MALE BREAKOUT ATHLETE OF THE YEAR: Junior Emerges as Leader

When Chris Pizzotti ’08-’09 traded in his crimson-colored jersey for the green and white of the New York Jets, the 6’5” Ivy Player of the Year quarterback certainly left some big shoes to fill on the Harvard football team.

Enter junior Collier Winters, an inexperienced dual-threat quarterback who, listed generously at 5’11”, appeared to differ from Pizzotti in just about every way imaginable.

Yet the expectations for the heir to the reins of the Crimson offense remained the same.

“With Chris going on to play in the NFL, there were certainly high expectations for me,” Winters said. “The biggest expectation was definitely getting some wins.”

“Even though [Winters] didn’t have a lot of experience, he put himself in a very good position as far as the learning process goes,” added senior running back Cheng Ho. “It was just a matter of him getting his shot.”

And though the signal-caller from Tulsa may lack the size and the pocket presence of his predecessor, Winters flourished in his first year as the starter, leading the Crimson (7-3, 6-1 Ivy) to a second-place finish in the Ancient Eight and more importantly, perhaps, a thrilling come-from-behind 14-10 victory in The Game.

“Collier has a disadvantage as far as size goes, but he makes up for it by studying the opponent very well,” Ho said. “He really studies the ins and outs of the defensive schemes, and he’s just a competitor.”

Individually, he passed for over 1,800 yards and 15 touchdowns, led the Ivy League in pass efficiency, and averaged a league-high 11.9 yards per completion, good enough to earn second-team All-Ivy honors. On the ground, Winters rushed for 295 yards and three touchdowns, tied for the second-most of any quarterback in the Ancient Eight.

“I wasn’t expected to sit back in the pocket and just throw it 30 to 40 times a game [like Pizzotti],” Winters said. “But Coach [Tim] Murphy tweaked the offense to let me get out of the pocket, run a little bit, and do some zone reads.”

While the coaching staff had confidence in his ability to fill up the stat sheet, Winters worked hard the entire season to master the intangibles attached with the quarterback position.

“From the first game to the last game, I’ve learned how to become more comfortable managing the game and being in the pocket and making the right throws and right reads,” Winters said.

“I think that as a quarterback, you have to fit into that role where you need to be that leader and be that personality,” he added. “To be a great team, a good quarterback needs to earn that respect [from] his teammates, give them confidence, and be able to score points and win games.”

In his first game as a starter, Winters completed 22 of 37 passes for 195 yards against Holy Cross. And though the game ended in a loss for the Crimson, Winters recounts the experience as one that gave him the confidence necessary to lead his teammates on the gridiron for the rest of the season.

“Being able to go out and get the first game underneath my belt, I definitely showed my teammates that I can play at that position,” Winters said.

With newfound leadership, Winters followed up his debut performance with an even more impressive showing against Brown the following week. In a 24-21 victory, Winters earned Ivy Offensive Player of the Week honors by completing 18 of 27 passes for 223 yards and two touchdowns while rushing for a game-high 66 yards and one touchdown.

But like every Crimson quarterback, Winters will be most remembered for his performance in The Game.

After three quarters of dismal offensive play, the field general came up big when it mattered most, throwing two perfectly-placed touchdown passes over the top of the Yale secondary to senior Matt Luft and junior Chris Lorditch. His clutch play in the dwindling minutes of the fourth quarter gave the Crimson its third straight victory over the Bulldogs.

“To be in that type of situation where we had to come back like that made my first experience at the Yale Bowl even more special,” Winters said.

While many expect Winters to be penciled in as the starter for next season, he is facing heated competition from junior Andrew Hatch, the transfer who started several games for LSU before returning to Cambridge last spring.

Like a veteran quarterback, Winters remains unfazed by the challenges facing him in the offseason.

“Andrew’s a great quarterback,” Winters said. “I’m looking at it as a chance to push myself to get better. Without him, there wouldn’t be much pressure or competition...I’m just looking forward to this summer and getting ready for the next season.”

—Staff writer Kevin T. Chen can be reached at ktchen@fas.harvard.edu.