Kenny Pickett finishes third in voting for Heisman Trophy

Pitt quarterback Kenny Pickett was in attendance for the Heisman Trophy Ceremony in New York City on Saturday night as one of four finalists for the highest individual honor in college football, and although the award went to Alabama quarterback Bryce Young, Pickett finished third in Heisman voting.

Young won the Heisman Trophy with 684 first-place votes, 107 second-place votes and 45 third-place votes worth 2,311 points. The runner-up was Michigan defensive end Aidan Hutchinson, who had 78 first-place votes, 273 second-place votes and 174 third-place votes worth 954 points. And Pickett had 28 first-place votes, 175 second-place votes and 197 third-place votes worth 631 points.

This season, Pickett threw for 4,319 yards and 42 touchdowns, with just seven interceptions. He also completed 67.2 percent of his passes. And in addition, Pickett ran for 233 yards and scored five more times on the ground.

Although Pickett fell short of the votes needed to win the Heisman, he was the first Pitt player to be named a finalist for the award since Larry Fitzgerald in 2003. That year, Fitzgerald finished as the runner-up in Heisman voting, but he went on to become a first-round draft pick and a lock for the Hall of Fame after a 17-year NFL career with the Arizona Cardinals.

As for Pickett, he won’t conclude his collegiate career without any accolades. He was recently named the ACC Player of the Year and won the Johnny Unitas Golden Arm Award. Pickett also earned first-team All-ACC honors as well as first-team All-American honors from Walter Camp Football Foundation.