Athlon Sports ranks Heisman Trophy contenders for 2025 season

Athlon Sports ranked the Heisman Trophy contenders for the 2025 college football season in tiers, starting with the top contenders. The next two tiers are additional contenders and some players you should keep your eye on.

There are a lot of quarterbacks on this list, as usual. But let’s not forget about other skill position players who could win the Heisman.

Without further ado, let’s dive into Athlon’s list. We start with a quarterback who certainly has a lot of hype going into 2025.

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Tier 1: Arch Manning, QB, Texas

Manning could very well be the frontrunner for the Heisman Trophy this season. The Texas quarterback takes over full-time as the starter for Quinn Ewers and the talent is certainly there.

Now, it’s up for Manning and his dual-threat abilities to showcase it all season long and through the playoffs. It’s basically national championship or bust for the Longhorns and Manning has the talent in him and around him to succeed.

Garrett Nussmeier, QB, LSU

Nussmeier proved last year he could really sling the pigskin. He bided his time behind Jayden Daniels and made it count last year.

After passing for over 4,000 yards last season, Nussmeier could win himself a Heisman with a little more team success in 2025. LSU is a playoff contender with him under center.

Cade Klubnik, QB, Clemson

Klubnik had the best season of his college career in 2024 and perhaps there’s more to come. That’s the Klubnik that Clemson envisioned when it signed him as a freshman. Now, he’s squarely in the Heisman mix.

Last season, Klubnik threw for 3,639 yards, 36 touchdowns, six interceptions and a 63.4% completion percentage. He’ll get some good NFL Draft buzz with another season like that.

Jeremiah Smith, WR, Ohio State

Smith is the best wide receiver in college football and he’s only a sophomore. For how talented he is, he could win the Heisman on that merit alone.

In 2024, for the national champions no less, Smith reeled in 76 catches for 1,315 yards, 15 touchdowns and 17.3 yards per catch. What does he have for an encore this fall?

LaNorris Sellers, QB, South Carolina

Sellers is an athletic freak and that’s been said plenty this offseason. The dual-threat QB can certainly carry South Carolina on his back and has Heisman potential.

Last year, he threw for 2,534 yards, 18 touchdowns, seven interceptions, a 65.6% completion percentage, 674 rushing yards and seven rushing touchdowns. He’s a sleeper pick for sure.

Dante Moore, QB, Oregon

Moore is an interesting case for Heisman contenders because he was a much hyped recruit. You could see the flashes at UCLA, but he certainly had freshman growing pains while playing for Chip Kelly.

After a year sitting behind Dillon Gabriel at Oregon last year, Moore is ready to get back into the spotlight. Offensive coordinator Will Stein will be in charge of unlocking his potential in 2025.

Julian Sayin, QB, Ohio State

It’s interesting that Sayin is listed on this list, considering Ohio State hasn’t decided its QB battle yet. Although Athlon could indicate that Sayin is the guy who will ultimately get it in the end.

But you have to figure that whatever QB plays for Ryan Day and the Buckeyes will be in the running for the top individual award. The offense and weapons are tailor-made for signal callers to succeed.

DJ Lagway, QB, Florida

Lagway is a very interesting talent. As a freshman, he showed, potentially, what Florida could be if he’s firing on all cylinders. There’s no doubt there’s a lot of pressure on him and head coach Billy Napier to perform at a high level this year, though.

But if Lagway has Heisman-level numbers this season, Florida could turn the SEC upside down. Last year, he threw for 1,915 yards, 12 touchdowns, nine interceptions, a 59.9% completion percentage and 101 rushing yards. Taking the next step in development is key.

Drew Allar, QB, Penn State

Allar had more interceptions last season but upped his completion percentage, so there was noticeable improvement. If he’s going to win the Heisman, he’ll need to take advantage of the playmakers around him who all came back.

Last year, Allar threw for 3,327 yards, 24 touchdowns, eight interceptions and a 66.5% completion percentage. He also ran for 302 yards and six rushing touchdowns.

Carson Beck, QB, Miami

Beck has shown talent in the past, but an injury last year knocked him out of competition in the College Football Playoff. While at Georgia, Beck was once thought of as a potential No. 1 overall pick, but that narrative has quickly gone away.

Still, he could very well rebuild himself at Miami and have a stellar season. Over the last two years as a starter, Beck has 7,399 yards, 52 touchdowns and 18 interceptions.

Heisman Tier 2

Sam Leavitt, QB, Arizona State
Jeremiyah Love, RB, Notre Dame
Gunner Stockton, QB, Georgia
Ryan Williams, WR, Alabama

Don’t forget about these guys for Heisman

Kevin Jennings, QB, SMU
Austin Simmons, QB, Ole Miss
Marcel Reed, QB, Texas A&M
John Mateer, QB, Oklahoma
Dylan Raiola, QB, Nebraska
Miller Moss, QB, Louisville
Luke Altmyer, QB, Illinois
Fernando Mendoza, QB, Indiana
Nick Singleton, RB, Penn State
Kaytron Allen, RB, Penn State