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.
Advertisement
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.
Advertisement
[Join or create a Yahoo Fantasy Football league for the 2025 NFL season]
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.
The Heisman Trophy race appears to be wide-open…
Source link : https://sports.yahoo.com/college-football/article/2025-heisman-trophy-texas-arch-manning-leads-long-list-of-qbs-favored-for-the-award-150046005.html
Author : Nick Bromberg
Publish date : 2025-08-07 14:28:00
Copyright for syndicated content belongs to the linked Source.
