The Heisman Hopefuls Podcast
The Heisman Hopefuls Podcast, hosted by Heisman historian Chris Huston, features year round interviews with top Heisman contenders, insider stories from Heisman history, hard-hitting discussion of the latest college football news plus updates on the Heisman Trophy Trust’s charitable work. New episodes every Thursday. Follow @HeismanTrophy on all platforms and watch clips on YouTube and TikTok. Contact: pod@heisman.com
The Heisman Hopefuls Podcast
Alabama QB Jalen Milroe (Part I)
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Crimson Tide sophomore quarterback Jalen Milroe joins the Official Heisman Trophy Podcast to talk about Alabama's improvement and how his early-season benching was an opportunity. With three games left to play, he wants to Let All Naysayers Know that the Tide is back in business. The show closes out with one of the greatest college quarterbacks of all time, 1990 Heisman Trophy winner Ty Detmer out of Brigham Young University. Detmer talks about his love of sports while growing up in Texas, why he chose to attend BYU, what it was like to upset No. 1 Miami and what he's been up to these last few years.
The Heisman Hopefules Podcast streams every Thursday during the college football season and is hosted by Chris Huston. The pod is available on all streaming networks, including Spotify and Apple Music, and full videos of the show are available on YouTube, with clips on TikTok and Instagram.
Email us at pod@heisman.com for feedback and inquiries.
Welcome to the official Heisman Trophy Podcast. And the winner is, here's your host, Chris Houston. Welcome back to the latest episode of the official Heisman Trophy podcast. As the man said, I'm your host, Chris Houston, and we've got a great show for you today. One of the hottest players in the country, Jalen Milrow, quarterback for the Alabama Crimson Tide, will kick things off just a little bit later. And for you old timers, we've got a great interview with BYU Heisman Trophy winner from 1990, Ty Detmer. Just a reminder, Heisman ballots will go out on November 27th. They must be returned a week later by December 4th. Later in the evening on December 4th, the Heisman Trust will announce live on ESPN the four finalists for the 2023 Heisman Trophy ceremony. And that will kick off one of the great traditions in college football. We're talking Heisman Week. And then on December 9th at 8 p.m. on ESPN, we will announce the winner of the 2023 Heisman Trophy. It's been a fascinating Heisman race so far. No one seems to really be running away with it. And the way things are headed, this could be one of the closest votes in the Heisman's history. There's still a lot of football to be played, and there's still a lot of ways that things could shake out. And it's all going to come down to the mood of this year's Heisman electorate, what they look for in a player, what they value the most. And in the end, the Heisman Trophy winner will no doubt be the player who best defines the spirit of this season. And of course, the official Heisman Trophy podcast will be there to talk to the Heisman Trophy winner and the Heisman Trophy finalists. And of course, we'll be checking in with a lot of the great Heisman winners who will be coming out to New York City for the ceremony. So if you like shows that have on incredible guests, I mean look at our guest lists. We have the best players in the country coming on every week, and also some of the greatest players ever to play football. Just be sure you're here to listen to it. Go to your favorite streaming service, follow us, like us, give us a good review. We would really appreciate that. That all said, it's time to get this podcast rolling, but let's do like we always do and round up the latest in the Heisman world. It's the Heisman Roundup, week 11. Can you believe it? In less than four weeks, we'll have a new Heisman Trophy winner. And the leading candidates are not looking to make it easy on voters who will turn in their ballots in less than three weeks. Let's dig into another week of top performances starting with LSU quarterback Jaden Daniels, who had one of the all-time great games in the Tigers' 52-35 win over Florida to improve to 7-3 on the season. Daniels, who leads the country with 30 touchdown passes as well as in quarterback rating, became the first quarterback in FBS history to have at least 350 yards passing and 200 yards rushing in the same game. He generated 606 total yards while accounting for five touchdowns. He passed for 372 yards and three touchdowns and ran for 234 yards on just 12 carries, scoring twice more. Not surprisingly, LSU coach Brian Kelly gave Daniels a ringing Heisman endorsement after the game.
SPEAKER_00He's the best quarterback in the country. You can say whatever you want while we're seven and three, and you know, whoever else is undefeated, that doesn't mean anything. What matters is who's the best player.
SPEAKER_03Oregon quarterback Bo Nicks kept pace with the nation's top signal callers, orchestrating a 36-27 victory over USC on Saturday night. Nix, who leads the country in completion percentage, passed for 412 yards and four touchdowns, giving him 29 passing scores on the year, just one off the national lead. He also has five rushing touchdowns. This 21-yard third-quarter touchdown pass to Ted Johnson was his final of the night and gave Oregon a two-score push-up. Michael Pennox Jr. has led Washington to just the second 10-0 start ever after a 35-28 win over Utah. Pennox, the nation's leader in passing yards, rolled up another 332 yards through the air with two scores while also rushing for a touchdown as he rallied the Huskies in the second half. He hit wide receiver Roma Doomsday from 33 yards out with a go-ahead score with 409 to go. Ohio State wide receiver Marvin Harrison Jr. kept his production at a high level, scoring three times in the Buckeye's 38-3 victory over Michigan State. He caught seven passes for 149 yards and two touchdowns, giving him 12 for the season, which is one off of the National League. He also notched his seventh game with over 100 receiving yards. He also registered his first career rushing score in the first quarter with a 19-yard scamper. The sophomore accounted for a career-high six touchdowns in Alabama's 49-21 win over Kentucky, three passing and three rushing. That gives him seven rushing touchdowns in the last two weeks, by the way, and 12 for the year. He passed for 234 yards and ran for another 36. This 26-yard pass to Roydell Williams was his third of the day.
