B/R's 2025 Heisman Trophy Rankings after Week 11
The list of Heisman Trophy contenders is shrinking.
Every loss and underwhelming performance shifts once-hopeful candidates to the very fringes of the radar—or completely off it. And every week, the front-runners have a chance to build a little more separation in the race, too.
Compared to the last update, the leading group of Alabama's Ty Simpson, Indiana's Fernando Mendoza and Ohio State's Julian Sayin remains the same.
They're not alone just yet, though.
Diego Pavia remains resilient and energetic; he's still in the picture. Texas A&M's Marcel Reed is hanging around with Vandy's quarterback, as well.
The tiers are subjective, yet based on historical voting trends, including individual production and team success.
Tier 4: The Long Shots
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Haynes King, QB, Georgia Tech
Given the idle weekend, no change in Haynes King's status. His single path to contending for the Heisman is Georgia Tech beating Boston College, Pitt, Georgia and a fourth team in the ACC Championship Game over the next four weeks.
Dante Moore, QB, Oregon
Oregon survived a challenging trip to Iowa, but Dante Moore's candidacy took another problematic hit. He threw for just 112 yards with zero touchdowns and an interception, adding 46 yards on the ground. He is still on the radar because the Ducks are 8-1, but his production has faded lately. Minnesota is up next.
CJ Carr, QB, Notre Dame
In a 49-10 rout of Navy, CJ Carr completed 13-of-16 passes for 218 yards and three scores with no turnovers. Simple day, solid numbers, good season. But there's just no marquee game on his résumé. Notre Dame's upcoming clash at Pitt is his final opportunity to make a national award statement.
Jayden Maiava, QB, USC
The next two weekends will provide a clear understanding of where Jayden Maiava sits in the hierarchy. USC hosts Iowa this Saturday before heading to Oregon. If the Trojans lose either one, he won't be a Heisman threat.
Tier 3: Still Hopefuls
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Jeremiyah Love, RB, Notre Dame
The main difference between Carr and Jeremiyah Love is that USC game. While the former threw for a modest 136 yards, the latter racked up 265 from scrimmage in that critical win. Love collected 121 yards and two touchdowns in the recent win over Navy, boosting his season totals to 1,242 and 16, respectively. His profile would benefit from a strong box score at Pitt on Saturday.
Jeremiah Smith, WR, Ohio State
Ho-hum, another great performance from Jeremiah Smith. The sophomore hauled in a career-high 10 catches with 137 yards and a touchdown as the Buckeyes rolled over Purdue 34-10. Ohio State hosts UCLA this weekend.
Tier 2: Top Challengers
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Gunner Stockton, QB, Georgia
Right now, Gunner Stockton is more a potential finalist than a Heisman winner. He also has plenty of opportunities ahead, though. On the heels of totaling 305 yards and three scores at Mississippi State, he leads UGA into a home matchup with Texas. Georgia Tech looms in the regular-season finale, too.
Trinidad Chambliss, QB, Ole Miss
Pad those stats. Trinidad Chambliss went 29-of-33 for 333 yards with three touchdowns in a 49-0 cruise past The Citadel. Despite not starting two games, he has more total yards (2,790) than every contender other than Diego Pavia. But it's also clear that Chambliss' upside is contingent on beating Florida with a little chaos to ultimately help Ole Miss reach the SEC Championship Game.
Marcel Reed, QB, Texas A&M
Marcel Reed, meanwhile, is doing everything in his power to not allow that chaos in the Aggies' world. He just posted 250 yards and two touchdowns in a win at Missouri. Texas A&M hosts a stingy South Carolina defense this weekend.
Diego Pavia, QB, Vanderbilt
Pavia's candidacy nearly took a fatal hit, but Vanderbilt again found a way. Although it took an overtime period, the Commodores clipped Auburn 45-38 behind another big showing from the nation's total offense leader. He threw for 377 yards, scampered for 112 and contributed to four scores. Vandy is idle in Week 12.
Tier 1: The Front-Runners
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Ty Simpson, QB, Alabama
As the Crimson Tide dispatched rival LSU 20-9, Ty Simpson's season-long streak of multiple touchdowns came to a close. Nevertheless, he passed for 277 yards and a score as Alabama improved to 8-1. Oklahoma's tough defense now awaits, but a strong day in a victory could lock in Simpson as a front-runner.
Fernando Mendoza, QB, Indiana
The bad news for Fernando Mendoza is his counting stats have trailed off recently. He's finished at 228 yards or below in three straight games. The good news is IU, thanks to his clutch late touchdown pass, avoided an upset at Penn State and is the nation's only 10-0 team. Indiana hosts Wisconsin on Saturday.
Julian Sayin, QB, Ohio State
After not throwing an interception in five consecutive games, Julian Sayin reminded us that he's human. Unfortunately for Purdue, he hardly made another mistake. He hit 27-of-33 passes for 303 yards and a score in OSU's 34-10 victory. The top-ranked Buckeyes welcome UCLA to town in Week 12.
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