While it’s every college football team’s goal to win a national championship, few individual accomplishments mean more than winning a Heisman Trophy. It is the sport’s most illustrious award, and — at least in recent years — plenty of players have parlayed a Heisman win into a successful professional career.
Former Heisman winner and Alabama wide receiver DeVonta Smith just won a Super Bowl with the Philadelphia Eagles. Ex-LSU star Joe Burrow was named the 2024 NFL Comeback Player of the Year (his second such honor) after throwing for 4,918 yards and 43 touchdowns. Fellow LSU alum and Heisman recipient Jayden Daniels was named the NFL Offensive Rookie of the Year after a stellar debut season with the Washington Commanders.
With the 2024 college football season well in the past, it’s never too early to look ahead at players that could claim the award next season. Interestingly, each of the past three Heisman winners — and four of the last six — transferred at least once during their collegiate careers.
But each of the top three favorites for the 2025 season have stuck with the same school thus far. Standouts like LSU’s Garrett Nussmeier and Texas’ Arch Manning waited their turn and developed despite the proliferation of the transfer portal, and now they have a prime opportunity to set themselves apart.
Not all Heisman frontrunners are created equally, though. With the season still over six months away, let’s separate each of the top six betting favorites into “Contenders” and “Pretenders.”
All odds via FanDuel Sportsbook.
Garrett Nussmeier, QB, LSU
Odds: +800 | Status: Contender
Nussmeier is the favorite to capture the 2025 Heisman Trophy, and for good reason. He’s arguably the top returning quarterback in college football after throwing for 4,052 yards and 29 touchdowns in his first full year as LSU’s starter. There’s just something about LSU quarterbacks and their second year as a starter — Joe Burrow and Jayden Daniels each won the Heisman in their proverbial sophomore year leading the Tigers’ offense. If he can cut down on turnovers, expect Nussmeier to make a similar jump — especially with improved depth and talent helping him out at the wide receiver position.
Arch Manning, QB, Texas
Odds: +900 | Status: Contender
The Manning hype is ramping up to a fever pitch ahead of his much-anticipated first year as Texas’ full-time starter. It’s more than just a name. Manning has all the tools to take his place as one of the nation’s premiere offensive players. He saw extensive playing time last season when Quinn Ewers went down with an injury, throwing for tossed 806 yards and eight touchdowns. That production is even more staggering when you realize it came in less than three whole games. Manning also has the rushing upside that Heisman voters often covet from the quarterback position. Even when Ewers was healthy, the Longhorns brought Manning into the game for special rush packages. He’s the real deal.
Odds: +1000 | Status: Contender
Klubnik quietly put together an incredible 2024 season and finally lived up to his billing as a former five-star prospect. He threw for a career-high 3,639 yards and 36 touchdowns and rushed for a career-high 463 yards and seven scores while leading the Tigers to an ACC title and an appearance in the College Football Playoff. With Clemson back on the upswing, Klubnik’s profile will grow on the national scene — so long as he can maintain that high level of play. With wide receiver Antonio Williams — whose 11 touchdowns receiving led the ACC — back, Klubnik’s in good shape.
Odds: +1200 | Status: Pretender
There’s a good chance this projection falls flat on its face, but there’s too much unknown around Moore to confidently predict that he’ll be in the Heisman conversation. He certainly has the capacity, with an ideal frame and a big arm that can deliver the ball to every level of the field. He’s also in an ideal situation at Oregon, which has produced gaudy offensive numbers under coach Dan Lanning. But Moore’s one season as an on again, off again starter at UCLA in 2023 left much to be desired. He was a true freshman, and the hope is that he’s grown plenty in the almost two years since while also improving his situation by transferring to Eugene. Moore has tons of potential, but it remains largely untapped at this point.
Odds: +1200 | Status: Contender
Though he was a true freshman, many called Smith the best player in college football last season. It’s hard to argue with that assessment. He emerged as the Alpha in a loaded Ohio State wide receiver room from the moment he stepped foot on campus. He set a Big Ten single-season freshman record with 15 touchdowns receiving and compiled 1,315 yards through the air (fourth in the FBS). He did some of his best work in the College Football Playoff, with 381 yards and five touchdowns in Ohio State’s four-game march to the national title. It’s hard to fathom how he’ll perform as he continues to grow.
Odds: +1400 | Status: Pretender
Iamaleava showed flashes of greatness in his starting debut last season, though consistency escaped him. He failed to break 3,000 yards passing, had just 19 touchdowns through the air and completed less than 65% of his passes. He was held under 200 yards passing in eight of Tennessee’s 13 games. There’s no denying Iamaleava’s raw ability, but he has yet to put it all together. He should improve as he continues to acclimate to the collegiate game and there’s a solid shot that he takes a big second-year leap. But a lot of concern about Iamaleava’s Heisman upside is beyond his control. Tennessee lost seven receivers to either graduation or the transfer portal, including its three leaders at the position. The Vols return just one scholarship wide receiver with more than one year of college football under his belt. There’s talent in the wide receiver room, to be sure, but the lack of experience could create a rough adjustment period early on, which hampers Iamaleava’s ability to produce a Heisman-worthy stat line.
Longshots worth keeping an eye on
LaNorris Sellers, QB, South Carolina (+1800): The 6-foot-3 and 242-pound Sellers accounted for 3,208 total yards of offense and 25 touchdowns in 2024, seven of which came on the ground. He’s got a big arm and elite rushing ability. There’s a sense that he’s barely scratched the surface of his capabilities.
DJ Lagway, QB, Florida (+2000): Lagway split time with Graham Mertz as a true freshman and then took over as the starter when Mertz suffered a season-ending knee injury midway through the season. While Lagway’s final stats don’t pop off the page (especially his 12 touchdowns to nine interceptions), he’s an extremely gifted signal caller that looks poised to emerge as a premier college football star.
Sam Leavitt, QB, Arizona State (+3300): If Arizona State wants to repeat its breakout 2024 season, in which it won the Big 12 and qualified for the College Football Playoff, it will be through Leavitt. Leavitt is, for lack of a better term, a “dawg.” He may not have the most tools, but he is a playmaker that steps up every time his team needs him.
Ryan Williams, WR, Alabama (+4000): Williams dropped off a bit towards the end of the year, but there was a point during the 2024 season that he was going blow for blow with Smith as the top freshman in the nation. He had 544 yards and six touchdowns through Alabama’s first five games. Stretching that over a full season, and factoring in expected improvement as he gains experience, could lead to Heisman-worthy numbers.
Read the full article here
