B/R's 2025 Heisman Trophy Rankings before Week 1

The much-anticipated start of a new college football season also brings a fresh race for the Heisman Trophy.

And that may even be an understatement.

Looking at the top-10 finishers in the award's 2024 voting, and not a single one remains in college football. Seriously, none of them. Travis Hunter, Ashton Jeanty and the rest are chasing the NFL dream.

Those departures have swung the door completely open for 2025's early front-runners, a list featuring several big-name quarterbacks.

While this particular ranking is subjective—all vibes right now, folks—consider it a preview of the eight players I think are most likely to win.

8. LaNorris Sellers, QB, South Carolina

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On talent alone, LaNorris Sellers is arguably the most dynamic player in the country. He's worth the price of admission, as the saying goes.

Sellers took a redshirt in his year at South Carolina, then earned the starting job last season. While throwing for 2,534 yards (8.5 per attempt) with 18 touchdowns and seven interceptions, he scampered for 674 yards and seven scores.

Most memorably, Sellers guided the Gamecocks to Top 25 victories over Missouri and Clemson as part of a late, scorching six-game winning streak.

Best guess? The difficulty of the schedule will ultimately be too much.

It's safe to say, however, that if South Carolina handles its gauntlet, Sellers will be driving an impressive charge through the SEC.

7. Drew Allar, QB, Penn State

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Drew Allar is a safe selection.

Entering his third campaign as the starter, Allar has been a quality QB1 for Penn State. He totaled 2,837 yards and 29 touchdowns in 2023, rising to 3,629 yards and 30 scores last season. Similar production is expected again.

The challenge for Allar is finding that "Heisman moment" for a resume. Over the last two years, Penn State has played 10 games against teams that ended the season in the AP Top 25. Allar surpassed seven yards per attempt in one of those matchups and didn't account for a touchdown in four of them.

In short: He's a reliable QB, but is he a great one?

Thanks to a transfer-bolstered group of wide receivers, led by Trebor Pena, this is Allar's best opportunity to make a Heisman-worthy leap.

6. Julian Sayin, QB, Ohio State

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Simply because you earn the starting job at Ohio State does not guarantee you will be productive. That's not an earth-shattering piece of analysis.

But it sort of feels like it, right?

Will Howard won a national title, Kyle McCord finished 10th in Heisman voting and the list continues with C.J. Stroud, Justin Fields, Dwayne Haskins, J.T. Barrett and—well, you get the point.

Look, we have hardly seen Julian Sayin! He appeared in four games and attempted 12 passes while taking a redshirt in 2024.

History is solidly in his favor, though. The pass-catching group includes Jeremiah Smith, Carnell Tate, Max Klare and many former blue-chip recruits. The situation in Columbus, as usual, is awfully favorable.

Now, it's up to Sayin to execute.

5. Sam Leavitt, QB, Arizona State

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Sam Leavitt, obviously, played a big part of the Sun Devils' emergence in 2024, propelling them to a Big 12 title. Nevertheless, in the national conversation, he took a back seat to versatile running back Cam Skattebo.

That should change in 2025.

Yes, some of the optimism in Leavitt is also a product of ASU boasting Jordyn Tyson, a third-team AP All-American last year. It certainly doesn't hurt to have a borderline superstar as your No. 1 target.

But even after Tyson's injury late in 2024, Leavitt had a couple of three-touchdown games. He closed the season with 2,885 yards and 24 touchdowns to six interceptions through the air, adding 443 yards and five scores on the ground.

Leavitt is the engine of what should be another Big 12 contender.

4. Jeremiah Smith, WR, Ohio State

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Earning any role as a true freshman is a real accomplishment. Landing a starting job is impressive. Becoming a legitimate star? That's just special.

Jeremiah Smith made a spectacular impact for Ohio State last season, catching 76 passes for 1,315 yards and totaling 16 touchdowns. The second-team AP All-American found the end zone in 12 of the Buckeyes' 16 games.

Oh, and his final reception of the year essentially sealed OSU's victory over Notre Dame in the national championship.

What's in store for Smith's encore?

The first challenge is a showdown with Texas, which held Smith to a single three-yard catch when the programs met in the College Football Playoff.

3. Garrett Nussmeier, QB, LSU

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The intersection of talent and opportunity is what shifts a Heisman Trophy candidate into a real contender.

On paper, Garrett Nussmeier has a terrific shot to win.

The senior QB is coming off a season in which he threw for 4,052 yards and accounted for 32 touchdowns. Top receiver Aaron Anderson is back, along with Chris Hilton Jr. and Zavion Thomas. LSU snagged key transfers Nic Anderson and Barion Brown this offseason, too. Talent, in multiple ways, is covered.

Additionally, the offense is built around his usage. Nussmeier threw no fewer than 31 passes in any contest last season, finishing second in the entire country at 40.4 attempts per game.

Similar to Allar, what happens in marquee games will ultimately shape whether Nussmeier is a finalist for the Heisman.

But both talent and opportunity are there.

2. Arch Manning, QB, Texas

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Ah, yes, more contributions to the hype train.

After opening a couple of games when Quinn Ewers was injured last year, Arch Manning has taken over at Texas. Big things are expected from the latest QB in the famous family on the nation's preseason No. 1 team.

On one hand, the Longhorns have a revamped unit around Manning. They needed to replace four starters up front and the three top targets this offseason, so it's not like he's walking into a veteran group.

Still, it's not like UT is devoid of experience.

In particular, the receiving corps has Ryan Wingo and DeAndre Moore Jr., Stanford transfer Emmett Mosley V and a ton of recent blue-chip prospects. The backfield is healthy again, and the O-line should ultimately be fine in time.

Archie, Peyton and Eli all earned top-three finishes in Heisman voting, but nobody won it. Arch could be the first Manning to hoist the trophy.

1. Cade Klubnik, QB, Clemson

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Heading into November last season, Cade Klubnik was solidly a second-tier contender. However, an upset loss to Louisville stung his candidacy, and a setback to South Carolina took him off the voting radar entirely.

This time around, he might be the center of attention all season.

Klubnik made great progress in his second year as a starter, collecting 4,102 total yards and accounting for 43 touchdowns on the ACC champions. Yet he was not immune to the big-game mistakes, either.

The outlook for 2025 is very encouraging, given that Clemson has an experienced offensive line and the receiving corps is among the nation's best.

Throw in Klubnik's dual-threat ability with Clemson's likelihood of contending for an ACC title, and this combination may be tough to beat.