- 2023 – Brock Bowers, Georgia
- 2022 – Brock Bowers, Georgia
- 2021 – Trey McBride, Colorado State
- 2020 – Kyle Pitts, Florida
- 2019 – Harrison Bryant, Florida Atlantic
- 2018 – T.J. Hockenson, Iowa
- 2017 – Mark Andrews, Oklahoma
- 2016 – Jake Butt, Michigan
- 2015 – Hunter Henry, Arkansas
- 2014 – Nick O’Leary, Florida State
- 2013 – Austin Seferian-Jenkins, Washington
- 2012 – Tyler Eifert, Notre Dame
- 2011 – Dwayne Allen, Clemson
- 2010 – D.J. Williams, Arkansas
- 2009 – Aaron Hernandez, Florida
- 2008 – Chase Coffman, Missouri
- 2007 – Fred Davis, USC
- 2006 – Matt Spaeth, Minnesota
- 2005 – Marcedes Lewis, UCLA
- 2004 – Heath Miller, Virginia
- 2003 – Kellen Winslow II, Miami (FL)
- 2002 – Dallas Clark, Iowa
- 2001 – Daniel Graham, Colorado
- 2000 – Tim Stratton, Purdue
In 2023, Georgia’s Bowers became the first-ever tight end to win the John Mackey Award twice in a career. Bowers, who returned from tight rope surgery midway through the season, was the sports most dominant tight end over the stretch of two seasons for the Bulldogs.