SPEAKER_04And now drop a direct breakfast. And it's a complete Williams and Williams! It's able to turn the corner and score it for Delphi. Dylan Milrow extending the play and finding Roydell Williams for a 27-yard touchdown.
SPEAKER_03Finally, a nine to Oklahoma quarterback Dylan Gabriel, who turned in a monster performance in the Senior's 59-20 win over West Virginia. The senior threw for 423 yards and five passing touchdowns, and also rushed for three more scores. The eight touchdowns accounted for the most in program history in a single game. The record he broke that belonged to a pair of Oklahoma Heisen winners shared by Baker Mayfield and Kyler Murray.com to purchase tickets and witness Heisman history. Our first guest on this week's Heisman Trophy podcast is Alabama quarterback Jalen Milrow. For those of you who follow the tide, it's been very fascinating to watch his development through the year. He's had a few rough patches early in this season, but he's come on strong, and especially in the last few weeks, he's simply put one of the best players in the country, which is why he is on the official Heisman Trophy podcast. We only have the best players in the country on this show. Through nine games, Milrow has 2,070 yards passing, 16 touchdowns, six interceptions, a passer rating of 173.6. He's also rushed for 333 yards and added 12 scores on the ground. More importantly, it seems like he's developed into the leader on this football team. Like his head coach Nick Sabin, he is all business, and it seems like he and his team are peaking at just the right time. So, Jalen Milrow, thanks for coming on the official Heisman Trophy Podcast.
SPEAKER_01My treat I appreciate you having me on.
SPEAKER_03Jalen, you and the entire Alabama team are surging at just the right time. You've been on fire lately with 10 combined touchdowns the last couple games, and you're really throwing the ball well too. How have you and your team been able to put it all together as we head into the final stretch of the season?
SPEAKER_01Yes, sir. Um we see everything as a process, and um I think with the process, we had to see some things in some areas that we needed to improve on. And uh I think it's everything is a group effort um as a collective whole. And um I think the coaching staff has done a great job with challenging us to be an even greater offense. Um we're not a finished product, um, but we're constantly growing, and we we see that, you know, and we have a special group in the locker room because they're willing to work hard and they're willing to improve and acknowledge, you know, we're not a finished product. I think that's the biggest thing that's allowing us to grow as an offense and make my job even easier, you know. And so I think I think it's important for our guys just to know that, you know, the uh we have we have a lot of improvements to, you know, to make, but um, we're also making great strides.
SPEAKER_03You guys got off to a bit of a slow start with the loss to Texas, and then you didn't play against South Florida. That must have been a pretty tough ordeal to go through. How did you overcome that mentally and who gave you the best advice during that time?
SPEAKER_01Yeah, um I saw it as an opportunity. You know, I saw the opportunity to grow and also seeing football in a different lenses. Um uh being able to, you know, see football from the sideline and then also enhancing my leadership qualities and leadership skills um during that moment, you know. Uh tough times don't last. Um, and the biggest thing you have to do through tough time is learn from it. And so I took it as a time to learn as much as possible and then um to talk about our football team. You know, we've grown so much from the Texas game, and it was a learning moment for us. We found some things uh that we needed to improve on. We found uh what are some things um we need to turn into a strength as far as our weaknesses. Uh so I think as we get to this point in the season, um we've seen we've seen a lot of um different outcomes and we're just steadily growing and learning and growing.
SPEAKER_03Now, was this around the time where you came up with the idea, maybe with you and Terrian Arnold, I hear the let all naysayers know t-shirts, Lank? Tell me about that.
SPEAKER_01Yeah, lank was uh actually something throughout the offseason um that was, you know, uh harped on, you know, throughout offseason was really just um really it was something for us to um build off of, you know, especially the season we had last year was not to the standard that we want to play at. And with that it came with a lot of doubts following this year. And um through the offseason, the biggest thing that we wanted to incorporate to the guys is that forget about the naysayers who say we can't do something, who say we can't achieve this, or um or we shouldn't be worrying about external factors that we can't control. So it's all about just not just letting the naysayers know with our performance, with our working ethic, um, with our lead, you know, with our um great attitude and how we approach things. So I think it was a um a great, you know, uh acronym that we brought together as far as length, and it's uh a great model that we have.
SPEAKER_03Did you guys make t-shirts? You guys oh you are you wearing that right now?
SPEAKER_01Yes, sir.
SPEAKER_03All right. So uh so how did your life change? You know, you were the backup quarterback uh before this year, and now you're the starting quarterback for the Alabama Crimson tide. Are you uh more recognized around town than you were before? Is there do you feel more pressure? Is it uh just how how has your life changed overall?
SPEAKER_01Yeah, um, well I'll say um I won't take those days for granted, not playing, because I learned so much football being off the field. Um learning under Bryce, um, Bryce Young, I learned off from him. Um I seen as an opportunity to grow as a player um uh on and off the field and uh to learn as much as possible from the guy that was playing. And uh Bryce did a great job here um through his preparation, his leadership qualities, um, how he approached the game, his mental toughness. It was different different things that he incorporated to his game that I can learn and grow from. And so uh I see football um being out the field was a great opportunity to grow as a quarterback. Um but to speak about my experience as being a quarterback, you know, it's a lot that comes with it. Um and I think the biggest thing all quarters needed to need to have is being being prepared. I think the more prepared you are, the less anxious you are when you approach the field. And so I think um you fall back uh to your level of training, uh you fall back to your level of training instead of riding to the occasion. And uh I truly believe that and a firm believer in that. And um I think what uh you know allowed me to grow is just really um trying to to acknowledge what were my strength what were my weaknesses throughout the uh off season and then also turning all strengths even stronger. So I think it was just um a lot of things um that go with being successful at the position, and I just had to acknowledge um what was in what was in in front of me.
