beach, Florida.

2011 Coaches' All-SEC Football Team

-Alabama had 11 players selected.
-The Crimson Tide led the second-team with a total of five players selected.
-Wide receiver/return specialist Marquis Maze earned two positions on the second-team.
-Coaches were prohibited to vote for their own players.

First-Team Offense

OL-Barrett Jones
C-William Vlachos
RB-Trent Richardson

First-Team Defense

LB-Dont’a Hightower
LB-Courtney Upshaw
DB-Mark Barron

Second-Team Offense

OL-Chance Warmack
WR-Marquis Maze

Second-Team Defense

DL-Josh Chapman
DB-Dre Kirkpatrick

Second-Team Special Teams

RS-Marquis Maze