Two Ohio State football players are among the top 10 Heisman odds for 2025

USA Today

02-06-2025

Two Ohio State football players are among the top 10 Heisman odds for 2025
There's little debate the Heisman Trophy is the most prestigious individual award in all of American sports. It, of course, goes to the college football player annually who is judged and voted to be the best in college football. It can go to any player at any position, but we all know it leans very heavily to offensive players, especially quarterbacks. Ohio State has a record of producing Heisman winners, just one shy of the record eight produced by USC.
Running backs and wide receivers used to also be among the favorites for the Heisman Trophy annually, but now that the game is more wide open with signal-callers being a huge part of the offense, that's where most of the awards have gone, and also what the odds seem to favor.
For the 2025 season, that hasn't changed. In fact, our friends at BetMGM published a list of best odds to win the Heisman and there are a bunch of quarterbacks on the list. Two of those among the top 10 odds will be wearing Scarlet and Gray this season, and you can probably make a pretty educated guess on who they are.
But, hey, why not go through the top 10, including the Ohio State players, and hash out why they are there and what could hold them back. We'll start at No. 10 and work our way down to the player with the best odds at this point.
College football odds courtesy of BetMGM Sportsbook. For a full list of sports betting odds, access USA TODAY Sports Betting Scores Odds Hub.
No. 10 (tie) - Sam Leavitt, Arizona State (quarterback)
Heisman Odds | +2500
Why he could win the Heisman: Leavitt burst on the scene last season and helped lead the Sun Devils to a College Football Playoff appearance, nearly knocking off Texas to reach the semifinal. Leavitt has sneaky athleticism to keep plays alive, but he is able to stay away from huge mistakes. He elevates those around him, and that's about the best you can say for a player.
What could keep the Heisman on the shelf: Leavitt might not be flashy enough, and there might not be enough weapons around him to put up the numbers necessary to sway many of the voters making the call. Add that to the fact he doesn't play for one of the blue bloods, and it's going to be an uphill climb to be taken seriously.
No. 10 (tie) - John Mateer, Oklahoma (quarterback)
Heisman Odds | +2500
Why he could win the Heisman: Mateer had a very good season last year for Washington State, but not many outside of the Pacific Northwest took notice. Now he is at Oklahoma, and that means a lot more eyeballs will be watching in a wide-open year. He'll have more options to throw to and will do it with the Oklahoma uniform on. That already puts him in a good spot to enter the season.
What could keep the Heisman on the shelf: Oklahoma hasn't been the same offensively since Lincoln Riley left for USC. The Sooners are thought of as a fringe top-25 team coming into the season, and if that's the case, it'll be hard to impress enough people to get to New York.
No. 10 (tie) - Carson Beck, Miami (Fla.) (quarterback)
Heisman Odds | +2500
Why he could win the Heisman: Beck was an early favorite to win the Heisman last year and has all the talent to get it done at a place that will allow him to throw the ball around the yard, just as we saw with Cam Ward last year. If he stays healthy and can run the Mario Cristobal offense, he'll be in the front of voters' minds.
What could keep the Heisman on the shelf: Did you see last year? Beck struggled, making far too many mistakes and producing too much inconsistent play while leading Georgia. Do we really think a change in scenery is going to make him a better decision maker? That's going to be tall task to swallow.
No. 6 (tie) - DJ Lagway, Florida (quarterback)
Heisman Odds | +1800
Why he could win the Heisman: Lagway showed what he can do last season. His dual-threat ability and explosiveness made Florida a much-improved team through the tail-end of last year. Now he has another year of seasoning and a full schedule to make an impact, he could turn some heads.
What could keep the Heisman on the shelf: The Florida program hasn't been able to figure things out since Urban Meyer left, and it doesn't feel like the Gators are at the point where they can give Lagway the exposure and wins needed to keep him in the limelight. Are there enough weapons around him?
No. 6 (tie) - Julian Sayin, Ohio State (quarterback)
Heisman Odds | +1800
Why he could win the Heisman: Sayin was a five-star talent coming out of high school when he committed to Nick Saban and Alabama. He has the arm strength, accuracy and athletic ability to be one of the best signal-callers in an offense that will afford him plenty of opportunities to showcase his talents.
What could keep the Heisman on the shelf: Despite all those God-given abilities, Sayin is still learning the offense and is actually in a quarterback competition to win the starting job. The thought is he'll eventually be named the starter, but it might still take him some time to show what he can do.
No. 6 (tie) - Dante Moore, Oregon (quarterback)
Heisman Odds | +1800
Why he could win the Heisman: Oregon seems to have this transfer to Heisman candidate thing down, and Moore might be the next in line. He showed flashes of what he can be at UCLA, and he'll have more abilities around him in an offense that could churn out Heisman stats.