SPEAKER_03Yeah. What were some of those those weaknesses that you felt you had coming into the year? And and it seems like uh the light has kind of come on the last last few weeks, maybe.
SPEAKER_01Yeah, I think I like the experience. I think experience is the best teacher, and that's allowing me to grow. The more reps I have, the more games I've had. Um I'm seeing things uh even more, you know. And football is a comp complex sport, you know, there's a lot of things that come with the with the game, and I I believe that um experience is the best teacher, and I think that's how how I've grown, and uh I think that's the the best uh thing that's been for me. So each game that goes by, I'm I'm I'm able to just really uh pick up what I've learned from each game and try to grow as much as possible.
SPEAKER_03You had six total touchdowns last week against Kentucky. Only you and Bryce Young and Tua Togo Ayola have been able to do that for Alabama. What's it feel like to join such a prestigious group?
SPEAKER_01Well, those guys, you know, that's definitely a prestigious group uh with with Tua and Bryce Young. Um I have a lot of work to work to be done, you know, uh, and I'm constantly trying to grow as much as possible because there's some things in the game that I need to improve on. Uh, so I'm not satisfied with that performance. But, you know, with those guys, it's a truly an honor um to be, you know, recognized with that group.
SPEAKER_03You came out of Tompkins High in KD, Texas. Tell me who or what inspired you to become a quarterback.
SPEAKER_01Yeah, uh my dad is who inspired me to be a quarterback. Um I actually that was my that's my only coach, you know, growing up was my dad. It was me and him. Um picked up the ball when I was four years old, joined a youth team uh the following year. Uh and so since then, it was it was me being coached by my dad all my life. Um and my dad was a Marine, my mom was in the Navy. So I grew up with structure, um, discipline, and really chasing after your dreams, no matter how hard it is. You know, and with this position, I've been told I couldn't play the position. I've been told to switch positions, I s I've been told it's too hard. I've been told that I won't start at the Alabama start at the University of Alabama. So it was a lot of things um that were placed in front of me, but through those obstacles will allow me to grow through any situation with my parents and my Lord and Savior. Um so I don't take um my journey for granted. I think um I'm blessed to be where I'm at, but I do acknowledge that um I have some things to improve on.
SPEAKER_03I heard you had a Vince Young jersey growing up. Yes, sir. Is that right? Was he one of your your idols?
SPEAKER_01Yes, he was. Yeah, he definitely, he definitely was. Um I had a Titan jersey.
SPEAKER_03What does now that you're the starter, what does your preparation for a big game look like? How do you mentally and physically get ready uh for when the big games are coming up? You got some big ones coming up, uh, Auburn and and the SEC title game against Georgia.
SPEAKER_01Yeah, um through preparation, I think um before touching the field for any game, you have to put yourself through any situation. Um I think that's the the biggest preparation key is that um to not sp specifically dive in, but I think that's the biggest thing, whether it's third down, red area, um, normal downs, really um anticipating but also reacting with what the defense gives, but also um through your film preparation, and then also with getting with your officer coordinator uh and going through the game plan and seeing the game through his lenses, I think that allows the quarterback to even grow. Um so that that's something, some things I go through um as far as preparation. And then on the field is the opportunity to um take what you learn in the film room and incorporate it to the field. Um so I think there's uh many things that goes on to being prepared in the game and to allow you to grow and allow you to play successfully.
SPEAKER_03Looking ahead, what are some goals you've set for yourself both in your football career and outside of it?
SPEAKER_01Yeah, um my my biggest my my ultimate goal is to be financially stable. Um that's my my number one goal to be financially stable and provide for my family and my own one day. Um my parents have done a good job raising me and bringing me up this far. But now uh that I'm at this point, you know, I wanna, you know, uh just be uh stable, you know, and be able to be on my own two feet. But um as far as football-wise, you know, no number one thing is go one and know each and each and every week. And no matter where that takes me, all I know is that I if I gave it on my off, you know, I'm satisfied with that. So and with that, um, you know, there's a lot of accolades that come with it, there's a lot of um long-term goals that you set as a football football team before the season. And if you're able to achieve that, that's great. But the number one thing uh is giving it giving your all. Um and then and then little things throughout the season come um as you you know put the work in, as you grind, as you do more and more throughout the season, you know. And as cliche as cliche as it sounds, it's all about doing your job. You're going one-on-one you shoot every week. And that's number one I have to do this week is attacking Chattanooga. You know, being the best quarterback can I can be, lead properly, prepare properly. Uh so there's a lot of things um that's set in stone throughout a season, and so that's number one that I have to do.
SPEAKER_03What do you like to do when you're when you're not playing football, when you're not preparing for games, and when you're just on your own doing your thing? What's your passions and uh what are your interests?
SPEAKER_01Well, all I know is football. You know, I I'm being real. Yeah, all I know is football. I don't really have too many hobbies. Um it just football, family. That's that's about it. I come to the facility early in the morning, I leave out, go home, go to sleep, do it again the next day.
SPEAKER_03Did you have any uh favorite Heisman winners growing up or follow any of the uh the old Heisman races when you were uh watching football growing up?
SPEAKER_01Uh not necessarily. You know, I've just been so grounded in what I was doing and trying to trying to be where I'm at today. You know, that's honestly what it came down to. But with that, you know, I just acknowledge hard work and I know that my ultimate goal, you know, uh was potentially getting into a conversation and thing like that, that sort. Because that's everyone's goal, you know, of you know, going to college, playing at a high level, and you know, receiving w rewards and stuff like that. Uh so just growing up seeing different guys win the award, I mean, it's a truly honor because I just I grew up watching the ceremony and hearing their speeches and their, you know, their heart, you know, heart in their stories and stuff like that. So um, yeah, so I've always you know acknowledged a great story.
