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This week brings a very special episode of the Heisman Trophy Podcast as we delve into the grass roots of college football and speak with innovators who help build the sport's culture. First up, the editor of the largest gathering for college football fans on the internet, Bobak Ha'Eri of r/cfb on Reddit. With over 4.4 million members, "the internet's tailgate" has influence that stretches well beyond its platform. Ha'Eri explains how r/cfb got its start and why it continues to thrive in an ever-changing college football landscape. We close with Mark Branstad, founder and CEO of TrackingFootball.com, an innovative scouting service that compiles tons of athletic data points (especially track and field marks) on high school, college and pro players. There's a good chance your school uses Mark's analytics, so you might as well get familiar. 

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The Heisman Trophy Podcast streams every Wednesday during the college football season and is hosted produced, edited and engineered by Chris Huston. The pod is available on all streaming networks, including Spotify and Apple Music, and features video interviews and bonus content on YouTube and TikTok. We also have a reddit community.

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Is he your friendly neighborhood Spider-Man, a Heisman candidate, or both?  Utah quarterback Devon Dampier's guest turn on this week's Heisman Trophy Podcast comes on the heels of a sizzling debut for the Utes in a road win over UCLA this past weekend. What does he have in common with his favorite Marvel superhero?  How about a spidey sense that helps him avoid getting sacked? The junior transfer from New Mexico is an emerging star in college football, so you better get to know him now. To close out the show, we talk to Bill Connelly of ESPN about his new book, Forward Progress: The Definitive Guide to the Future of College Football. Does college football need a commissioner? Will corporate stooges ruin the sport? When will the sport stabilize?  These topics and more were covered in a rather engaging conversation.

Support the show

The Heisman Trophy Podcast streams every Wednesday during the college football season and is hosted produced, edited and engineered by Chris Huston. The pod is available on all streaming networks, including Spotify and Apple Music, and features video interviews and bonus content on YouTube and TikTok. We also have a reddit community.

Email us at [email protected] for feedback and inquiries.

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The first full weekend of college football 2025 is the focus of the latest Heisman Trophy Podcast, as superstar Ohio State wide receiver Jeremiah Smith joins the show ahead of the big Texas game to talk about his humble beginnings, his penchant for one-handed catches, his secret love of chess, and the reason he met up with Travis Kelce in New York this past summer. Next we take a deeper dive into the Smith legend by going back to the beginning with his trainer, Sly Johnson, of Premier Athletes, who gives key insights into what makes the young receiver tick. Then Chip Brown of Horns247 stops by to break down the huge 1-2 showdown between Texas and Ohio State in Columbus on Saturday. Will Arch Manning be ready? Can the Longhorns stop Smith again?  Find out what Chip thinks. Then, to close things out, we tell the Manning family story as it pertains to the Heisman. Three quarterbacks in the top 3 of the vote!  But will Arch write the final chapter?

Support the show

The Heisman Trophy Podcast streams every Wednesday during the college football season and is hosted produced, edited and engineered by Chris Huston. The pod is available on all streaming networks, including Spotify and Apple Music, and features video interviews and bonus content on YouTube and TikTok. We also have a reddit community.

Email us at [email protected] for feedback and inquiries.

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The third season of the Heisman Trophy Podcast kicks off with a bonanza of an episode that features Oklahoma quarterback John Mateer, the new Sooner on the block. The junior transfer from Washington State is primed for a run at the Heisman following a breakout sophomore campaign in the Palouse. In this interview, he talks about his long journey from overlooked high school recruit to highly-coveted transfer star. We follow up with ACCDN analyst and former college quarterback Max Browne, who breaks down the strengths and weaknesses of Mateer's game. We close out with David Covucci, founder of FOIABall.com, a site that uses the Freedom of Information Act to bring transparency to college football, and Heisman Trustee Jim Corcoran.

Support the show

The Heisman Trophy Podcast streams every Wednesday during the college football season and is hosted produced, edited and engineered by Chris Huston. The pod is available on all streaming networks, including Spotify and Apple Music, and features video interviews and bonus content on YouTube and TikTok. We also have a reddit community.

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It's a massive season finale for the pod as we dive head first into Heisman weekend with interviews from 2024 Heisman Trophy winner Travis Hunter of Colorado, plus finalists Ashton Jeanty of Boise State, Dillon Gabriel of Oregon and Cam Ward of Miami. We also catch up with 1995 Heisman winner Eddie George of Ohio State, who fills us in on his experience as head coach at Tennessee State and reflects on how theater acting is a lot like playing football.  We close things out with John Kanaras, the owner of AxiaTime, the official time piece of the Heisman Trophy, who joins us to talk about his new partnership with the Heisman Trust, plus some thoughts on his exciting new Diasimos time piece from watch expert Jonathan V. Last.

