The Buzz: The latest Heisman news and views

Not much is going on in the Heisman world in the middle of February, but the most prestigious trophy in American sports is never far from the conversation.  Here’s the latest:

— In the Dallas Morning News, former Oklahoma coach Bob Stoops recalled the time that current OU coach Lincoln Riley predicted Kyler Murray would win the Heisman:

“… we were watching Kyler and a couple other players who wanted to transfer to Oklahoma as quarterbacks. There were three of them. We were all in a room together… and we’re watching them all and evaluating how they would fit our system. We liked all three of them. Lincoln eventually said, ‘They’re all good, they can all help us, but Kyler can be a Heisman Trophy winner if he comes to Oklahoma.’ That is what he said. Before [Kyler] even transferred in. If he can be a Heisman winner, he can be a pro football player.”

— With National Signing Day come and gone, Fansided.com listed some recruits with Heisman potential.

— Next up for Kyler Murray is to measure up at the NFL combine. The Heisman winner recently listed himself at 5-foot-10, which makes him the shortest Heisman winner since Doug Flutie.

“I’ve been a 5-10 projected in the first (round), I mean, that’s crazy to me, the fact that I’m already projected that high,” Murray said. “I’m not over 6-foot. I haven’t seen that since I’ve been alive.”

— Tim Tebow revealed the advice he gave to Murray before he made his decision to play football over baseball. Not surprisingly, his advice was passionate:

“You know what? Don’t do it for your agents, or your friends and sometimes necessarily even your family,” Tebow said he told Murray, per ESPN. “Do it for what’s on your heart, and don’t let other people define you. You’re going to have all these coaches that you look up to and everybody else that’s going to tell you what they think, but what’s most important is following your heart and your passion. And so, I don’t know, hopefully he did that.”

— Speaking of Tebow, he remains “all-in” on baseball, despite the pleading of Steve Spurrier for him to play football in the new AAF league.

“This will be like, sort of the biggest spring training for me,” the 31-year-old Tebow said. “This journey isn’t defined by just getting there. I think, shoot, I’ve already enjoyed it enough to say it’s worth it. The whole process. Would that be awesome? Of course it would. It would be such an amazing thing and it would be so enjoyable, but at the same time, regardless of what happens, I know that I’ll enjoy it every day and I think that’s the biggest thing for me.”

Another two-sport Heisman winner, Charlie Ward, also had an opinion on Murray’s dilemma.

Regardless of where Murray goes, Ward believes it’s a step forward for shorter quarterbacks, even getting consideration for a first-round pick. “Times have changed,” he says. “These smaller guys can get drafted in the first round. I’m happy for these guys.”

— Charles Woodson, the 1997 Heisman winner, has left ESPN, where he has been a broadcaster since his retirement in 2015.

— Mark Ingram of the New Orleans Saints recently shared his big picture goals for the remainder of his career.

— From December, the New York Times looks at how the Heisman voting regions affect the final Heisman vote.

— Congrats to Jim Plunkett, who won the Legends Award at the recent Davy O’Brien awards dinner.

— A look at Ken MacAfee, the Notre Dame tight end who third place finish in 1977 was the highest Heisman finish of any tight end in the modern era.

— Ricky Williams recently made reality TV history.