10 Underclassmen with Best Shot at 2024 Heisman Trophy
As the page turns to the 2024 college football season, it's never too early to start looking ahead to the Heisman Trophy race.
From the first year of the Heisman Trophy in 1935 to 2006, an underclassman never won the award. Since then, Tim Tebow (2007), Sam Bradford (2008), Mark Ingram (2009), Johnny Manziel (2012), Jameis Winston (2013), Lamar Jackson (2016), Bryce Young (2021) and Caleb Williams (2022) have won it as underclassmen. Of that group, Manziel and Winston were the only freshman winners.
Let's run through the underclassmen with the best shot to win the Heisman in 2024. This award historically goes to quarterbacks and running backs, but there is an offensive skill-position player on this list, too.
Some True Freshman Signal-Callers to Keep an Eye on
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A true freshman has never won the Heisman. Both Manziel and Winston won it as redshirt freshmen. But there are some true freshman quarterbacks to keep an eye on entering 2024.
The biggest is Nebraska quarterback Dylan Raiola, a 5-star prospect and the No. 2 overall quarterback from the class of 2024. Raiola was committed to Georgia before flipping to Nebraska during Early Signing Period. He'll compete with rising junior Heinrich Haarburg, who made eight starts last season, for the job.
At Ohio State, the Buckeyes will have a new quarterback under center, as 2023 starter Kyle McCord has since transferred to Syracuse. The Buckeyes impressively landed 5-star quarterback Julian Sayin this cycle. Sayin initially signed with Alabama, but transferred following Nick Saban's retirement. Sayin will compete against Kansas State transfer Will Howard and fellow signee Air Noland for the starting job.
Ohio State's biggest rival, Michigan, will also potentially start a true freshman under center in 2024. Four-star signee Jadyn Davis will compete for the starting job alongside last season's backups Jack Tuttle and Alex Orji.
And Florida quarterback DJ Lagway deserves a honorable mention here. While the Gators return starting quarterback Graham Mertz from last season, there could be a bit of a quarterback competition in Gainesville. Lagway is the No. 1 quarterback prospect in his class and was just named the Gatorade National Player of the Year for his 2023 high school season. As a senior, he threw for 4,604 yards with 58 touchdowns and eight interceptions.
QB Nico Iamaleava, Tennessee
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Tennessee will have a new face at quarterback in 2024 in sophomore Nico Iamaleava. He signed with Tennessee in December 2022 as a 5-star quarterback prospect and the No. 2 overall signal-caller in his class.
Although he served as a backup to Joe Milton III last season in Knoxville, he got his first start in the Citrus Bowl against Iowa. His outing was impressive, going 12-of-19 passing for 151 yards and a touchdown, along with 27 yards rushing with three scores on the ground.
"Nico played really well," Tennessee head coach Josh Heupel said of his quarterback's debut after the game. "First-time starter. There was nothing that was too big for him. Never got rattled. Very composed, in-control, communication, controlling the run game—just did an unbelievable job—decision-making, and then made plays with his feet as well."
Tennessee will return three starting offensive linemen in 2024 in John Campbell, Gerald Mincey and Cooper Mays, as well as receiver Bru McCoy. The Vols also landed LSU offensive tackle Lance Heard from the transfer portal this cycle.
With his impressive debut as a starter, the expectations are high for Iamaleava. We'll see how he handles the spotlight in 2024, assuming the NIL investigation into his recruitment doesn't result in a suspension.
QB Jayden Maiava, USC
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The USC Trojans will be replacing two-year starter quarterback Caleb Williams under center. The good news for head coach Lincoln Riley is that he landed a young, experienced signal-caller from the transfer portal this cycle in Jayden Maiava.
The former UNLV quarterback started 11 games as a true freshman for the Rebels last season, leading them to a Mountain West Championship Game for the first time. It was also the first winning season for UNLV since 2013.
Maiava threw for 3,085 yards with 17 touchdowns and 10 interceptions on the season, adding 277 rushing yards with three scores. Unsurprisingly, he won the Mountain West Freshman Player of the Year Award for his efforts.
Maiava was previously committed to Georgia before flipping to USC a few days later last month. The pickup was huge for USC, who lost 2023 quarterback signee Malachai Nelson to Boise State. Maiava will compete against Williams' backup, Miller Moss, for the starting job.
Lincoln Riley made Caleb Williams into a Heisman winner in 2022. Let's see if he can do the same for Maiava in 2024.
QB Dante Moore, Oregon
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Similar to USC's quarterback battle, a sophomore in Dante Moore will have to win the starting job before he can win the Heisman. Oregon's quarterback situation looks pretty intriguing, as Moore, who spent 2023 with UCLA as a true freshman, will compete against veteran Dillon Gabriel for the starting job.
