The long days without college football are just about over. The 2025 college football season is rapidly approaching, with the Heisman Trophy race set to take place with plenty of new faces and expected names in the mix. This article will break down a few of the top favorites, a few longshots, and my early pick for the 2025 Heisman winner.
2025 Heisman Trophy Award Winner
The Top Threats:
Arch Manning – Texas (+650):
All eyes will be on Arch Manning as he steps in as the full-time starter at Texas. The Longhorns have been patient in bringing the 21-year-old along despite the hunger from fans to see him and the impressive flashes Manning has shown in short doses. But Quinn Ewers is out of the mix, and Manning will be the guy from day one this season. He attempted 90 total passes last year, completing 61 of these for 939 yards, nine touchdowns, and a pair of interceptions, also adding 108 yards and four touchdowns with his legs. Texas enters the year ranked No. 1 in the country in the coaches poll, and Manning is already being mentioned as the potential number one pick in the NFL Draft. Carson Palmer and Matt Leinart each won the Heisman under Steve Sarkisian, dating back to his time at USC. The pressure is real, and Texas lost some notable talent at the skill positions and offensive line from last year. But if Manning delivers as expected and leads Texas to an impressive season, the pathway to a Heisman trophy is clear.
Garrett Nussmeier – LSU (+850):
Entering his fifth season at LSU, Garrett Nussmeier was in the Heisman Trophy conversation last season before slipping a bit down the stretch. Even still, he had an impressive season, which included leading the SEC in completions and passing attempts and ranking 13th in the country in QBR. Nussmeier threw for 4,052 yards, 29 touchdowns, and 12 interceptions while tacking on three rushing touchdowns. The 2025 wide receiver room is expected to be even stronger (and healthier) than last year, with Aaron Anderson returning as one of the key weapons. Experience will be on his side, and Jayden Daniels and Joe Burrow are two recent examples of LSU quarterbacks who took the Heisman leap in their second season as the full-time starter. LSU enters the season ranked ninth in the coaches’ poll after missing the playoffs outright last year. There seemed to be some real momentum in Nussmeier putting it all together at the midpoint of last season, and if he can lift this LSU team into a true National Title threat, he very well could walk away from next year with some hardware.
Cade Klubnik – Clemson (+950):
Another experienced quarterback looking to cement his college football career is Cade Klubnik. The Clemson standout is entering his fourth season with the program and took a significant step forward last year. In 2024, Klubnik completed 63.4% of his pass attempts for 3,639 yards and 36 touchdowns with just six interceptions. He also relied on his legs at a greater rate, adding 463 rushing yards and seven touchdowns on the ground. T.J. Moore and Bryant Wesco are returning for Clemson after combining for over 1300 receiving yards and 10 touchdowns last season. There is a case to be made that he has the best overall weapons of the top options, with depth and experience alongside these players being of note. The Tigers are loaded with talent, and Dabo Sweeney’s squad enters ranked sixth in the coaches poll. There are some friendly matchups in their ACC schedule, which should allow Klubnik to put up appealing statistics. He impressed across the second half of the season, which ended in a playoff loss to Texas, where Klubnik still performed. Clemson’s offensive line improved, and he has all the tools to put forth a Heisman season.
Jeremiah Smith – Ohio State (+1100)
The first non-quarterback to crack the odds is unsurprisingly Ohio State’s Jeremiah Smith. He led the Big Ten with 1,315 receiving yards and 15 touchdowns in his true freshman season. Smith had just one drop while being targeted 105 times. The number one recruit in the 2024 class lived up to the hype and will be looking to build off his freshman season. The Heisman is typically thought of as a quarterback award, but Travis Hunter took home the trophy last year, and DeVonta Smith also took the honors at the wide receiver position in the past 10 years. The biggest concern surrounding Smith is the quarterback play, as Will Howard left for the NFL. Ohio State has yet to officially name a starter, with Julian Sayin, Lincoln Kienholz, and Tavien St. Clair still in competition, but the expectation is that Sayin will likely earn the role. Regardless of who is throwing the football, count on Smith being a huge part of the game plan. The Buckeyes relied on him in seemingly just about every big moment last year, and there is still room for him to continue growing as a player. It would take some monstrous statistical outputs for Smith to be in play for the award due to the nature of the position. But he has the talent to make this happen, and Smith has to be discussed as one of the favorites.
