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Christian McCaffrey still bothered by Derrick Henry winning Heisman

By Michael Moraitis

NEW YORK, NY - DECEMBER 12: (L-R) Running back Derrick Henry of the Alabama Crimson Tide, running back Christian McCaffrey of the Stanford Cardinal and quarterback Deshaun Watson of the Clemson Tigers pose with the Heisman Trophy during a press conference prior to the 2015 Heisman Trophy Presentation at the Marriott Marquis on December 12, 2015 in New York City. (Photo by Mike Stobe/Getty Images)
NEW YORK, NY - DECEMBER 12: (L-R) Running back Derrick Henry of the Alabama Crimson Tide, running back Christian McCaffrey of the Stanford Cardinal and quarterback Deshaun Watson of the Clemson Tigers pose with the Heisman Trophy during a press conference prior to the 2015 Heisman Trophy Presentation at the Marriott Marquis on December 12, 2015 in New York City. (Photo by Mike Stobe/Getty Images) /
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Four years after Carolina Panthers running back Christian McCaffrey lost out to Tennessee Titans running back Derrick Henry for the Heisman Trophy in 2015, it still bothers the former No. 8 overall pick.

They say time heals all wounds, but that isn’t the case when it comes to Carolina Panthers running back Christian McCaffrey, who lost in the 2015 Heisman Trophy voting to Tennessee Titans running back, Derrick Henry.

Henry, who was at Alabama at the time, won the award over McCaffrey, who played his college ball at Stanford. Both players had sensational campaigns that year, with Henry in his junior year and McCaffrey in his sophomore season.

Henry totaled 2,219 rushing yards and 28 touchdowns, as compared to McCaffrey’s 2,019 rushing yards and eight touchdowns.

The biggest disparity in the numbers of each player came in the receiving game, as McCaffrey was far superior in that regard with 645 receiving yards and five touchdowns through the air to Henry’s 91 receiving yards and zero touchdowns. McCaffrey also broke 1,000 yards as a kick returner.

Adding to McCaffrey’s impressive season, he also broke the NCAA single-season record for the most all-purpose yards with 3,684. Henry smashed a record in his own right, though, as his rushing total was the most for any running back in a single season in SEC history.

While the debate about who should have won the Heisman can go on and on, McCaffrey hasn’t really gotten over it to the point where he will barely talk about it, according to David Newton of ESPN.

"“Christian was like, ‘Don’t remind me,'” Carolina rookie running back Jordan Scarlett recalled with a laugh.McCaffrey still believes he should have won the Heisman during his sophomore year at Stanford, when he broke Barry Sanders’ NCAA single-season record for all-purpose yards with 3,684. When the topic comes up, the 23-year-old McCaffrey tries to change the subject."

Despite his frustration with not winning the award, McCaffrey doesn’t hold it against Derrick Henry in any way and has nothing but respect for the Alabama product.

"McCaffrey’s feelings about losing the award are not a knock on Henry or his 2015 accomplishments.“I’m not shocked at his success,” McCaffrey said. “You see him on tape, he’s a physical phenom. He runs the ball well. And also just a good guy, really hard worker. It’s been fun watching him have success.”"

While this means nothing in the grand scheme of things as the Titans and Panthers square off on Sunday, it’s still an interesting storyline on the side to talk about.

We’ll see if McCaffrey, who has emerged as one of the best players in the NFL this season, runs with a little extra juice in Week 9.

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