Alabama didn’t produce the 2018 Heisman Trophy winner — that honor went to Oklahoma as Sooners quarterback Kyler Murray took home the award — but the Crimson Tide still had a historic night. That’s not to say the following point should be taken as consolation for Alabama, but it speaks to the level of talent on the roster of the nation’s No. 1 team.

Alabama quarterback Tua Tagovailoa received the most votes ever for a Heisman runner-up and defensive tackle Quinnen Williams finished eighth after receiving one first-place vote.

Creg Stephenson of AL.com put Williams’ name in the No. 1 spot on his ballot. Stephenson identified himself on Twitter as the voter in question in a tweet that read, “I was the one who voted for Quinnen Williams. I thought he was the best player I saw all year.”

The reaction to Stephenson’s announcement was extreme in both support and apparent disgust, with seemingly no middle ground.

Those in favor of Stephenson’s first-place vote shared some of the following sentiments:

• “I like this so much. Vote for the best player, not the best QB”
• “Completely understandable. Williams was unstoppable at times”
• “Good for you. DL don’t have the stat boxes but they deserve consideration.”

And those opposed:

• “It’s really confusing to me why some people even have a vote.”
• “Way to waste a vote”
• “And you have a vote why?”
• “QWilliams is good but if you think he was the best player on Alabama’s football team this year (then) you should look for another line of work.”

The irony is that many of the negative reactions on Twitter that were sent as replies to Stephenson’s tweet were from Alabama fans — people with Alabama’s logo or stadium displayed on their profile, their location listed as Tuscaloosa, Ala., or recent retweets supporting Tagovailoa.

Speaking generally, much of the ire directed at Stephenson wasn’t because he voted for an Alabama player or a defensive player,but because he didn’t vote for the “right” Alabama player (read: Tagovailoa).

The Heisman Trust’s mission statement is the following:

“The Heisman Memorial Trophy annually recognizes the outstanding college football player whose performance best exhibits the pursuit of excellence with integrity. The winners of the trophy epitomize great ability combined with diligence, perseverance, and hard work. The Heisman Trophy Trust’s mission is to ensure the continuation and integrity of this award.”

While only one defensive player has won the Heisman — Michigan cornerback Charles Woodson in 1997 — it’s not uncommon for a defensive player to finish in the top 10. Georgia linebacker Roquan Smith finished 10th last year, Alabama defensive lineman Jonathan Allen finished seventh in 2016 (after receiving 17 first-place votes) and Arizona linebacker Scooby Wright finished ninth in 2014.

Williams was the only defensive player to finish in the top 10 of this year’s Heisman voting and he was on the short list of the best defensive players in the country. The redshirt sophomore defensive tackle won the Outland Trophy, which is given to the nation’s top offensive or defensive interior lineman. He was a finalist for the Bronko Nagurski Trophy and Bednarik Award, which are presented to the nation’s top defensive player.

He has 66 total tackles, eight sacks and and 18 tackles for loss this season. In Alabama’s trip to LSU, which was one of the biggest games of the regular season in terms of hype and potential impact on the College Football Playoff, Williams was arguably the best player on the field.

He had 10 tackles, including 2.5 sacks and 3.5 tackles for loss in the game.

Tagovailoa wouldn’t have won the Heisman if Stephenson had given Alabama’s quarterback, rather than its defensive tackle, his first-place vote. Stephenson voted for Kyler Murray in his No. 2 spot and Tagovailoa third. Williams’ lone first-place vote made for a more historic night for Alabama even though the Crimson Tide didn’t have one of its players win the Heisman.

Alabama became just the fourth school this decade to have two players finish in the top 10 in Heisman voting, with each player receiving at least one first-place vote. The Tide joined 2016 Oklahoma (Baker Mayfield, Dede Westbrook), 2011 Wisconsin (Montee Ball, Russell Wilson) and 2010 Stanford (Andrew Luck, Owen Marecic).

Alabama had one of the best offensive and defensive players in the country, which is a major reason why the Tide are undefeated. If Alabama takes home hardware in January, the results of the Heisman Trophy voting, especially the ballot of one writer based out of Alabama, will likely become an afterthought.