Inside The Bears

Where Baylor QB RGIII ranks among last 25 Heisman Trophy winners

Where Baylor Legend Robert Griffin III sits
Joshua Abraham|
Baylor Bears former quarterback Robert Griffin III leads the stadium in prayer before the game against the Southern Methodist Mustangs at McLane Stadium
Baylor Bears former quarterback Robert Griffin III leads the stadium in prayer before the game against the Southern Methodist Mustangs at McLane Stadium | Jerome Miron-Imagn Images

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When looking at the history of Baylor football, no athlete is more prolific than that of Robert Griffin III, or RG3 for short. A dual-threat quarterback coming out of high school, RG3 was not a highly touted 5-star recruit with offers from most power five schools in the country. He had played his high school football at Copperas Cove High School in Texas, and committed to the Bears, where he played the majority of his football under head coach Art Briles.

Impressing early, RG3 came into Waco, immediately garnered the respect of his teammates and coaches, and won the starting quarterback job. Finishing his first season with just over 2,000 passing yards and 15 touchdowns, the future was looking very bright for RG3 and the Baylor Bears. Over the course of RG3's career at Baylor, he continued to improve, with his best season coming during his senior year, when he had one of the best seasons by a Baylor quarterback in history. RG3's stat line in 2011 comprised 4,293 passing yards, with 37 passing touchdowns to go along with only 6 interceptions. Unsurprisingly, RG3 ended up coming away with the Heisman Trophy this season and was then later drafted by the then Washington Redskins with the 2nd overall pick.

Robert Griffin III statue
A detailed view of the statue honoring former Baylor Bears quarterback Robert Griffin III before the game between the Bears and the Northwestern State Demons at McLane Stadium | Jerome Miron-Imagn Images

While RG3's season at Baylor was one of the best in Baylor history, many argue that RG3 had one of the best seasons by a collegiate quarterback in college football history. Sporting News writer Bill Bender released a list yesterday where he ranked the last 25 Heisman Trophy winners. On that list, RG3 was ranked only at number 14 out of 25, where Bender said the following:

"Stats: 4,293 yards, 37 TDs, 6 INTs; 699 rushing yards, 10 TDs

Heisman voting: Griffin finished ahead of Stanford's Andrew Luck by 280 votes. Alabama's Trent Richardson finished third. 

Griffin launched his campaign in a Friday night game in Week 1 where he passed for 359 yards and five TDs in a 50-48 thriller against No. 14 TCU. He continued that torrid stretch through Big 12 play and enjoyed his Heisman moment with a 34-yard TD pass to Terrance Williams with eight seconds remaining in a 45-38 victory against No. 5 Oklahoma on Nov. 19, 2011. Griffin beat out Luck – and that debate spilled into the 2012 NFL Draft where the quarterbacks were selected with the first two picks.

While people can go on for days about this ranking, one thing is for certain, RG3's 2011 season at Baylor will go down as one of the greatest seasons by a collegiate quarterback in history, and it could be a long time before Baylor see's another quarterback of his caliber come through Waco.

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Joshua Abraham
JOSHUA ABRAHAM

Josh started covering Baylor athletics in July 2025. Prior to Baylor Bears on SI, he worked as an intern for TheMichiganInsider at 247Sports. Josh graduated from the University of Michigan - Ann Arbor, with a bachelor’s degree in economics, where his passion for collegiate athletics continued to grow after attending his first game in The Big House. Combining his analytical background and his affinity for collegiate sports, Josh enjoys providing his unique perspective on the shifting dynamic equilibrium of the collegiate athletics landscape. When not watching sports, Josh enjoys cooking a nice meal, running, and traveling to new places with his friends and family.

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