Oregon quarterback Marcus Mariota speaks to media on day one of Pac-12 Football Media Day. (Photo by Bill Slane)
After two consecutive years of truly immature Heisman victors in Johnny Manziel and Jameis Winston, a positive role model has finally emerged from the ranks of college football, and his name is Marcus Mariota.
Mariota is the epitome of what it means to be a Heisman trophy winner. The Flyin' Hawaiian is humble and hungry — a consummate professional who annihilates opposing defenses with his breakneck speed and jaw-dropping accuracy.
Not since Tim Tebow (2007 winner) has there been a Heisman winner with the humility to match his unbelievable abilities. The difference? Mariota has all of the skills necessary to be a prototypical NFL quarterback.
Mariota's greatest skill, however, has nothing to do with his performance on the field, and that was evident with his unbelievable acceptance speech. Mariota broke down in tears as he thanked every person that impacted his journey to the halls of college football history, including his teammates, family and friends.
"This award belongs to my teammates...Thank you to the offensive line...Thank you to the skill guys...Thank you to the defense...To all my teammates: I love every single one of you."
As Mariota's speech went on, his emotions became the most formidable opponent he's faced in his college career. It's not rare to see emotion when an athlete receives such a high honor, but it is rare to witness such a genuine acknowledgement of the important people who made that athlete the person they are today.
You can tell that it's different with Mariota — this isn't just another step along the path to fame. For Mariota, winning this trophy is a testament to how he was raised, his culture, his values, and the people that instilled those values.
While children in Eugene are busy discussing Jesus, Girls, and Marcus Mariota, the 2014 Heisman winner is poised to become an idol for children everywhere else. As far as stable, positive values and professionalism are concerned, Mariota is second to none. What this means for parents across the country is having their kids point at the TV and say "I wanna be like him someday" without feeling uneasy about the decisions made by the person being pointed at. This was definitely not the case with Manziel or Winston.
It's hard to find anything wrong with Mariota. You just want him to slip up and say something wildly unprofessional or have a picture of him partying surface and then be able to say, "Oh, he's just like all those other dumb athletes." The problem with that is, he'll never give us the chance.
The guy gives food to the homeless when he's driving through campus and is so far ahead in academics that his only classes are golf and yoga. His only mistake was getting a speeding ticket, which isn't the first time Mariota has been moving too fast for his own good.
Mariota will live on as one of the greatest players in college football history, and winning a national title in the first ever college football playoff will cement that legacy, if he can will his team to that point.
After he ends his college career, Mariota can only hope to be drafted by an NFL team that isn't a complete dumpster fire. Even great quarterbacks can't succeed at the next level without the right combination of a stable front office and serviceable skill players around him. But with the way Mariota handled adversity throughout his life and still went on to achieve great things, I have confidence that he'll succeed wherever he goes.
The next tearful speech Mariota makes will be in Canton, Ohio, 25 years from now.
Reach the columnist at RClarke6@asu.edu or follow @RClarkeASU on Twitter.
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