Editor's note: This story originally ran in November. It has been updated heading into Tuesday's Heisman Trophy presentation (7 p.m. ET, ESPN and ESPN App).
The skinny kid from Amite, Louisiana, stood on the floor of the Mercedes-Benz Superdome in New Orleans and watched as Livonia celebrated a Class 3A state championship. Tears welled in his eyes, but he wouldn't look away. There, across the field, he saw players running around, hugging and high-fiving one another. And there he was, frozen on the losing side, in sweatpants, nursing a broken collarbone and refusing to walk away.