SPEAKER_03Well, if you keep going like you're going, you might be in New York City sooner or later. Uh finally, what advice would you give to young athletes who aspire to play at the collegiate level or who want to play for Alabama? What would you tell young guys coming up who are playing quarterback?
SPEAKER_01Don't dim your light for anybody's um inability to see your worth. You know, chase your dreams, don't let anyone turn them down. Um, set short-term goals and long-term goals for yourself and ensure that it's achievable and reachable. You know, set goals that are um available to you and put yourself around the right people and surround yourself with the proper resources to allow you to grow.
SPEAKER_03Jalen Moreau, University of Alabama starting quarterback. Thank you for coming on the official Heisland Trophy Podcast. We appreciate you taking the time. We wish you the best of luck to your team and good health going forward.
SPEAKER_01Thank you. I truly appreciate that. Roll time.
SPEAKER_03All right, thank you.
SPEAKER_02This is Mike Shizewski, and you're listening to the official Heisman Trophy Podcast.
SPEAKER_03Take an even deeper dive into Heisman lore by going to Heisman.com, home to all things Heisman, including news, bios, and the latest on all the winners, plus updates on the Heisman Trophy Trust and its charitable mission. It's the A to Z for Everything Heisman, from Alan Amici to Danny Werfel. We really need a Heisman winner whose name begins with Z. In college football's modern era, once you set aside the independents like Notre Dame and Miami, there's only one player who's won the Heisman Trophy for a team that did not play. In what we would now call a power conference. And that player was BYU quarterback Ty Detmer. I was looking at highlights from his uh Heisman winning season, especially the game against Miami, where BYU beat the Hurricanes 28-21 in a season opener. And Detmer was just this unflappable player who just made play after play, and he could extend plays with his feet, and he just had eyes in the back of his head. He knew where the rush was coming from. And the ball didn't always look pretty coming off his hand, but wow, it just landed exactly where it needed to be. Detmer was the manifestation of this great BYU offensive system, one that produced great quarterbacks like Gifford Nielsen and Jim McMahon and Steve Young, Robbie Bosco, who won a national title in 1984. So with all those guys, Detmer was the greatest of them all. In his Heisman winning season, he threw for 5,188 yards, 41 touchdowns, and by the time he left BYU, he had broken 59 NCAA records and tied three others, including a then record 15,031 career passing yards. So let's meet him. Okay, Ty Detmer, thanks for coming on the official Heisman Trophy podcast.
SPEAKER_05Thanks for having me. Appreciate it.
SPEAKER_03You know, you had one of the great careers for a quarterback in college football history. While at BYU, you won the Heisman Trophy in 1990. And of course you're a Cougars legend to this day. But you were born and raised in Texas, born in San Marcos, which is like halfway between San Antonio and Austin. What was it like growing up on the Lone Star State in the 1970s and 80s?
SPEAKER_05Well, it was uh it was great. Uh my dad was a football coach, so um just grew up around athletics. He, you know, he started out as, you know, obviously an assistant and coached uh baseball, basketball, football, a little bit of everything. And then uh as I got older, he became a head football coach and I got to kind of tag along and be the ball boy and do all those fun things as a kid.
SPEAKER_03You apparently just loved to play sports. When you were younger, you earned letters in golf, football, basketball, baseball, and track while in high school. That's really amazing. I don't know how you had time to do all that. Was that just a natural thing for you to do just to be involved in sports, especially with your dad being a coach?
SPEAKER_05It was. Um, you know, grew up playing at the local YMCA pretty much um, you know, just every season. Uh looked forward to, you know, when football ended, looked forward to basketball uh and then baseball, and you know, just messed around in golf. Uh dad. But uh, you know, we're fortunate uh to have a great group of friends that were all involved in those things, and dad's coached and um, you know, just kind of um grew up around it, and and that's kind of what you did as a kid.
SPEAKER_03Nice. Did you ever hit a hole in one in golf?
SPEAKER_05I never have. I've played a lot of golf and never had a hole in one.
SPEAKER_03So I'm surprised by that actually. Anyway, you were especially good in football, basketball, and baseball. But what made you decide in the end to concentrate on football?
SPEAKER_05Well, I think growing up in Texas, that's kind of the focal point, you know, especially at that time. Um, and like I said, my dad being a football coach, uh just for me, you know, as I started playing flag football in first grade and moved on to tackle and fourth, and just uh probably wasn't fast enough to be the running back or the receiver. So uh I quarterback kind of became the natural position for me and threw it pretty well. So uh something just you know, having the ball in your hands every play and having an opportunity to make a difference always uh you know just appealed to me.
SPEAKER_03Were you physically an early bloomer or did or did you kind of develop most of your physical skills later?
SPEAKER_05No, I was a late bloomer. I actually repeated the seventh grade and still, you know, graduated high school six foot, 168 pounds, I think. Uh, you know, I don't I don't know if I ever really bloomed, so it was uh it was uh the natural position was either gonna be kicker or quarterback where you didn't have to try to run somebody over.
SPEAKER_03So by your senior year, you were a prep all American as a quarterback. Walk me through the recruiting process and all the schools that were looking at you and what you were thinking and how you ended up picking BYU.
SPEAKER_05Well, back then, obviously it was different without an internet and all of those things. So um, you know, I think schools recruited off of newspaper clippings and and just some of the the you know magazines that came out, Dave Captain magazine that came out every year and kind of listed top players in the state of Texas and Yeah, Texas football, right?
SPEAKER_03Isn't that the the uh yearly yearbook that he did?
