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Heisman Watch: FSU's Castellanos, long shots turning into contenders
Florida State Seminoles quarterback Tommy Castellanos. Melina Myers-Imagn Images

Heisman Watch: Surprising long shots transforming into contenders for coveted award

By Zach Wadley  |  Last updated Sep 11, 2025 10:35 PM ET

Heisman favorites can be a fickle thing in college football. One minute, a player is the can't-miss front-runner, a la Texas quarterback Arch Manning, but one subpar week and he's cast to the side.

At the beginning of the 2025 season, Manning, along with Clemson quarterback Cade Klubnik and LSU quarterback Garrett Nussmeier, were the top three betting favorites to win the Heisman, according to ESPN. While all three will certainly remain in the conversation, here are three more players whose fast starts have put the nation on notice.

Tommy Castellanos | Florida State quarterback

Castellanos (preseason odds: 100-1, current: +2500) transferred from Boston College and immediately grabbed the nation's attention, engineering a 31-17 win over No. 8 Alabama. Winning the Heisman requires a signature win or two, and Castellanos already has one with opportunities against No. 5 Miami (Oct. 4) and No. 12 Clemson (Nov. 8) ahead.

Castellanos doesn't have a large body of work through two games, but he's 17-of-25 for 389 yards and three touchdowns. Against Alabama, he rushed for a team-high 78 yards and a score. He's averaging an astounding 22.8 yards per completion and has the 'Noles ranked 10th in the country after a 2-10 season last year.

Jalon Daniels | Kansas quarterback

A sixth-year player, Daniels (preseason: 75-1, current: +6000) has been solid for the Jayhawks. Unfortunately for him, he has an early blemish on his resume as KU lost at rival Missouri on Sept. 6, but it shouldn't diminish the numbers he's already put up.

In three games, he's completing 72 percent of his passes for 679 yards (eighth in the nation) and nine touchdowns (third in the nation). He's also rushed for 90 yards and a score. His play has Kansas looking like a major factor in a wide-open Big 12 race. If he's able to stay healthy and secure a couple of big wins (KU's last two games of the season are at No. 14 Iowa State and versus No. 20 Utah), it's hard to imagine he doesn't vault higher on the list.

Beau Pribula | Missouri quarterback

Speaking of Missouri, Pribula (preseason: 100-1, current: +7500) made the tough decision to transfer from Penn State in the midst of the Nittany Lions' playoff run last season. He landed at Mizzou, where he was handed the QB1 role.

Two games into the season, Pribula has defeated the Tigers' biggest rival and has been remarkably efficient. He's completed 79.1 percent (53-of-67) of his passes for 617 yards and five touchdowns. Not only did he beat Kansas, but he also helped Mizzou come back from a 15-point deficit. The SEC schedule is favorable, if there is such a thing in that conference. He'll go toe-to-toe against another Heisman contender, South Carolina's LaNorris Sellers, on Sept. 20 and have a crack at Alabama on Oct. 11.

Zach Wadley

Zach Wadley's sportswriting career began at the age of 12 when he started covering Little League games for his local newspaper. Since then, he's worked in the sports information field where he merged his love of writing, social media, and broadcasting. He is a graduate of Anderson University (IN).

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