Did Mark Ingram II win a Heisman? Exploring the collegiate career of the former Alabama RB

Mark Ingram was a great running back for the New Orleans Saints back in the 2010s. Although he never got to win the Super Bowl, he was selected for three Pro Bowls.

Ingram and quarterback Drew Brees energized the Saints offense, in a team that looked destined to win another Super Bowl at any point. That point never came.

Arguably, Ingram's career was more successful in the collegiate side of things, where he got to win the National BCS title and the Heisman Trophy. Ingram played for Nick Saban's Alabama, at a point when Saban's legacy was more cemented in Baton Rogue than in Tuscaloosa. He was one of the driving forces behind Saban's first title win with Alabama.

Mark Ingram's numbers with Alabama

In total, he ran for 3261 yards with 42 rushing touchdowns in three seasons with Alabama. By far his best season was 2009, where he ran for 1658 yards averaging 118 yards per game. That's miles ahead of his 743 yards in 2008 or his 903 yards in 2010. In 2009, he also had 334 receiving yards with three touchdowns.

In 2009, besides winning the Heisman Trophy, he was the SEC Offensive Player of the Year and earned All-American and First Team All-SEC honors. He was also selected as the Sporting News Player of the Year. In 2010, he would earn Second Team All-SEC honors.

Florida v Alabama

It is necessary to point out that he won the Heisman, with the closest ever voting for the award. He edged out Stanford RB Toy Gerhart by only 28 votes. At the time, at just 19 years old he was the youngest ever Heisman winner. That was superseded by Lamar Jackson later on.

Mark Ingram was instrumental in the January 7th, 2010, BCS National Title victory over Texas 37-21. He rushed for 116 yards, with two touchdowns in 22 carries which earned him MVP honors for that game.

The 2010 season wouldn't be the same. He put up a great performance in Week 4 versus the Razorbacks with 157 yards and two touchdowns but failed to break the 100-yard mark in any other game of the season.

After the end of the season, he announced that he would forgo his senior year and declared for the 2011 NFL Draft. Mark Ingram was selected No. 28 in the first round by the Saints.