New Heisman platform allows college football fans to cast votes - ESPN

The new team at Heisman has launched Heisman Hopefuls — a data, storytelling and fan voting platform aimed at expanding the conversation about the award given to the most outstanding player in college football.

The platform will feature official player data and regularly updated EA Sports College Football player ratings, and it will allow fans to place the first official vote for the Heisman Trophy.

«We surveyed college football fans, and they told us clearly that they want more data on more players and more ways to engage with the Heisman Trophy throughout the season,» Heisman CEO Jeff Price said.

Central to the new initiative is a Heisman Hopefuls website complete with player data and a voting page. While some positions will always have richer data — and the efforts for this season, at least, will be limited to more basic player statistics instead of advanced analytics — the combination of statistics and player ratings is intended to encourage voters to consider players of all positions.

«Every player who steps onto the field this fall begins the season as a Heisman Hopeful with the chance to earn the award on the field of play,» Price said. «This platform, working hand in hand with the schools, helps us shine a light on those players and bring their stories forward all season long.»

Texas Tech linebacker Jacob Rodriguez won last year's fan vote, with Nebraska's Emmett Johnson finishing second and Indiana's Fernando Mendoza, the overall vote winner, finishing third.

This time around, voters can vote daily, with the weights of the votes shifting throughout the season.

«We're creating a methodology to dynamically weight fan votes based on data observed throughout the season,» said Ron Yurko, the director of the Carnegie