NEW YORK — Ohio State quarterback C.J. Stroud returned to the Heisman Trophy ceremony, invited as a finalist for the most prestigious individual award in college football for a second straight year, but remained among the runners-up.

Stroud finished third in the voting, beaten out by Caleb Williams, a dual-threat passer who inspired an overnight turnaround at Southern California in his first season after transferring from Oklahoma, and Max Duggan, who led TCU to a College Football Playoff berth after beginning the year as the backup quarterback. Georgia quarterback Stetson Bennett was fourth.

Williams, who appeared on 88.57% of ballots and received 544 out of 929 first-place votes, made his push for the Heisman in the final stretch of the regular season with prolific performances in wins over rivals Notre Dame and UCLA.

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The third-place finish by Stroud tied Justin Fields and Dwayne Haskins, his predecessors at the position, as the highest by a Buckeye since former quarterback Troy Smith won in 2006. Fields and Haskins were in third in 2019 and 2018, respectively.

In five out of the six regions, Stroud was voted third following Williams and Duggan. The exception was in the South, where he was also behind Bennett. He fared the best in the Midwest, where he got a majority of his points.

Stroud picked up 37 first-place and 539 total points, larger numbers than last season when he came in fourth in the final voting, watching Alabama quarterback Bryce Young prevail. He had 12 first-place votes and 399 total points last year.

Between his selection as a finalist last December and record-setting showing in the Rose Bowl a month later, Stroud emerged as the preseason favorite for the award.

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For much of this fall, he was the front-runner over an ever-shifting pool of candidates and would end up as the nation’s pass efficiency leader. He threw for 3,340 yards and 37 touchdowns to six interceptions, leading the Buckeyes to a playoff berth.

But Stroud’s candidacy took a hit when Ohio State fell to archrival Michigan on Nov. 26. Stroud was intercepted twice by the Wolverines, and the humbling loss kept the Buckeyes from reaching the Big Ten championship game, a high-profile stage that held the potential for him to make a closing case to voters in the days before the deadline to submit ballots.

Stroud said he felt “really appreciative” to be in attendance for the second year in a row.

“The journey was very hard,” he said. “I think this time was harder than last year, because I wasn’t surprising anybody. Defenses were trying to stop me.”

Few Buckeyes have attended the Heisman festivities more than once in their careers. Stroud is the first from Ohio State to make multiple visits to New York for the ceremony since legendary running back Archie Griffin won in 1974 and 1975.

Those also in attendance in support of Stroud on his second trip included his mother, Kim, and other family members, as well as Buckeyes coach Ryan Day, quarterbacks coach Corey Dennis, strength and conditioning coach Mickey Marotti and director of player development C.J. Barnett.

Joey Kaufman covers Ohio State football for The Columbus Dispatch. Contact him at jkaufman@dispatch.com or on Twitter @joeyrkaufman.

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This article originally appeared on The Columbus Dispatch: Where did CJ Stroud finish in the 2023 Heisman Trophy race?