Drew Allar – Penn State (+1600)
Drew Allar is the highest-ranked quarterback recruit to ever commit to Penn State. He is entering his fourth year with the program and has had some nice flashes over the past two years. After leading the Big Ten with 25 passing touchdowns along with 2,631 passing yards and only two interceptions in 2023, Allar threw for 3,327 yards, 24 touchdowns, and eight interceptions last year. The interceptions were a bit concerning, but Allar improved his completion percentage, yards per attempt, yards per completion, yards per game, and passer rating last year. He has all the tools to produce like one of the best quarterbacks in college football, and Penn State enters as the third-ranked team in the coaches’ poll. Penn State also arguably has the best rushing combo in the country with Kaytron Allen and Nicholas Singleton. This could work in Allar’s favor if teams commit to stacking the box and creating friendly passing matchups, but there is also a significant chunk of the offense that will occur on the ground. The loss of Tyler Warren to the NFL is also a huge change for Penn State. If Allar fully puts it together this season, he could have a Heisman-level season. But this will also likely require a few of the names above failing to live up to expectations.
Longer Shot Heisman Candidates:
DJ Lagway – Florida (+1800)
DJ Lagway was thrown to the fire as a true freshman and had some really intriguing flashes. Florida went 6-1 with Lagway as the starter, and he completed 59.9% of his passes for 1,915 yards, 12 touchdowns, and nine interceptions. He tied Chris Leak for the most wins by a quarterback in their debut season and will be the full-time starter in 2025. There is still plenty of untapped potential in Lagway’s production with his legs. It felt like last season was Lagway’s time to get his feet wet, and this could be the year he fully explodes as one of the best quarterbacks in college football. Even still, it would take Florida making some noise in a tough SEC for him to have a chance. The Gators enter as the 17th-ranked team in the country in the coaches’ poll.
LaNorris Sellers – South Carolina (+1800)
There should be some legitimate buzz surrounding South Carolina this season, with LaNorris Sellers as the biggest reason why. Across his redshirt freshman season, Sellers posted a 65.6% completion percentage and threw for 2,534 yards, 18 touchdowns, and seven interceptions while adding 674 rushing yards and seven touchdowns with his legs. He finished the season as the hottest player in college football. Across the final six games, he led South Carolina to a perfect 6-0 record in which Sellers totaled 1,917 yards and 17 touchdowns. He continues to develop as a passer, and Sellers’ dual-threat ability provides a high floor of production. It is not as ideal a situation compared to some of the other Heisman threats, but Sellers has the talent level to overcome this and was close to putting South Carolina in place for an outright playoff seed last year with his late-season surge. The Gamecocks open the season ranked 13th in the coaches’ poll.
Carson Beck – Miami (+2200)
A bit deeper down the odds, Carson Beck transferred from Georgia to Miami this offseason in a high-profile NIL deal. After entering last season as one of the Heisman favorites, Beck suffered from interception issues and an elbow injury, which ended his hopes. Miami attacked the transfer portal last year with first overall pick Cam Ward at quarterback, who put up some impressive numbers and ended as a Heisman runner-up. Beck has led the SEC in passing already in his collegiate career, and facing ACC defenses could help his statistical case. He has thrown for over 7,900 yards, 58 touchdowns, and 20 interceptions already in his career, and there is talent around him in Miami for him to add to this. Assuming he recovers fine from elbow surgery, don’t be shocked if Beck is more in play for the Heisman than his odds indicate.
My Pick: LaNorris Sellers (+1800)
While Cade Klubnik also feels like a good preseason bet, I am backing LaNorris Sellers to be crowned the 2025 Heisman Trophy winner. The stretch he produced to close last season was impressive and should carry over in his second year as the South Carolina starter. He missed a pair of games with an ankle injury last season, and better health luck would help his case. But it took this brief two-game absence to get himself together and produce to the level that was expected.
Across his first starts, Sellers averaged 158.6 passing yards with just five total touchdowns and four interceptions. In the final seven starts of the season, his numbers grew to 248.7 passing yards per game, 18 touchdowns, and three interceptions. Sellers also saw his rushing numbers jump from 43.8 rushing yards per game to 65.0, and his completion rate leaped from 62.1% to 67.8%.
He also stepped up against major competition down the stretch of the season. In his final two meetings with top-25 opponents, Sellers averaged 258.5 passing yards and 105.5 rushing yards. With matchups against LSU, Clemson, Alabama, and Ole Miss on the schedule this year, there is an opportunity for him to put forth some statement performances. If the version of LaNorris Sellers that finished the season is here to stay, there is a pathway for him to look like the best player in college football. Getting +1800 odds on DraftKings Sportsbook is solid value before the season gets rolling.
