Trevor Lawrence, Mac Jones headline 2020 Heisman Trophy finalists

The four finalists for the 2020 Heisman Memorial Trophy were announced on Thursday, Dec. 24. Voting closed on December 21 and is based solely on the on-field performances of each player from college football's regular season through conference championship games.

This season's recipient will be announced during the Heisman Trophy Ceremony on Tuesday, Jan. 5, 2021. The event is being held virtually due to COVID-19.

MORE: Heisman Trophy winners, runners-up since 1935

Here are the 2020 finalists:

Below is a deeper look at each of this year's finalists.

Mac Jones — Alabama QB

Alabama Athletics Mac Jones can become the first Alabama quarterback to win the Heisman Trophy.

Jones was preparing for his third career start around this time last year. It just goes to show how much things can change in a year. Alabama lost Tua Tagovailoa to the NFL and didn't really miss a beat offensively once Jones became the starting quarterback. The redshirt junior passed for 3,795 yards and 32 touchdowns to just four interceptions in 11 games. He also topped the FBS in completion percentage (76.5) while leading Alabama to an SEC title and a College Football Playoff berth. The Tide have two Heisman Trophy winners, though both were running backs — Mark Ingram (2009) and Derrick Henry (2015). But after Jones' first full season under center, the record books in Tuscaloosa might need re-writing.

Trevor Lawrence — Clemson QB

Clemson Athletics Trevor Lawrence could become Clemson's first-ever Heisman Trophy recipient.

Lawrence has accomplished a lot in two-plus years at Clemson. He's a national champion with three appearances at the College Football Playoff and holds a 34-1 record as a starter. There's really one major box left unchecked and that's the Heisman Trophy. Clemson has never had a Heisman recipient and Lawrence is a finalist for the first time in his career. The junior threw for 2,753 yards and 22 passing touchdowns against four interceptions in nine games while adding seven rushing touchdowns. He missed two games due to COVID-19, which would mean he'd be the first winner to miss a game since Charlie Ward in 1993.

Kyle Trask — Florida QB

Florida Athletics Kyle Trask could become the fourth Florida QB to win the Heisman Trophy.

There's something about Florida quarterbacks and the Heisman Trophy. Trask has a chance to be the fourth signal-caller in program history to take home college football's most prestigious piece of hardware for an individual. The redshirt senior led the FBS in passing yards (4,125) and passing touchdowns (43) in his first full season as a starter, leading the Gators to the SEC Championship Game. For parts of this season, Trask's numbers were on par with the record-setting campaign that 2019 Heisman winner Joe Burrow put together. We'll find out on January 5 if Trask will join the ranks of Steve Spurrier, Danny Wuerffel and Tim Tebow as part of Florida's Heisman history.

DeVonta Smith — Alabama WR

Alabama Athletics Alabama's DeVonta Smith would be just the fourth wide receiver to win the Heisman Trophy.

Only three wide receivers have ever walked away with the Heisman Trophy and the last was Desmond Howard in 1991. Smith is just the fourth finalist among wideouts since Howard's win. Then again, not many receivers — including past winners and finalists — have produced quite like Smith has this season. The senior led the FBS in receptions (98) and receiving yards (1,511), hauling in 17 touchdowns in 11 games. By comparison, Howard scored 21 total touchdowns to Smith's 19 while the Tide's top wideout amassed over 600 more total yards than Howard, playing in one fewer game. One thing that could hurt Smith's chances is that Mac Jones is also a finalist. But if the votes don't get split among the Tide, Smith could have a shot at joining elite company.

Heisman Trophy: All-time winners

* Vacated