Each and every year, one of the highlights of the college football season is the awarding of the Heisman Trophy. It goes to the best player in college football as voted on by sports media throughout the nation. The recent trend has been for quarterbacks to win the award, but that trend was bucked last season with Colorado’s versatile WR/DB Travis Hunter taking home the hardware.

Who will it be in 2025? That’s what we will examine in this article. The college football experts at ScoresandStats have put their collective heads together and narrowed down the field. They have also taken a strong look at the upcoming College Football Championship. For the second consecutive season, we will see a 12-team playoff to decide this year’s National Championship.

ScoresandStats will provide you with the best in NCAAF news, odds, predictions, picks, and more. Our team of qualified experts have hundreds of years of combined experience in handicapping college football, Whether it’s moneyline, point spread, totals, or even futures picks, our team will guide you through the entire 2025 season.

Strap it up and strap it on. It’s a long season from now until the College Football Playoffs. Along the way, we will be introduced to numerous outstanding coaches and players. The best of those players will have a shot at the 2025 Heisman Trophy. Let’s take a look at some history of the award and this season’s top candidates.

What Is The Heisman Trophy?

The Heisman Trophy was established in 1935 by the Downtown Athletic Club which was located in New York City. The trophy was named in honor of the club’s first athletic director, John Heisman.

Each year, the Heisman Trophy is given to the most outstanding player in college football. It has been awarded every season since 1936. Interestingly, only one player in the history of college football has ever won the award twice. That was Ohio State running back Archie Griffin, the winner in 1974 and 1975.

Who Won The Heisman Trophy?

After three straight quarterbacks won the Heisman, Colorado WR/DB Travis Hunter broke the mold and captured last year’s trophy. Hunter was a unique talent who finished fifth in the nation in receiving yards – 1,258 yards on 96 receptions. He scored 15 touchdowns.

Defensively, Hunter recorded 35 tackles, forced a fumble, broke up 11 passes, and had four interceptions. He also had a rushing touchdown and was awarded the 2024 Heisman Trophy with a vote total of 2,231 votes.

Hunter beat out Boise State RB Ashton Jeanty, who rushed for 2,601 yards and 29 touchdowns, by 214 votes. Jeanty was the runner-up with 2,017 votes.

When Is The Heisman Trophy Ceremony?

The Heisman Trophy award is presented each year in early December on the first Saturday after the regular season. This year, the ceremony will take place on Saturday, Dec. 13, at 8 p.m. ET.

The event will be broadcasted by ESPN live from the Jazz Center at Lincoln’s Appel Room. The top four vote-getters will be invited to attend the 2025 Heisman Trophy ceremony.

Heisman Trophy Odds

Check out the latest NCAAF odds for the Heisman Trophy Award, courtesy of the best sports betting sites:

When Arch Manning took the place of Texas QB Quinn Ewers last season when Ewers was hurt, it was foreshadowing for the 2025 college football season. Manning threw for eight touchdowns and ran for two more leading the Longhorns to two victories. In the 10 games he played, Manning nearly threw for 1,000 yards (939) and ended up with 13 total (9 passing, 4 rushing) touchdowns.

With Ewers gone, Texas is now Manning’s team and the offense is his. His last name is a bonus and it’s one of the reasons why he is the early favorite to win this year’s Heisman. What really helps Manning, though, is the fact that the Longhorns are virtually everyone’s preseason No. 1. That means plenty of high profile games, great stats against great teams, and a potential shot at a national championship.

That said, Drew Allar and Penn State, Cade Klubnick and Clemson, and Jeremiah Smith and Ohio State could all put together similar seasons as each of their respective teams are expected to make the College Football Playoffs. It should be an interesting season and we’ll have to rely on college football’s best handicappers to help us sort it all out.

Dominate the NCAAF Gridiron

Unlock Powerful College
Football Betting Strategies

Get Free Trial

Heisman Trophy Favorites

The following players are the odds-on favorites to win the Heisman Trophy Award:

Arch Manning (+650)

Now Manning is QB1 at Texas, the sky is the limit for his career. As mentioned, he started two games last season and played in 10. He nearly went over 1,000 yards passing despite only playing those two full games.

In one of his starts, we caught a glimpse of what is to come. He went 26-for-31 for 325 yards and two touchdowns in a win over Mississippi State. Texas is the favorite to win the SEC and the favorite to win this year’s national championship. With head coach Steve Sarkisian’s penchant for offense, expect big numbers from the entire Longhorn unit. Big stats and big wins will support a Manning Heisman in 2025.

