Mark Schlabach, ESPN senior writer
Colorado two-way star Travis Hunter captured the 90th Heisman Trophy in the deciding vote Saturday night.
Hunter beat out running back Ashton Jeanty (Boise State), quarterback Dillon Gabriel (Oregon State) and Cam Ward (Miami) for the most exciting title in college football. Coveted individual award.
Hunter, a rare two-way player who played cornerback and receiver for Buffalo, was awarded the stiff trophy during a ceremony in New York.
Hunter is the first defensive player to win the Heisman Trophy since Michigan’s Charles Woodson in 1997; he is the first since Alabama’s DeVonta Smith in 2020 receiver of the award.
With Colorado quarterbacks Shedeur Sanders, Hunter, Ward and Jeanty expected to move to the NFL, who is the top candidate for the 2025 Heisman Trophy?
Here are some of the top contenders (in no particular order):
Kevin Jennings, QB, SMU
The Broncos became a different team after Jennings took over the offense from former starter Preston Stone in his third game of the season. The sophomore led the Broncos to nine straight wins in his first season in the ACC. The streak ended with a 34-31 loss to Clemson in the ACC Championship Game. Jennings completed 66% of his passes, threw for 3,050 yards, 22 touchdowns and eight interceptions. He ran for 379 yards and five scores, and his ability to extend plays outside the pocket has confounded defenders all season.
There’s a lot to like about the sophomore from St. Louis, who has run 134 times for 949 yards and 15 touchdowns this season. Love is the only FBS player to score at least one touchdown in all 12 games this season, setting a Notre Dame record. Love threw for 136 yards and three touchdowns in the Fighting Irish’s 49-14 victory over No. 18. He’ll likely share the offense with Jadarian Price again in 2025, but quarterback Riley Leonard is moving on.
Nussmeier had the difficult task of replacing Heisman Trophy winner Jayden Daniels as LSU’s starting quarterback, but he performed well in his first season. Nussmeier passed for 3,739 yards, 26 touchdowns and 11 interceptions. He threw for at least 300 yards in seven games and at least 400 yards in two games. Nussmeier was considered a potential first-round pick in next year’s NFL draft, but he announced Wednesday that he would return to LSU, saying in a statement that he was “fully committed to bringing a championship to this university.” .
Smith was rated the nation’s No. 2 receiving prospect in the 2024 class by ESPN Recruiting, and he more than lived up to that lofty rating in his first season with the Buckeyes. He caught 57 passes for 934 yards and 10 touchdowns. He already has a string of spectacular one-handed catches and has only thrown two passes this season. Last week, Smith was named the Big Ten’s Rookie of the Year and Wide Receiver of the Year.
It’s a good thing for the Sun Devils that Michigan State hired former OSU coach Jonathan Smith last year to replace Mel Tucker. Leavitt, who grew up in Westwood, Ore., was upset when Smith didn’t offer him a scholarship when he coached the Beavers. So Leavitt transferred from Michigan State to Arizona State, where he led the Sun Devils to an 11-2 record and an unlikely Big 12 championship in his first season in the league. Leavitt passed for 2,663 yards and 24 touchdowns and ran for 383 yards and five touchdowns. Arizona State coach Kenny Dillingham said Leavitt will play Sunday.
Nittany Lions coach James Franklin has been very pleased with Alar’s progress as a starter from his freshman to sophomore years, and he could be even better in 2025 if he returns for another season. Alar completed 69.1% of his passes, advanced 2,894 yards, 21 touchdowns and 7 interceptions. He also drove in six runs. Alar possesses elite arm talent, and the Nittany Lions are starting to use it under offensive coordinator Andy Kotelnicki. Alar must be excited that Kotelnicki is staying at Penn State after interviewing for the West Virginia head coaching job.
After Sellers racked up 350 yards of offense (244 passing and 106 rushing) and three touchdowns in a 44-20 win over Texas A&M on Nov. 2, another SEC coach Called him “Superman” in a text message to Gamecocks coach Shane Beamer. Sellers has been nothing short of a superman for South Carolina this season, passing for 2,274 yards and 17 touchdowns and running for 655 yards and seven touchdowns. He led South Carolina to an astonishing 9-3 record and ended the regular season with six straight wins.
The freshman from Saraland, Ala., caught a touchdown pass from Jalen Milroy with 2:18 left in a 41-34 win over Georgia State on Sept. 28. Milroe caught the ball 75 yards for a touchdown. game. Williams finished the season with 45 catches for 857 yards and eight scores, but he cooled off later. He has not allowed more than 73 receiving yards in each of his last seven games. If Bama’s passing game gets better in 2025 and Williams throws fewer passes (eight), he could become one of the Tide’s best receivers.
Ducks head coach Dan Lanning once joked that James runs like an “angry old man,” but the 20-year-old can’t even afford a drink. Lanning is excited for James to commit to Oregon from Georgia on National Signing Day in February 2022. James has 1,253 yards and 15 touchdowns this season. He had 115 yards and one touchdown in a 32-31 win over Ohio State, then had 87 yards and two scores in a 45-37 victory over Penn State in the Big Ten title game. James has not yet said whether he plans to return to Oregon in 2025 or turn pro.
With junior Quinn Ewers expected to move to the NFL (or even just join another FBS team), the Manning era at Texas should finally begin in 2025. Arch Manning is the nephew of former NFL quarterbacks Eli and Peyton, and the son of Cooper. There’s no rush to be a starter, which could be a good thing for his development. At 6-foot-4, 225 pounds, he has the tools and pedigree to be a star. This season he completed 61 of 90 passes for 939 yards, nine touchdowns and two interceptions in eight games.
Tennessee fans got a glimpse of him last season when he scored four touchdowns in a 35-0 victory over Iowa State in the Cheez-It Citrus Bowl. He is the first Vols freshman quarterback to win a bowl game since Peyton Manning won the Gator Bowl in 1994. This season, Iamaleava has completed 65.7 percent of his passes for 2,512 yards, 19 touchdowns and five interceptions. He is 11-2 as a starter. If Iamaleava progresses as expected, the former five-star recruit could become a Heisman contender in 2025.
Lagerway didn’t become a full-time starter for the Gators until senior Graham Mertz suffered a torn ACL in a 23-17 overtime loss to Tennessee in Game 6 of the season. Lagerway gave Florida fans a sneak peek when he started against FCS program Sanford, who was out with Mertz due to a concussion. Lagerway broke Florida freshman records with 456 yards passing and three touchdowns in the 45-7 victory. In 11 games, Lagerway passed for 1,610 yards and 11 touchdowns. That was enough to give hope to the struggling program and keep coach Billy Napier on board for another season.
If junior linebacker Trevor Etienne declares for the NFL Draft, Frazier should enter the 2025 season as the Bulldogs’ primary linebacker. As a freshman, he showed plenty of potential, running 129 times for 634 yards and eight scores. Frazier, who hails from Compton, Calif., made huge strides as a pass-blocking player and caught 10 passes out of the backfield. He lost a couple of untimely fumbles, though, so ball security will continue to be a focus going forward.
Clemson fans may have scoffed at the idea of ​​Klubnick becoming a Heisman Trophy contender after Klubnick struggled in the Atlanta Tigers’ 34-3 loss to Georgia. He threw for 142 yards and no touchdowns, leaving many fans questioning whether Clemson would move forward. But Klubnik has been one of the most improved passers in the game this season, completing 63.7 percent of his passes for 3,303 yards, 33 touchdowns and five interceptions. In the ACC Championship Game, he threw for 262 yards and four scores in a 34-31 victory over SMU.
