Heisman Trophy Winner 2014: Twitter Reacts to Marcus Mariota's Presentation

To no one's surprise, University of Oregon quarterback Marcus Mariota has been awarded the 2014 Heisman Trophy at the ceremony on Saturday.

Immediately after Mariota was announced as the winner, SportsCenter tweeted out this very- appropriate picture:

BREAKING: Oregon QB Marcus Mariota wins Heisman Trophy. Mariota threw 38 TD passes and ONLY 2 Int this season. http://ift.tt/1wtO5uh

- SportsCenter (@SportsCenter) December 14, 2014

According to ESPN's Joe Schad, Mariota was named on a higher percentage of ballots than any player in history:

Marcus Mariota named on 95.16 percent of ballots, highest ever.

- Joe Schad (@schadjoe) December 14, 2014

Schad also tweeted out the disparity between first-place votes, which Mariota received the overwhelming majority of from the 929 voters:

Marcus Mariota 788 first-place votes. Melvin Gordon 37. Amari Cooper 49.

- Joe Schad (@schadjoe) December 14, 2014

Per Greg Logan of Newsday, Mariota more than doubled runner-up Wisconsin running back Melvin Gordon's point total:

#MarcusMariota, 2534, trailed in #HeismanTrophy voting by Wisconsin's Melvin Gordon, 1,250, and Amari Cooper, 1,023.

- Greg Logan (@GregLogan1) December 14, 2014

The final vote total is a reflection of the admiration everyone seemed to have for Mariota's season, during which he finished with 3,783 passing yards and 52 total touchdowns. Per Sports Illustrated's College Football Twitter account, only Troy Smith received a higher percentage of possible points when he won in 2006:

Mariota's 90.9% of possible points received is second in Heisman Trophy history (Troy Smith received 91% in 2006).

- SI College Football (@si_ncaafb) December 14, 2014

Despite all the accolades for Mariota this season, he's remained as humble as any star college player in recent memory. Here were his comments on Thursday after winning the Maxwell Award, Davey O'Brien Award and Walter Camp Player of the Year, via ESPN.com:

It's surreal. It's surreal. It really all is. Growing up as a kid you always kind of see these award shows. To say that I'm a part of really this fraternity ... it's really just a blessing.

Being from Hawaii, being kinda quiet and reserved to now being a little more vocal and being a part of a special team, it's come a long way for me. It's all been such a blessing.

[My teammates] asked me to kinda step up and be vocal and understand that my words can be powerful. ... It's been an ongoing process for me and I've definitely come a long way with it.

One thing that hasn't been talked about much is that Mariota immediately stepped into the starting quarterback spot three years ago without missing a beat, though Kirk Herbstreit mentioned it on the ESPN telecast (via College Gameday):

Congrats to Marcus Mariota! Welcome to he @HeismanTrophy family!

- Mark Ingram (@MarkIngram22) December 14, 2014

In 2012, Mariota threw for 2,677 yards and 32 touchdowns with another 752 yards and five touchdowns on the ground. He's only gotten better since his freshman year, culminating in his crowning achievement on Saturday.

'The 1st year that he took over Chip Kelly's offense he had great control over it' -@KirkHerbstreit on Marcus Mariota http://ift.tt/1zkAwOQ

- ESPN CollegeFootball (@ESPNCFB) December 14, 2014

While looking back at history, ESPN Stats & Info noted Mariota finished second in total QBR the past two years with some notable names ahead of him:

It's funny to think how history might have been different, as Schad noted Mariota wasn't sold that football was for him in high school:

Marcus Mariota ranked second in Total QBR behind the #Heisman winner in 2012 (Manziel), 2013 (Winston). Total QBR leader in 2014? Mariota

- ESPN Stats & Info (@ESPNStatsInfo) December 14, 2014

Using ESPN's QBR metric, Mariota led the nation with a 91.9 mark. ESPN Stats & Info pointed out the last seven leaders in that category, which includes both Heisman winners and current NFL stars:

Ever doubt yourself? Marcus Mariota just said he wondered if football was the right sport for him as a HS soph. Might have pursued soccer.

- Joe Schad (@schadjoe) December 13, 2014

In other words, Mariota is in excellent company. He could also find himself joining Andrew Luck and Sam Bradford as No. 1 overall picks in the NFL draft by the time May rolls around, which was brought up by NFL Network's Ian Rapoport:

#Heisman candidate Marcus Mariota is tops in QBR (91.9). The previous 7 QBR leaders have been quite noteworthy. http://ift.tt/12InhMf

- ESPN Stats & Info (@ESPNStatsInfo) December 13, 2014

For now, Mariota can bask in the glow of being Oregon's first Heisman winner. He also has the looming matchup with Florida State at the Rose Bowl in the semifinals of the College Football Playoff on New Year's Day.

Mariota has earned his place among the greats in college football. His performance this season-guiding Oregon to the No. 2 ranking and consistency from week to week-made him the best player in the sport. Now, the junior has the hardware to prove it.