Garrett Nussmeier (+800)

Like Manning, Nussmeier will play for an SEC and national championship contender. The advantage that Nussmeier has over Manning is that the LSU quarterback was a full-time starter last season. Nussmeier threw for 4,052 yards and 29 touchdowns in 2024.

The Tigers quarterback will have WR Aaron Anderson back as well as talented transfers Nic Anderson and Barion Brown. Nussmeier also benefits from having the offensive-minded Brian Kelly as his head coach. Kelly and LSU are looking to improve on last year’s 9-4 season and how well the Tigers do could influence Nussmeier’s Heisman Trophy standing.

Cade Klubnik (+900)

Klubnik returns to Clemson and will be a three-year starter at quarterback for the Tigers. He was a little shaky as a sophomore in 2023, but last year he was outstanding. Klubnick put up big numbers – 3,639 passing yards and 36 touchdowns (third-best in the FBS). Eight starters return to an offense that averaged 451.9 yards and 34.7 points per game.

The Tigers are the favorite to win the ACC and should do so easily. The Clemson offense is dynamic and Klubnik is a threat with both his arm and legs. The Tigers should put up big numbers and make some noise in the postseason. That’s why Klubnik will be in the Heisman discussion all season long.

Jeremiah Smith (+1000)

Over the past decade or so, the quarterback position has dominated the Heisman Trophy. It makes sense as the position is the most important in football and maybe in all of sports. However, over the last five NCAAF seasons, we’ve had two non-quarterback Heisman winners. One of those, of course, was Hunter last year. The other was Alabama WR DeVonta Smith.

Other than the quarterback, the one position that can have a tremendous impact on a game is the wide receiver. College football, like the NFL, is a passing game and it relies heavily on talented wide receivers. There may be none more talented than Smith. Last season, he was just incredible.

He was the Big Ten Freshman of the Year with 1,315 receiving yards and 15 touchdowns. Smith was the MVP of the Rose Bowl and a key reason why Ohio State won last year’s national title. He’ll have a new quarterback this year, but the Buckeyes offense should continue to shine with Smith helping to lead the way.

The Best Heisman Trophy Betting Value

While most experts have pegged Texas as the National Championship favorite, most expect Penn State to be right there with the Longhorns. The Nittany Lions had another outstanding season in 2024. They went 13-3, lost to Oregon in the Big Ten championship game, won two playoff games and were then eliminated by Notre Dame.

Drew Allar (+1800), who completed 73.7 percent of his passes, decided to return for a shot at both the Big Ten title and the national championship. He was joined by his running back tandem of Nick Singleton and Kaytron Allen, both of whom rushed for over 1,000 yards last season. Four offensive linemen are back as is offensive coordinator Andy Kotelnicki.

Like Manning and the other Heisman Trophy contenders, Allar should have both the numbers and play on a team that contends for a national title.

The Top Heisman Trophy Longshot

If you don’t remember, it was Arizona State that won the Big 12 in 2024. The Sun Devils ended up 11-3, losing to Texas in the first round of the playoffs. They were led by RB Cam Skattebo who is now in the NFL, but they were also led by a freshman quarterback – Sam Leavitt (+2000).

Leavitt threw for 2,885 yards and ran for another 443. He had 24 passing touchdowns and five more on the ground. Big 12 Offensive Newcomer of the Year Jordyn Tyson and his 1,101 receiving yards are back as are seven offensive starters. Expect similar production (32.9 ppg) from the Sun Devils offense and expect Arizona State to compete for another conference championship.

Leavitt could fly under the radar again as he plays out west and he’s not in the Big Ten or SEC. Still, the Sun Devils will produce offense and wins and that will keep Leavitt in the running for the award all season long.

Heisman Trophy Predictions

It is very rare that the preseason Heisman Trophy favorite wins the award. Since 2009, for example, only one preseason favorite has gone on to win the award. Despite all of the hype, Manning has only played in two full college games. The Longhorns open the 2025 season at Ohio State too. How well Texas plays in that game could go a long way in how Manning fares as a Heisman candidate.

When you begin making your NCAAF picks this season, make sure you have ScoresandStats.com bookmarked. Our handicappers provide all sorts of analysis and interesting facts like this one. Most Heisman winners come from schools located in the Central Time Zone. That’s because their prime time games are viewed by a wider audience. That would favor a player like Manning from Texas, which is in the Central Time Zone.

What’s also interesting is that three states produce more Heisman winners than any other – Texas, California, and Ohio. California actually leads the way with 16, Ohio is second with 12, and Texas has produced 11. Remember, statistics and wins really help win the Heisman. This season, those numbers and wins will help Allar from Penn State capture the award. Drew Allar grew up in Medina, Ohio.

Bet: Drew Allar +1800

Recent Heisman Trophy Award Winners