Gabriel has the edge experience-wise, entering his sixth season in 2024. But Moore threw for 1,610 yards passing with 16 touchdowns and 10 interceptions in nine games for the Bruins while dealing with some injuries throughout his first year. His best game last season came against San Diego State, where he finished with 290 yards passing with three touchdowns and zero interceptions, completing 68 percent of his passes.
While the expectation is to have Moore be the backup behind an experienced Gabriel, don't be surprised if this is a tight competition. Last season, Moore beat out Bruins quarterback Ethan Garbers—who had played in 29 games over three seasons for the Bruins—for the starting job.
Moore's transfer to Oregon isn't too surprising. He was committed to Oregon before flipping to UCLA in December 2022.
QB Jackson Arnold, Oklahoma
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Speaking of Dillon Gabriel, Oklahoma will have to replace him under center in 2024. Oklahoma is coming off a 10-3 season, and the Sooners hope to make a splash as they move into the SEC this year.
A big name in the mix to win the starting job is rising sophomore Jackson Arnold. Backing up Gabriel last season, Arnold completed 44 passes with four touchdowns and three interceptions.
In his first-ever start against Arizona in the Alamo Bowl, Arnold's performance was a bit of a mixed bag. He went 26-of-45 passing with 361 yards, two touchdowns and three interceptions. Sure, the performance doesn't exactly scream "future Heisman winner," but Arnold is a former 5-star recruit from 2023 and the No. 4-ranked signal-caller in his class.
"You're offered a scholarship at Oklahoma, you must be pretty dang good," Venables told reporters of his quarterback after the game. "When you're the quarterback at the University of Oklahoma, something you do sign up for, you're the face in many ways of the program.
"But I know we've got the right guy, and we've got the right group there. Broad shoulders, level-headed, incredibly humble, tough on himself, demanding of himself. I don't ever worry about him having success and going to his head, and I certainly don't worry about if he's fragile or a head case."
Arnold will likely benefit from a full offseason taking reps with the first team, as well as getting returning starters like Jalil Farooq and Andrel Anthony back at receiver. He'll compete for the starting job along with FAU transfer Casey Thompson this fall.
QB Noah Fifita, Arizona
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Wildcat quarterback Noah Fifita had a breakout season in 2023. As a redshirt freshman, he threw for 2,869 yards and 25 touchdowns with just six interceptions. He completed 72.4 percent of his passes too, good for second in the entire Pac-12.
Fifita even impressively put up these numbers while coming off the bench. He started the season behind quarterback Jayden De Laura, who he replaced due to injury in Week 4.
Arizona didn't miss a beat with a new quarterback under center. Fifita went 7-2 as a starter and helped Arizona finish the season on a seven-game winning streak, tied for the best in school history. His best game came against rival Arizona State, during which he threw for a single-game school record 527 yards with five touchdowns and an interception.
2024 might be a bit of a challenge for Fifita, as Arizona's coach from last season, Jedd Fisch, is now at Washington. But as the signal-caller settles into a new scheme under Brent Brennan, he'll benefit from having his leading receiver, Tetairoa McMillan, back for 2024. McMillan had a career-high 1,402 receiving yards with 10 touchdowns in Tucson last season.
The duo helped Arizona's offense finish top 20 in scoring, averaging 34.6 points per game. As Arizona moves to the Big 12 in 2024, let's see how the Wildcats offense stacks up in a new conference with a new head coach at the helm.
WR Zachariah Branch, USC
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A wide receiver hasn't taken home the Heisman since Alabama's DeVonta Smith in 2020, and he was the first since Desmond Howard in 1997. But USC's Zachariah Branch should be in the mix for the Heisman in 2024, thanks to what he can do on special teams.
Last season, Branch averaged 20.8 yards on 16 punt returns and 18.4 yards on 24 kick returns. He had two touchdown returns (one kick and one punt), and his 75-yard punt return for a score against Stanford was electric:
The rising sophomore finished with 31 receptions for 320 yards and two touchdowns, including another 70 yards rushing with a score on the ground. He even missed a couple games due to an undisclosed injury.
"Within the first couple practices you could see there's just something different about him, how he practiced, how he played, his athletic ability," Branch's high school Bishop Gorman coach Brent Browner told ESPN last season. "And he was only basically just getting out of eighth grade. You could see how great, how special he was going to be."
He'll have to put up bigger numbers to get in Heisman contention, but he is expected to have a more prominent role in USC's offense in 2024. The Trojans have to replace leading receivers Tahj Washington and Brenden Rice next season. Branch might get even faster, too—he joined USC's track and field team earlier this month.
Branch showed flashes of what he can do as a true freshman. If he can stay healthy and assume a larger role on offense and special teams, 2024 could be a breakout Heisman campaign for him.
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