QB Arch Manning, WR Jeremiah Smith among top eight candidates

The hype bunny enters the 2025 campaign as the odds-on favorite to win college football’s most prestigious award. Despite entering the season with just 95 college pass attempts, Manning is the top candidate due to his pedigree (nephew of Peyton and Eli Manning) and immense pro potential, as well as Texas’ status as the top-ranked team in America. Though it typically takes extraordinary production to claim the award, this candidacy goes beyond raw numbers. The Manning brand and Arch’s splashy highlights could make this a runaway at the ballot box by season’s end.

With Clemson appearing poised to re-emerge as a true national title contender, the buzz surrounding Klubnik could make him the Heisman favorite by the middle of the season. He tallied 43 total touchdowns in 2024, showcasing a dynamic game that enables the Tigers to feature a mix of screens, scrambles and shots, keeping opponents guessing in crucial moments. Given Klubnik’s potential to put up big numbers on a loaded team that could blow through the ACC and earn a high seed in the College Football Playoff, the senior quarterback could become the first Heisman Trophy winner in Clemson history.

Head coach Brian Kelly could have his second Heisman winner in the Bayou — following Jayden Daniels’ triumph in 2023 — if Nussmeier leads the Tigers back to prominence in 2025. With Nussmeier directing a fastbreak offense that enables him to operate like a fearless gunslinger from the pocket, the slender dime dropper should post his second straight 4,000-yard season. Nussmeier’s superb instincts and diagnostic skills could transform every LSU game into a 7-on-7 showcase that spotlights the talent and depth of offensive playmakers in the program.

The freakish playmaker is coming off arguably the best true freshman season of any wide receiver in college football history. A huge factor in Ohio State’s run to the national championship, Smith racked up 76 catches for 1,315 yards and 15 touchdowns. After spending an offseason working on his game to become a more dominant force on the perimeter, Smith could break records as the best player on one of the best teams in college football. Ohio State’s new starting quarterback, Julian Sayin, will undoubtedly look to lean on the 6-foot-3, 223-pound beast.

It is hard for running backs to swipe the award from the premier throwers and catchers in today’s pass-happy climate — Derrick Henry was the last RB to take home the hardware in 2015 — but Love could force voters to turn back the clock. The Notre Dame star piled up 19 total touchdowns last season — scoring in 14 of Notre Dame’s 16 games — helping the Fighting Irish make it all the way to the national championship tilt. As the current face of one of the biggest programs in the sport, Love could show out in a series of spotlight games and become the first back to wear the Heisman crown since King Henry.