What could keep the Heisman on the shelf: Is Moore even going to win the starting job? Reports indicate redshirt sophomore Austin Novosad is doing more than holding the clipboard in practice. He's really pushing Moore and if the job turns into a platoon situation, well, it's hard to see how that equates to a Heisman campaign.
No. 6 (tie) - LaNorris Sellers, South Carolina (quarterback)
Heisman Odds | +1800
Why he could win the Heisman: Seller took the college football world by storm last year in a breakout sophomore campaign. He's a true dual-threat quarterback who has size and explosiveness in the running game to go along with a big, accurate arm in the passing game. He should be even better during his junior season and will have every opportunity to make a mark during the SEC campaign.
What could keep the Heisman on the shelf: South Carolina isn't the name-brand program that will get Sellers noticed like those at other places. The Gamecocks will have to spring a couple of upsets with him putting the team on his back without the national spotlight games that other programs will benefit from.
No. 5 - Drew Allar, Penn State (quarterback)
Heisman Odds | +1400
Why he could win the Heisman: Allar is a seasoned veteran, and he has a firm grasp on the Penn State offense. He has a backfield that should open up the passing game for his big arm and provide ample opportunities to make plays down the field.
What could keep the Heisman on the shelf: The receiving corps might hold Allar back. It's adequate but not game-breaking, and Allar isn't exactly a dual-threat quarterback. He's also shown a penchant for inconsistency because of poor judgment and mistakes. He'll have to cut down on those.
No. 3 (tie) - Jeremiah Smith, Ohio State (wide receiver)
Heisman Odds | +1000
Why he could win the Heisman: Have you seen Smith play? You could have made a very sound argument that he was the best player in college football last season. He has a rare, generational blend of size, explosiveness, hands and athletic ability to set him apart from others. He'll have a slew of highlight-reel catches and moments again in 2025.
What could keep the Heisman on the shelf: The best player doesn't always win the Heisman. It's hard for a receiver to win the award because there are games in which a game plan can take players away. Also, Ohio State has other talented playmakers on offense and could spread the ball around just enough to keep his stats from comparing to others with Heisman buzz.
No. 3 (tie) - Cade Klubnik, Clemson (quarterback)
Heisman Odds | +1000
Why he could win the Heisman: Klubnik turned in a career year last season and led the Tigers to an ACC championship and College Football Playoff. However, his rather pedestrian stat line in a bad loss to Georgia in the season opener buried him behind others. This year, Clemson is expected to be a national player and that'll boost the dual-threat quarterback into the spotlight.
What could keep the Heisman on the shelf: We could see a repeat of last year because Clemson plays LSU straight out of the gate. There's opportunity there, but a bad showing would again deal a blow to his Heisman campaign before it even starts. There is also a lack of spotlight games in the ACC, which doesn't figure to have the best competition in the country. He'll have to put up gaudy numbers and not have an off week or there will be doubters.
No. 2 - Garrett Nussmeier, LSU (quarterback)
Heisman Odds | +850
Why he could win the Heisman: Nussmeier returns as arguably the best quarterback in the country. He has a slew of talent surrounding him, plays in the SEC and should put up the kind of numbers voters will want to see. It doesn't hurt to be the best quarterback in a conference that still gets the benefit of the doubt from media members, if that's what he ends up being.
What could keep the Heisman on the shelf: For all the talent Nussmeier possesses, the offense has been overhauled. While it looks like there are upgrades through the transfer portal, you never really know how that'll play out. Also, Nussmeier does like to force throws into small windows, resulting in him leading the SEC in interceptions with 12. If he can't cut down on those mistakes, he could be left out in the cold with the Heisman race.
No. 1 - Arch Manning, Texas (quarterback)
Heisman Odds | +600
Why he could win the Heisman: Let the hype train roll out of the station. College football has been waiting for Manning to take over as a starter in Austin and do many of the things his uncles have done. He has the pedigree, can do things with his arms and legs and will be on a Texas team that should have a bunch of talent and numerous nationally televised games to prove himself.
What could keep the Heisman on the shelf: Can Manning really be that good straight out of the box as the new starter? And that schedule that provides opportunity also has pitfalls aplenty throughout. There will not be much time to dip his toe in the water either. A game against defending national champion Ohio State awaits in Week 1. It might be a little unrealistic to believe Manning will just click along without some growing pains that could knock him out of the Heisman race early.
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