SPEAKER_05It is, yeah. Yeah. Uh so you know, I started my junior year. We uh had a really big year throwing the football, I think broke the state record for single season passing yardage and kind of put you on the map and started getting letters from a lot of different schools. Back then it was it was mail and uh questionnaires, and so you'd fill those out and send them back. And um, you know, so it was uh it was kind of uh well a lot different. And uh uh I started noticing BYU and and they were a school that threw the ball, and we threw it quite a bit in high school for those times, and and uh just uh didn't know much about BYU or even where it was and and uh but I knew they they threw the ball and had a great list of quarterbacks that went on to play in the NFL and and so that kind of became kind of the target school and and we took a trip up there summer after my junior year and really fell in love with the place and committed to uh Lavelle Edwards that you know on that trip and and senior year kind of played it out. Uh was looking forward to getting up there.
SPEAKER_03What were some of the other schools that you you might have considered for a minute?
SPEAKER_05Well, you know, at the time UCLA, Arizona State were throwing the football, uh Michigan came down, watched a basketball game, uh Miami reached out and and um you know I talked to them on the phone a few times. And so really more of some of the passing schools at that time that were throwing it a little bit were more interesting for me.
SPEAKER_03Yeah. You missed a chance to hand off the ball a lot if you had gone to Michigan.
SPEAKER_05I know. Yeah, that was never really uh you know a school that that I targeted. It was uh you know an honor, obviously, to get a letter from them being sure. But uh yeah, I was I was not real excited about their offense at the time.
SPEAKER_03What was it like meeting and later playing for Lavelle Edwards and some of the other great coaches on that staff for BOYU, including Roger French, who I hear is a real character, and uh Norm Chow.
SPEAKER_05Yeah, it was uh you know, one of the appealing things was that um knowing the consistency within the program, you knew that Lavelle was gonna be there. Uh you didn't have to worry about him, you know, going to a d uh a different job or or moving on to the NFL. You knew that he was gonna be uh the guy in charge, and that that was where he wanted to be, you know, for the rest of his career. And so um then you look at the coaches on staff, had all been there a long time, and and uh you felt like it was a very stable program, and things weren't gonna change once you got there. So um, you know, with Norm Chow running the offense, uh like you said, Roger French was was the offensive line coach and a real character and just did an awesome job with the linemen up front. But uh Norm was a guy calling the plays and and I had a great relationship with him and appreciated you know his mentorship there.
SPEAKER_03Now I knew Norm a few years back when I was working at USC and he was the offensive coordinator, and he always had this regal bearing about him. And he was just like a figure off of Mount Rushmore, just this big mountain of a man. What was he like back then uh when he was at BYU?
SPEAKER_05Same, same at BYU, you know, he's kind of you know a little bit more business oriented, um, you know, but could could laugh and have a good time. But um he was he was more of the you know kind of the the business guy uh down to business and and for me he was great. He you know, he'd go out and and I think the run and shoot was kind of getting big then and he you know brought back some ideas and um ran them by me. If I liked them, we'd put them in. If if I wasn't real comfortable with them, we'd take them out. And uh so you know for me he was awesome because there was a great line of communication, and if I wasn't comfortable with something, he didn't, you know, force feed it to me, and and I thought we worked really well together.
SPEAKER_03Now I heard that the BYU offense was actually pretty easy to learn, even though it produced such great results that it was very intuitive. For instance, the receivers had very easy-to-learn route trees, which means that they got up to speed really quickly. It seems like a good explanation for why so many quarterbacks and players were able to succeed so well in that system. Do you think that's pretty accurate?
SPEAKER_05Yeah, um, fortunately for me, we ran a similar system in in high school where we had two backs and we would get them out on routes and and we used our backs quite a bit, which BYU, you know, was kind of famous for. Um and so for me, I I had a really good foundation going in where you'd read, you know, linebacker rotation and hot routes. And so I got to BYU and and the terminology was fairly similar as far as formations went. You know, we called red right, blue right, brown right, and uh and then uh, you know, obviously the terminology in the past game was a little different, but the concepts were real similar to what I'd been running. So um it it wasn't real hard for me to go in and and be able to learn the concept stuff because that's what I'd done for three years in high school.
SPEAKER_03You uh redshirted as a freshman uh and then you played a lot as a redshirt freshman. Sean Covey was a starter that year, and then you had one start in which you threw for 333 yards and five touchdowns, pretty good. And then you helped lead uh the Cougars to a win over Colorado on the Freedom Bowl. Now, at that point, you must have been must have felt pretty confident going into the next season, right?
SPEAKER_05Yeah, Sean was a junior, so you know you knew um he was coming back, but like you said, I'd played quite a bit that year, felled in for him, uh the one game he was injured. But you know, there were times where the offense was struggling a little and LaBelle would put me in the second half, and uh that Colorado game was one where we kind of came back and and won and and uh was named the Freedom Bowl MVP. So that that really kind of going into the spring gave me an opportunity, and then Sean had knee surgery in the offseason, so he was out for spring ball. So that really kind of opened the door for me to get all the reps and to kind of just move in as the that number one QB going into the sophomore season.
SPEAKER_03Yeah, you had a huge sophomore season and led the Cougars for the whack title. You had were 4,500 yards passing, 32 touchdowns, which in those days these were almost unheard of numbers. What kind of goals did you set for yourself heading into the 1990 season, your junior year? Did you have any thoughts about the Heisman?
