After a unicorn won the Heisman in 2024, the race looks much more skewed toward quarterbacks in 2025.
With less than three weeks to go before the start of the 2025 college football season, 13 of the top 15 favorites all play quarterback. And among the top 20 favorites, there are just two wide receivers and one running back.
Based on the BetMGM odds, it’ll be a surprise if a quarterback doesn’t win the Heisman this season. However, it’s worth noting that a non-QB has won the award twice in the last five seasons. Here’s a look at the top five favorites for the award, plus a few long-shot plays that we like at this point in August.
The favorites
Texas QB Arch Manning (+600)
Manning’s status as the clear Heisman favorite has a lot to do with his name recognition as the nephew of Peyton and Eli Manning and his status as Texas’ starting quarterback. Yes, he’s incredibly talented, but it’s pretty rare to see a player with fewer than 100 career pass attempts enter the season as a Heisman favorite.
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Manning appeared in 10 games over the course of the 2024 season and was 61-of-90 passing for 939 yards and nine touchdowns with two interceptions. He also rushed 25 times for 108 yards and four scores, though five of his 13 total TDs came against UTSA when he entered the game in relief of an injured Quinn Ewers.
When Ewers was healthy, Manning served as more of a rushing option off the bench in special packages. The Texas offense will likely continue to utilize Manning’s ability as a rusher in specific instances in 2025, especially in third-and-short situations. But it’ll be his excellence as a passer that will determine how much of a Heisman candidate he is as the season develops.
LSU QB Garrett Nussmeier (+900)
Nussmeier is the co-No. 2 favorite after throwing for more than 4,000 yards and 29 TDs in 2024. He’ll have a deep group of receivers at his disposal in 2025, with Aaron Anderson returning and Nic Anderson (Oklahoma) and Barion Brown (Kentucky) arriving through the transfer portal.
Nussmeier said at SEC media days that he was watching film to see where he could utilize his running ability more. After sacks were tallied in, Nussmeier finished with negative rushing yards in 2024.
Every serious Heisman candidate plays in marquee games over the course of a season and Nussmeier could end up being an extreme example if LSU makes a playoff push and he has an excellent season. The Tigers have one of the toughest schedules in the country. After opening with Clemson, LSU has six other games against opponents who are ranked inside our preseason top 25. Strong performances at Alabama and Oklahoma in November can be prime opportunities.
Clemson QB Cade Klubnik (+900)
Klubnik rebounded from a rough first season as a starter in 2023 to position himself as a potential No. 1 pick in the 2026 NFL Draft.
After seizing the Clemson starting job from DJ Uiagalelei at the end of the 2022 season, Klubnik passed for just 2,844 yards and 19 TDs with nine interceptions in 2023. His numbers improved dramatically in 2024, as he threw for 3,639 yards and 36 TDs with just six picks. He averaged 1.2 more yards per throw a season ago and threw the ball more than two yards further down field on average than he did in 2023.
Not only did Klubnik improve as a passer, he was a rushing threat as well last year. He rushed for 463 yards and seven scores. That leap is a big reason why we think Clemson is one of the select few legitimate title threats in 2025. If Klubnik has another big year, he’ll be on the stage in New York.
Ohio State WR Jeremiah Smith (+1000)
Smith’s excellence shouldn’t be diminished by having a new quarterback in 2025. Smith was one of the best freshman receivers we’ve ever seen last season, with 76 catches for 1,315 yards and 15 TDs as the Buckeyes became the first team to win four College Football Playoff games on the way to a national title.
Emeka Egbuka did a great job of opening up space underneath for Smith, but Egbuka now in the NFL. Carnell Tate returns as Ohio State’s No. 2 receiver in 2025, but this is still a loaded wide receiver room. Teams will try to double Smith as much as they can, but he’ll still put up big numbers. How big will those numbers have to be to win the Heisman?
The last Heisman-winning receiver, DeVonta Smith, had 98 catches for 1,511 yards and 17 TDs at the time of the ceremony.
South Carolina QB LaNorris Sellers (+1600)
Sellers went from afterthought to preseason All-SEC QB over the span of the 2024 season. Yes, he was named the first-team QB ahead of both Manning and Nussmeier in the preseason voting this summer.
Sellers was 196-of-299 passing for 2,534 yards and 18 TDs in 2024 along with 674 rushing yards and seven touchdowns. He threw for just two TDs during South Carolina’s early three-game losing streak, but starred at the end of the season as the Gamecocks beat Missouri and Clemson over the final three weeks. Against Mizzou, Sellers was 21-of-30 passing for 353 yards and threw five touchdowns.
As Manning and Nussmeier could be leading teams in the thick of the playoff race, it’s harder to see a path to the SEC title for South Carolina and Sellers. The team’s defense lost a ton of talent to the NFL Draft and the schedule strength rivals that of LSU. If Sellers carries South Carolina like Jayden Daniels did LSU in 2023, he’ll be a true Heisman frontrunner.
Longer shots to look at
Oklahoma QB John Mateer (+2500): Mateer totaled 44 TDs at Washington State a season ago and followed offensive coordinator Ben Arbuckle to Norman in the offseason. He may not pass for over 3,000 yards and rush for over 800 again in 2025, but if he does, Oklahoma will have a winning record and his Heisman odds will be a lot lower than they are now.
Oregon QB Dante Moore (+2500): You have to take Oregon’s starting QB seriously as a Heisman candidate at this point. Moore is aiming to be the third straight Oregon QB to be a Heisman finalist after taking over for Dillon Gabriel. The Ducks’ offense should continue to be very QB-friendly even if WR Evan Stewart misses part or all of the season.
Ole Miss QB Austin Simmons (+4000): The 6-foot-4 lefty was not fazed when he had to replace Jaxson Dart early against Georgia. Simmons led a touchdown drive after Dart turned his ankle and now enters the season as the starter. Ole Miss has one of the easier schedules in the SEC. If Simmons stars and the Rebels push for a playoff berth, he could sneak into the race.
Notre Dame RB Jeremiyah Love (+4000): Just look at the season Ashton Jeanty had last year and how he didn’t win the Heisman. Granted, Jeanty’s performance would have gotten him the Heisman in nearly any other year that didn’t feature Travis Hunter’s greatness, but the Heisman bar for running backs is so much higher than it used to be. However, Love may have the best chance of any running back in 2025. Notre Dame loves to rotate its running backs, but Love rushed for 17 TDs in 2024 and the offensive line will be one of the best in the country.
Texas Tech QB Behren Morton (+8000): If Texas Tech is going to turn its NIL spending in the transfer portal into a Big 12 title, Morton will need to have a big season. Morton completed 63% of his passes for 3,335 yards and 27 TDs in 2024. He’ll need to improve on those numbers in 2025 — and Tech will need to play for the Big 12 title — but there are far worse 80-1 fliers out there.
