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What separates greatness from good? This episode puts that question to three people who have lived the answer. Curt Cignetti, who coached Fernando Mendoza from overlooked transfer to Heisman winner and national champion, breaks down what he saw on tape and what he watched develop once Mendoza arrived in Bloomington. Lincoln Riley — the only active coach to have guided three Heisman winners — traces the common thread through Baker Mayfield, Kyler Murray and Caleb Williams, three men with nothing in common except the belief that their circumstances were never going to stop them. And Olympic gold medalist Kristi Yamaguchi, the 2019 Heisman Humanitarian Award winner, reflects on a career that began as physical therapy and ended in Albertville, and on what she saw from Alyssa Liu in Milan that reminded her exactly of how champions are made. The sport changes, but the wiring doesn't.

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The Heisman Trophy Podcast streams every Wednesday during the college football season and monthly during the offseason, and is hosted produced, edited and engineered by Chris Huston. The pod is available on all streaming networks, including Spotify and Apple Music, and features video interviews and bonus content on YouTube and TikTok. We also have a reddit community.

Email us at pod@heisman.com for feedback and inquiries.