How I became a Heisman voter, How the process works, and how I decided on DeVonta Smith …

In the 85-year history of the Heisman Trophy, only five receivers have won the award as college football’s premier player. So Alabama’s DeVonta Smith — named Tuesday as the 2020 recipient — is in with some exclusive company.

I was one of many throughout the country who cast a vote for Smith, the spectacular senior who was never better than he was on Dec. 19 when he helped No. 1-ranked Alabama get by Florida 52-46 in the SEC Championship Game.

The 6-1, 175-pound Smith hauled in a school-record 15 catches for 184 yards and two touchdowns and also had a 30-yard punt return in the Crimson Tide’s victory over the Gators. It was enough to influence me to vote for Smith in what I consider the toughest decision in the five years that I’ve been a member of the Heisman voting board.

I became a voter after the state of Oregon’s Heisman chairman — Salem journalist Gary Horowitz — asked if I’d be interested since I’d been covering college football for so many years, the last 15 for the Portland Tribune. Of course! Since then, I’ve considered it a privilege and tried to be responsible by doing my homework on the players who deserve to be candidates for the award.

There were 870 members of the media, plus 56 former Heisman winners, eligible as voters this year (nine of the media members are from the state of Oregon). We received two emails about a week before the ballots were due from Deloitte, an independent accounting firm. The first provided each elector with an ID number and a security code that would be texted to their cell phone. After verification, a second email was sent that day with the electronic ballot, asking the elector to submit a top three choices for the award by Dec. 21.

I can’t speak for how other voters prepare to cast a ballot or what they use as criteria.

I take into account individual statistics, the player’s impact on a team’s success and the success of the team itself. Quarterbacks have the edge — I’d previously voted for signal-callers every year — but I’m open to players at any position, though admittedly those on defense are operating at a serious disadvantage.

I start getting serious about midseason when I compile a list of potential candidates. This year’s list started with six or seven players, grew to about a dozen a couple of weeks later and stood at 10 as we entered what turned out to be “Super Saturday” on Dec. 19 — a day featuring six matchups between top-25 teams.

In what amounted to a perfect storm, all but one of the 10 on my list — Brigham Young quarterback Zach Wilson — played in a conference championship game that day.

(Wilson is a terrific run/pass threat and BYU had a storybook season, but the Cougars’ weak schedule convinced me he wasn’t as deserving as the players who made my final five.)

As luck would have it, many of the candidates were squaring off against each other.

There was Alabama vs. Florida, with Smith and teammates Mac Jones (QB) and Najee Harris (running back) going against Gators signal-caller Kyle Trask. There were quarterbacks Trevor Lawrence of Clemson and Ian Book of Notre Dame going head to head in the ACC Championship Game. There were Oklahoma QB Spencer Rattler and Iowa State running back Breece Hall facing each other in the Big 12 Championship Game.

There were also Cincinnati QB Desmond Ridder going at it against Tulsa in the AAC Championship Game and Ohio State QB Justin Fields against Northwestern in the Big Ten Championship Game.

So I hunkered down to watch about 10 hours of college football that day, something I do about as often as I change the air filter on my Volvo.

I tried to go into the day open-minded, but had pretty much narrowed my finalists list to Trask, Lawrence and Alabama’s terrific trio of Smith, Jones and Harris. I’d not watched a full game of any of the five all season, though I’d seen highlight video of all of them. Trask was my front-runner, in part because Lawrence had missed two games due to COVID-19. Smith, Jones and Harris — excellent candidates in their own right — were, in effect, watering down each other’s candidacy, at least a little bit.

Fields and Hall had what I considered subpar performances that confirmed in my mind they didn’t warrant finalist consideration. Likewise with Book in Notre Dame’s 34-10 loss to Clemson. Ridder was really good in Cincinnati’s 27-24 win over Tulsa, as was Oklahoma’s Rattler in a 27-21 triumph over Iowa State. Looking at the season as a whole, though, I judged their credentials to be a half-notch lower than those of my final five.

Those five were all outstanding on Super Saturday, making my decision even more difficult than I expected.

Lawrence threw well and showed an element I didn’t know, running 12 times for 100 yards and a TD against the Fighting Irish. I loved the way Trask played against Alabama, passing for 408 yards and three scores with no interceptions against the nation’s best team. To that point, the Florida QB had thrown for 4,125 yards and 43 TDs with five picks and 70 percent accuracy in 11 games.

In the end, I decided the Crimson Tide deserved a Heisman winner. And though I really like Harris and am impressed with the poise, throwing accuracy and consistency of Jones, Smith’s performance against the Gators won me over.

I voted this way: Smith, Trask, Lawrence. (Good thing I didn’t have Trask No. 1: He was rendered pedestrian in a subsequent 55-20 loss to Rattler and Oklahoma in the Cotton Bowl, passing for only 158 yards with no TDs and three picks.)

Smith made me look good by winning offensive MVP honors in Alabama’s 31-14 victory over Notre Dame in the Rose Bowl, with seven catches for 130 yards and three touchdowns. Heading into the Jan. 11 national championship showdown with Ohio State, Smith has 105 receptions for 1,641 yards and 20 TDs. Those are Heisman numbers.

But I have no quarrel with a vote for any of my top five for this year’s award. It was that close, which isn’t always the case.

Readers: who did you want to win the Heisman? Share your favorite in the comments below.

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