SPEAKER_05Um, you know, it was talked about because the the year before we played Penn State in the bowl game, and I think I threw for 570 yards or something like that. And uh so that that kind of put us on the map because at the time nobody was doing that to Penn State, you know. And uh and so it uh it kind of puts you at at the forefront being mentioned in the Heisman race, and then knowing uh really I didn't I'm not a wasn't a big personal goal setter as far as like stats and things like that. It's like you know, we want to win games, and we had Miami uh on the schedule, our second game, their their first game, and obviously uh all offseason you're kind of pointing to that game, and and uh that was like you know the the big game at the time. There were there was no ESPN 2. It was so it was on ESPN the the big game of the week that night, and and uh you know we were able to win that game and and uh had a big night, so it it really threw you to the forefront of the Heisman Trophy conversation.
SPEAKER_03Yeah, it seemed like with BYU with that great system, there was a great quarterback every year. It started with Gifford Nielsen and then Jim McMahon and Steve Young and Robbie Bosco. And I think for a lot of people who are on the outside looking in at the time, they saw you and thought, oh, you're just another product of that system, right? It was almost expected that you'd be putting up these great numbers. But by beating Penn State and then Miami, it seems like people started to see that you were a quarterback who kind of transcended the system. And I think that really went a long way to helping you win the Heisman.
SPEAKER_05It did at the time, you know, we're in the WAC conference, so you know, you always heard strength of schedule and some of those things. And uh, you know, playing a Penn State and then a Miami, um, it just gave credibility to the fact we were playing good football. And so um, you know, some of the other guys were were McMahon and and Young and Bosco didn't have maybe some of those powers on the schedule. Um it it people always question, well, they're doing it against, you know, New Mexico or somebody like that.
SPEAKER_03Yeah.
SPEAKER_05And uh yeah, we played some of those teams, but it also when you're able to play number one ranked Miami and you knock them off and throw for 400 yards, it it kind of opens people's eyes that, oh well, they are playing playing some good football no matter who they're playing against.
SPEAKER_03Absolutely. Now that opener versus Miami in 1990, did you guys have that circled on your calendar uh uh long before that? Were you were you working towards that? Was it one of those things where where you guys were pulling out all the stops uh, you know, from a from a game plan standpoint?
SPEAKER_05Yeah, I think um we had played them in my sophomore, actually it was my freshman year, uh red shirt freshman year. We played them in the orange bowl and and uh they they got after us pretty good down there, and I learned a ton. I got to play most of the second half that game and and uh learned a ton, you know, playing against them, just speed and and what you can and can't get away with, you know, hanging the football out there. Uh so it was that was big for us going into 1990 because a few of us had an opportunity to play against them or at least seen them, and and uh we had a pretty veteran team. So yeah, they were they were definitely circled on the uh on the calendar, and uh it was one of those games where we were really excited about.
SPEAKER_03So yeah, and obviously looking up and down Miami's roster at the time and seeing all those guys with amazing athleticism and a lot of NFL careers in their futures. What did you guys do to try to neutralize that and what what you know what was your specific game plan? If you if you thought, hey, if we can do this, then then you know we've got a good shot.
SPEAKER_05Yeah, um, number one was just we tried to get get the ball out quick. In my mind, just knowing them from the a couple years before, it's like you can't sit back there and take a seven-step drop and hold it, you know. So quick game really kind of you know came into play that game, and and uh, you know, in my mind it was you got to get the ball out quick, force their corners to to play the flats and some of those things. Um and then once they start coming up, then you can maybe uh get them get them a little tired and and uh slow their rush down a little and then be able to hit some some balls in behind the corners because they were primarily just a cover two team. Uh we were able to to do that and our defense really played great. I think you know I saw some clips uh a year ago and didn't realize we had five turnovers. We we had like four fumbles and and an interception that uh yeah really uh our defense stepped up and played really well that game, and and they were probably the biggest difference because you know they they were able to get stops and get us the ball back.
SPEAKER_03Yeah, that was definitely an amazing game. I remember you just throwing some balls that had eyes and seemed to land through arms and into hip pockets. As an observer, it just seemed like a magical night. From your perspective, what did it feel like to pull that game off? People forget how important the early games of a season can be in a Heisman race. So much of the focus is on these late season games. But when you won that game against Miami, you pretty much set the tone for the entire season. That game arguably won you the Heisman.
SPEAKER_05Yeah, and like I said, that that was kind of threw you right at the top of the race because they were mentioning Craig Erickson, who was the quarterback at at Miami too. So it was kind of a head-to-head type of battle, and and uh we came out on top, and so all of a sudden, you know, you're you're kind of thrown to the front of things. So obviously that was a huge win for the program, and they were ranked number one, so you know it was one of those games. I think we were ranked 16 or 17, and so we, you know, we were up in there, but we weren't Miami was the you know, Georgia of college football at the time, you know, nowadays. So uh that was that was one of those games where it was just like, man, you know, uh if we could beat those guys, this would be huge for for everybody involved. And uh it happened, and so you kind of like uh take a big sigh of relief because that was one that uh you know if you're gonna put yourself on the map, that was the game.
SPEAKER_03And that certainly must have been, you know, just a incredible feeling uh around town. I I guess some some students uh put the big T next to the Y on the hill uh before the game. Uh I mean you probably never had to had to pay for a meal again in that town, I would imagine in Provo.
SPEAKER_05Well, it uh you know, you're still at BYU. People were kind of cheating, so it was against the rules, too. So there was no NIL deals.
SPEAKER_03You know what I mean, though. Yeah, it's just yeah.
SPEAKER_05But no, it was uh it was obviously I mean the whole state was looking forward to that game, I think, because uh the stands were full, generally crowd was coming in, still walking in midway through the first quarter, you know, at some of the other games. And that one, you know, it was a night game. It was just, you know, a ton of electricity in the stadium when you got there, and then you're out for pregame, and there's just a buzz around the whole evening. And it uh, you know, it's one of those games you hope you get a chance to play in when you when you go play in college.