Support the show

The Heisman Trophy Podcast streams every Wednesday during the college football season and is hosted produced, edited and engineered by Chris Huston. The pod is available on all streaming networks, including Spotify and Apple Music, and features video interviews and bonus content on YouTube and TikTok. We also have a reddit community.

Email us at [email protected] for feedback and inquiries.

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In this bonus pod, we go over the history of the Heisman ceremony itself, which evolved from a humble luncheon in 1935, to a variety show with Farrah Fawcett and Elliott Gould in 1977, to the format on ESPN we know and love today. Hall of Fame sportscaster Don Criqui recalls his long tenure as emcee of the Heisman gala. And to close things out, former Presidential speechwriter and current The Atlantic magazine writer David Frum shares with us his thoughts on three of the most famous acceptance speeches in Heisman history: Nile Kinnick's in 1939, Bruce Smith's in 1941 and John Cappelletti's in 1973.

Support the show

The Heisman Trophy Podcast streams every Wednesday during the college football season and is hosted produced, edited and engineered by Chris Huston. The pod is available on all streaming networks, including Spotify and Apple Music, and features video interviews and bonus content on YouTube and TikTok. We also have a reddit community.

Email us at [email protected] for feedback and inquiries.

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Welcome to Heisman Week!  The 2024 Heisman finalists are on their way to New York and 50th anniversary winner Archie Griffin rejoins the pod to talk about how the joy of dotting the "i" and how his life changed since he won his first of two bronze statues all those years ago.  Friend of the pod Neil Everett also returns to share his perspectives on the playoff, the Heisman and Oregon football. And Heisman expert Cory McCartney rounds out the show with all kinds of great Heisman knowledge.

Support the show

The Heisman Trophy Podcast streams every Wednesday during the college football season and is hosted produced, edited and engineered by Chris Huston. The pod is available on all streaming networks, including Spotify and Apple Music, and features video interviews and bonus content on YouTube and TikTok. We also have a reddit community.

Email us at [email protected] for feedback and inquiries.

Send us a text

Fresh off leading his team to a 49-35 victory over USC, Notre Dame quarterback Riley Leonard joins the pod to discuss why the middle eight minutes of a football game are important, how the Northern Illinois loss motivated him and his teammates, his connection with former NFL great Phillip Rivers, and why the Golden Dome was always in his future -- even growing up in Fairhope, Alabama. We then talk to 1999 Heisman Trophy winner Ron Dayne of Wisconsin, the NCAA's all-time leading rusher, who reminisces about his remarkable Badger career on the 25th anniversary of his Heisman season.

Support the show

The Heisman Trophy Podcast streams every Wednesday during the college football season and is hosted produced, edited and engineered by Chris Huston. The pod is available on all streaming networks, including Spotify and Apple Music, and features video interviews and bonus content on YouTube and TikTok. We also have a reddit community.

Email us at [email protected] for feedback and inquiries.

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With November winding down and the 2024 Heisman Trophy ceremony just three Saturdays away, Penn State tight end Tyler Warren joins the show to discuss his amazing versatility, how it helped him become one of the best players in the country and how Rob Gronkowski ended up endorsing him for Heisman. The Editor in Chief of college football coverage for The Athletic, Stewart Mandel, joins us in the next segment to provide his insight on the Heisman race, the 12-team playoff and the state of college football.  Finally, the most famous ballerina in the world and our 2024 Heisman Humanitarian Award winner, Misty Copeland, closes out the show by sharing how ballet has changed her life and how her foundation is changing the lives of others. 

Support the show

The Heisman Trophy Podcast streams every Wednesday during the college football season and is hosted produced, edited and engineered by Chris Huston. The pod is available on all streaming networks, including Spotify and Apple Music, and features video interviews and bonus content on YouTube and TikTok. We also have a reddit community.

Email us at [email protected] for feedback and inquiries.

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Former AP and current The Athletic college football writer Ralph Russo joins the pod to talk about everything under the sun, including the playoff picture, the Heisman race, officiating conspiracy theories and why players are suddenly rarely ineligible. Next we hear from California Bears cornerback Nohl Williams, the nation's interception leader and Thorpe semifinalist, who breaks down in detail what it's like to pick off a quarterback. We wrap up the show with one of the leading candidates for the Mackey Award, tight end extraordinaire Harold Fannin, Jr., of Bowling Green.  Also: Some key details on tickets for the Heisman Legends Brunch on Dec. 15.

Support the show

The Heisman Trophy Podcast streams every Wednesday during the college football season and is hosted produced, edited and engineered by Chris Huston. The pod is available on all streaming networks, including Spotify and Apple Music, and features video interviews and bonus content on YouTube and TikTok. We also have a reddit community.

Email us at [email protected] for feedback and inquiries.