5 True Heisman Contenders in 2025: Who Will Win the Trophy?

Former Clemson quarterback Trevor Lawrence, as great as he was, had no business receiving any first-place votes in 2020, much less get 222 on the way to finishing second in the voting behind Alabama wide receiver DeVonta Smith.

There was no other reasonable choice other than Alabama quarterback Bryce Young in 2021, or USC star Caleb Williams in 2022, but not everyone voted that way.

It's about perception, buzz, voter ego, and the wow factor when everyone is watching. So even though Ohio State safety Caleb Downs and a slew of offensive tackles are the best players in college football this year, you know how this works.

Best quarterback, or most exciting quarterback, or some Travis Hunter-like outlier. That's who wins this.

With that in mind, going into the season, here are the true candidates for the 2025 Heisman Trophy, starting with a total cop-out and an apology. Sorry, there are more than five candidates here forced into the spots, but there's a reason ...

5. CJ Carr, QB Notre Dame; Dante Moore, QB Oregon; Julian Sayin, QB Ohio State; Ty Simpson, QB Alabama; Bryce Underwood, QB Michigan

Fine, America. You want your long shot picks in a piece about the true contenders for this thing? Here you go.

Ohio State, Georgia, Notre Dame, Oregon, Alabama, and Michigan - in some order - are all top teams in contention for the College Football Playoff National Championship. 

One of the new, relatively unknown, big gig starting quarterbacks will rise up and be a superstar Heisman contender and take America by storm. 

4. Carson Beck, QB Miami

I've been quietly selling this idea for the last several months, but to be honest, I'm not totally buying the stuff I'm slinging - yet. Okay, here we go ...

Miami lost a quarterback who became the No. 1 pick in the 2025 NFL Draft, and it might have upgraded the position.

Everyone forgets how good Beck was before last year. But after a decent, but inconsistent, season, the shine is off, and ...

The next-level talent is there. If he lights up Notre Dame in the opener in an impressive win - Cam Ward finished fourth in the Heisman voting last year, by the way - GAME ON.

3. LaNorris Sellers, QB South Carolina

Sellers has the talent to someday be the No. 1 pick in the draft, he'll be in several high-profile games, and while he isn't Lamar Jackson or Jayden Daniels, there's a shot he pushes for the Heisman as the SEC's Must-See Player every week, whether the team wins or loses.

There's a shot the thing comes down to November 29th, and Sellers has to play better than ...

2. Cade Klubnik, QB Clemson, or Garrett Nussmeier, QB LSU

Klubnik is coming off a monster season with 36 touchdown passes and just six picks on the way to the ACC Championship. He'll have Clemson in the mix for another conference title.

Nussmeier threw it a whopping 525 times as he became the darling of the NFL scouting world. The stats will be tremendous in the LSU attack.

The better of the two in the season-opening showdown in Death Valley - the Clemson version - will be knee-deep in the Heisman race the rest of the season.

1. Arch Manning, QB Texas

Yes, I'm aware my list of "true Heisman contenders" is missing two big names, and I'm fully cognizant that the "five" aspect of this blew up.

I know, Penn State's Drew Allar isn't here. He'll be fantastic, but Heisman-wise, he probably won't have the stats or the pop to pull it off.

And no, Ohio State superstar wide receiver Jeremiah Smith isn't on the list. It's SO HARD to win this thing as a pure receiver. To do it, that means all there isn't an obvious quarterback, like when DeVonta Smith won in 2020.

Manning starts the season at Ohio State. If he lights it up and looks the part, uh oh.

Throw in the games against Florida, Oklahoma, and Georgia - all away from Austin - and the regular season finale against Texas A&M, and he'll have every chance to be worthy of grabbing the trophy his uncles couldn't get. 

The preseason chalk guy never wins the Heisman, but for now, Arch is the call to take it home.