SPEAKER_03Absolutely, just a classic. You of course went on to throw for 5,188 yards that season. You broke 42 NCA records. Was there a point in the year where you thought, you know, I might I think I might win the Heisman?
SPEAKER_05Not really. I mean, Rocket Ismail was having a big year. Uh Eric Bianamy was at Colorado um doing great things. Um, you know, Sean Moore and David Klingler were having big seasons. So it was kind of, you know, but I think Rocket was the one where you're like, man, he's at Notre Dame, they're on TV every week, uh, he's kick returning, you know, he's making some some big plays. Um, and really, really never thought like, oh man, this is gonna happen until we had to play Hawaii the day of the announcement. And when you we got out there on Thursday and Friday morning, USA Today would come out with their weekend edition paper, and they kind of did a straw poll, I guess, and had me as the winner. And that was probably the first time I really thought, man, this this is actually this actually could happen, you know. So I, you know, all season you don't ever kind of relax or let yourself you try not to think about it, but obviously you're hearing about it, and let's you try not to think, man, this is gonna happen that day of, you know.
SPEAKER_03Now you were actually in Hawaii when the Heisman Trophy winner was announced that year, right?
SPEAKER_05We were. We were uh we had to play that night, and so we had a big, you know, kind of deal out in uh in the lobby of the hotel.
SPEAKER_03So And then uh after the game, I imagine you went right out to New York?
SPEAKER_05Uh it actually the the dinner and everything was like a week later. So we lost that night, but it was uh not a great game. I think we uh we got a little excited after the announcement went out like a day. Uh you know, so you had a a few days to kind of prepare to go to New York and and uh get out there and and enjoy the festivities for the Heisman.
SPEAKER_03Tell me about that trip to New York City. Whether was that your first time there and and were there any Heisman winners that you were excited to meet?
SPEAKER_05Oh yeah, yeah. That was my first time to New York. Uh my my parents got to fly in from Texas. Um, you know, it was it was a pretty uh pretty neat uh weekend because you know, growing up, just a fan of football. I mean, there's I watched Earl Campbell get, you know, win his Heisman and saw him play at UT one game. And uh, you know, then I I was a huge cowboy fan, so Roger Staubag and Tony Dorsett, and just you know, you you get out there and it's like, man, these are these were my heroes, you know. I'm I'm rubbing shoulders with these guys pretty cool. And and uh I know you know for my dad it was a fun weekend because you know they were some of the older guys were guys he grew up watching, you know, and and uh it was it was really a special weekend for our family.
SPEAKER_03What do you remember the most about that weekend?
SPEAKER_05Uh probably the they have a dinner for the winners only the night before um that before they actually have the banquet and black teeth and all those things and hand you the trophy, you know. So being there and and it was still at the old downtown athletic club, and it was I think it was the Heisman room, and it had all the pictures surrounding the walls, and they had like a a dinner dance type of deal, and it was really a pretty intimate group because it was mainly for just the winners at that time. You didn't have all the sponsorship and everything like they do now. Um so it was pretty cool just to see guys interacting and laughing and cutting up and having a good time and to be a part of that and be included in that was was awesome. So that was probably my favorite memory of of that weekend.
SPEAKER_03Yeah, those dinners are have taken up. On a legendary status in the Heisman world for sure. You were one of the rare players to come back to college after winning the Heisman. Was the chances of a second Heisman something that factored factored into that decision?
SPEAKER_05No, not at all. You know, I I was I mean, I was living the dream in college, you know, if you're having a good time playing. Uh, you know, uh I got married that summer and and just uh I knew, you know, as far as playing in the NFL, um, there were obviously question marks with size and arm strength and all those things that I'd heard coming out of high school uh as well. So um it w there wasn't the enticement where you're gonna go be the number one pick and and sign for $20 million or anything like that. So for me it was, you know, I I was really looking forward to a senior year and finishing what we'd started with that, you know, my buddies that we'd all come in together as freshmen. And and uh so it it never really I never really entertained leaving uh after my junior year, and then it had nothing to do with trying to win another Heisman. I knew we'd be a younger team, a a little bit we wouldn't be as good as we were that year, but um I I just was uh I loved everything about being at BYU at the time.
SPEAKER_03It's kind of funny. I think in this era of college football, uh your your uh skills, skill set might be more attractive to the NFL. Um right?
SPEAKER_05Yeah, you're seeing, you know, more of the RPO and and uh you know the smaller quarterbacks are actually you know out there making plays and and uh you know I still wasn't a runner, but uh, you know, I feel like skill set with the RPO game and and understanding the game uh you know would would fit right in nowadays and guys are proving you don't have to be 6'4 to to be successful doing it.
SPEAKER_03What do you think of the state of college football now with conference realignment and now BYU going to the Big 12?
SPEAKER_05Uh it's tough. I mean, just uh the whole NIL and transfer portal. You know, I coach high school football here in Arizona and and I I see some of our kids really not getting much of an opportunity to be recruited because uh the small even the smaller schools are hitting the transfer portal and things like that. And uh it it's tough. You know, it's tough to I think you know if you're one of the older guys, it's like oh you don't want to see a change, but it's the nature of the beast, right? There's more and more money involved. Uh and and you know, as a player, you you would love to have opportunities to to put some money in your pocket and and also go if if you needed to change schools and and find a better situation. Uh it it's good for the players. Um, I don't think it's great for the game. I think it's it's hard. I was we were just having this conversation yesterday that you see some of these quarterbacks like uh you know that have played really well, uh, like Hartman. Um I think it's Hartman played at Wake Forest, um just the guy there, and then you go to Notre Dame and you got to learn a new offense, you got to get to know the players, you got you know, all the little things that you've settled in at Wake Forest and kind of grown into now change, and it it's hard to see guys go it's hard as a quarterback to go from offense to offense and and try to be successful, as successful maybe as you were somewhere else. And so um it's not great for the game, but it's good for the players. Um some schools benefit from it and some uh you know don't because they're losing guys too. So um it it's it's harder with conference realignment too. I I think it's always gonna morph and change until uh college football is gonna become a little bit like you know uh the NFL and have just sure regions across the country and and uh have one kind of super league and the rest gotta kind of fend for themselves.
