Yes, this “homer” found a spot for Iowa punter Tory Taylor on his Heisman Trophy ballot

There are 927 voters for the Heisman Trophy, and we can’t all fall in line.

The award goes to the most outstanding player in college football. That covers a lot of turf.

Though it isn’t a formal rule, you might assume we’re required to vote for quarterbacks from major universities except for the rare year when it’s acceptable to choose a running back or wide receiver.

Defensive players are not recommended, nor are special-team specialists. Non-major college players are out of the question.

Which means it’s a bogus award. If you need more proof, know that I’ve been a voter for 30 years.

This year I chose to not vote for the major-college stars everyone insists are the players who should be chosen -- the four finalists -- and instead have used my ballot for three players who deserve some national attention after incredible seasons.

1. Zach Zebrowski, quarterback, Central Missouri

Never mind that he has a great football name. Zach Zebrowski is a college quarterback who did sensational things.

As a redshirt junior this season, he completed 69.3 percent of his passes for 5,157 yards and 61 touchdowns as the Mules went 11-2. He was intercepted just five times in 602 passes. He had at least five TD passes in nine different games.

Oh, he also rushed 101 times for 533 yards, and it would have been about 650 were yards lost by sacks not attributed to the quarterback in the college game.

In two NCAA Division II playoff games, Zebrowski totaled 892 passing yards and 12 TD passes, and gained 130 rushing yards.

He threw a touchdown pass with 22 seconds left to pull Central Missouri within 35-34 of unbeaten Harding in the Mules’ second playoff game, but Central Missouri’s PAT attempt was blocked.

Get Central Missouri on national TV next year, somebody.

2. Tanner Volk, safety, Central Washington

Tanner Volk is a junior who led all of college football in interceptions with 13. That was an average of one per game for the 9-4 Wildcats, who won a pair of D-II playoff games before losing at Colorado School of Mines last Saturday.

No one else at any other level of college football has more than eight interceptions.

If 13 picks including one Volk returned for a touchdown weren’t enough for Heisman consideration, tack on 124 tackles. That’s the 12th-most in D-II and the most on his own team by 29.

Volk broke up four other passes, forced a fumble, and recovered a fumble. He had 8.5 tackles for losses as a defensive back.

According to Volk’s LinkedIn profile, he has worked part-time for nearly four years at a Cold Stone Creamery, making milkshakes and smoothies. That’s his NIL, I guess.

My No. 3 pick is — homer alert! — Iowa punter Tory Taylor

On Friday, Taylor was honored with the Ray Guy Award.

Seriously, what’s Iowa’s record if an ordinary punter had performed for the Hawkeyes rather than Taylor? It isn’t 10-3, that’s for sure.

I saw Taylor play in person 11 times this fall and on three dozen occasions before that. I haven’t seen the likes of him before in college ball, and dare say I won’t again.

The only reason his 47.9 yards per punt was third in the nation instead of first is because he had to punt 35 more times than the leader and 18 more times than the runner-up.

His distance, his consistency, the 36 times he left punts between the goal line and the opponent’s 20-yard line, his volume of work … amazing.

Taylor’s 4,119 punting yards is an FBS single-season record, and still has a game to play.

He flipped fields for Iowa’s offensively challenged team time after time, game after game. I would see so-called touts pick the Hawkeyes to lose certain games because the opponent was averaging a better margin in yards gained to yards allowed. But the touts never into consideration the yardage-difference between Taylor and opposing punters.

Iowa won five low-scoring games by one score. A man from Melbourne, Australia made “Punting is Winning” more than a T-shirt slogan in Iowa.