SPEAKER_03Yeah, and uh BYU at least got in got into one of those leagues before they they got left out, that's for sure. Um how do you think the Cougars will do in the Big 12?
SPEAKER_05Well, they're they're kind of finding out a little bit uh right now. You know, it's the gauntlet. Um when you play in a Power Five conference, you gotta be ready to play every week. You gotta have depth, and so hopefully um, you know, with having the Big 12 patch on your chest, you're able to recruit and and get more guys in there that can help you uh you know be competitive against those teams. And so uh they started out, you know, gangbusters and doing pretty well, and then uh I think they've had some injuries and and have uh kind of put the brakes on here uh the last few weeks. So um it it's gonna be a little bit of a learning curve, but I think overall, BYU's always done a good job of kind of redirecting and and morphing into uh whatever they've been given. So uh I think going forward, you know, a year or two from now, they'll they'll be up there competing with some of the best in that conference and have a chance to hopefully win a conference championship.
SPEAKER_03You're currently the head coach at American Leadership Academy in Queen Creek, Arizona. How do you like coaching and how much of what you learned at BYU and in the NFL do you bring to your coaching style and systems?
SPEAKER_05Well, I I really enjoy coaching. Um, you know, that's the lifestyle I grew up around. I really loved what my dad, the impact he had on kids, young men, you know, trying to become men. Uh, you know, and so that's kind of been a natural fit for me. Um, I feel like is is I enjoy that age of uh kid where the the 14-year-old knuckleheads when when they come into high school and hopefully leave as as young men ready to conquer the world, you know, and whatever that may be. So uh I I really enjoy coaching high school football. You're able to, you know, to um impact their lives hopefully for the better and and uh help them through some tough times, but also uh have some good times with them. And so I you know, you take a little bit from everybody, every place you've been, and um, at the end of the day, you gotta be yourself. You know, you can't try to be someone else. So uh I take a lot from Lavelle. My dad was similar to Lavelle, guys that taught the game. They weren't drill sergeants, they didn't sit out there and yell at you and make you do up-downs all day. They you did football drills and and told you we're doing this because of this, not just do it because I said to do it. And so um, they really taught you the game. And so I I feel like I try to model myself that way and teach kids the game. Here's why, and and uh we're gonna have a good time doing it. We're gonna work hard, we're gonna play and and compete, but we're gonna we're gonna have a good time doing it and and enjoy being out there.
SPEAKER_03How much do your kids know about your playing career? You know, you winning the Heisman, having this record-setting career at BYU and going to the NFL?
SPEAKER_05Yeah, I I think, you know, thanks to the internet, they get the good and the bad. You know, I I hear more there's seven picks in a game uh I do about the Heisman. So I'm like, yeah, it's okay, you know, you can rebound from those games. So, you know, having some of those experiences help kids deal with maybe a bad game themselves, and and uh, but you know, they they'll pull up a clip here or there, you know, these knucklehead freshmen will pull up a picture off the internet that you took back in college, and at the time you thought it was pretty cool, and now you look back that was pretty dumb. But they'll they'll drag stuff up every now and then on you.
SPEAKER_03The internet never forgets. No. Uh so besides coaching, uh what what what else keeps you occupied these days? What's uh what's going on in Ty Detmer's world?
SPEAKER_05Well, we had four daughters, and uh my oldest has three kids now, so I'm a grandpa and and uh love love being a grandpa. The grandkids are the best. Um so um we're just you know managing uh that. I've got three of them are married, um, and uh then one's not. Uh my youngest two live here close in Arizona, but um so you know, we're still very involved in the family stuff, and then I've got a ranch in South Texas, so I try to get down there and do a little hunting in the offseason when football ends and uh kind of do all of that stuff. So, you know, just kind of balancing football, the ranch and family, and uh enjoying all of that stuff.
SPEAKER_03Well, wonderful. Ty Detmer, uh BYU Heisman Trophy Winner 1990. We really appreciate you taking the time and sharing your story, and thanks for coming on the show, and and we wish you uh best of uh health uh going forward, and hopefully we'll see you in New York next time you're out there.
SPEAKER_05All right, appreciate it.
SPEAKER_03And that'll wrap up this episode of the official Heisman Trophy Podcast. Thanks to everyone who helped put the show together. Producer Paul Goldberg, also uh the University of Alabama Sports Information Department, Josh Maxon, Alex Thompson. Be sure to tune in next week because there will be a unicorn on our show. No, not a real unicorn, but we do have Barry Sanders, the great Barry Sanders, who is not someone who appears on a lot of shows. We're gonna reminisce about the old days, and we're also gonna talk about some new projects he has coming up. You definitely won't want to miss that one. See you next week. The official Heisman Trophy podcast streams every Wednesday during the college football season and is hosted, co-produced, edited, and engineered by Chris Houston. Paul Goldberg is the executive producer and editor. Special shout out to Isaac Lohencron, and big thanks to the Heisman Trophy Trust and its executive director, Rob Whalen, and associate director Tim Henning. The official Heisman Trophy podcast can be found on Spotify, Apple Music, and anywhere you listen to your favorite podcasts. You can also find clips of our show on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, and YouTube. Just go to at Heisman Trophy.
