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Mark Schlabach, ESPN Senior Writer
Colorado two-way star Travis Hunter captured the 90th Heisman Trophy in a decisive vote Saturday night.
Hunter beat out running back Ashton Jeanty (Boise State) and quarterbacks Dillon Gabriel (Oregon) and Cam Ward (Miami) for the most coveted individual award in college football.
Hunter, a rare two-way player who stars at cornerback and receiver for the Buffaloes, was presented the stiff-armed trophy during a ceremony in New York.
Hunter is the first defensive player to win the Heisman since Michigan’s Charles Woodson in 1997; he’s the first receiver to win it since Alabama’s DeVonta Smith in 2020.
With Colorado quarterback Shedeur Sanders, Hunter, Ward and Jeanty expected to move on to the NFL, who are the top candidates for the Heisman Trophy in 2025?
Here is a look at some of the top potential contenders (in no particular order):
Kevin Jennings, QB, SMU
The Mustangs became a different team after Jennings took over the offense from former starter Preston Stone during their third game of the season. The sophomore led the Mustangs to a nine-game winning streak in their first season in the ACC. That streak ended with a 34-31 loss to Clemson in the ACC title game. Jennings completed 66% of his passes for 3,050 yards with 22 touchdowns and eight interceptions. He ran for 379 yards with five scores, and his ability to extend plays outside the pocket perplexed defenses all season.
There’s a lot to love about the sophomore from St. Louis, who ran 134 times for 949 yards with 15 touchdowns this season. Love is the only FBS player who ran for at least one touchdown in all 12 games this season, which set a Notre Dame record. In the Fighting Irish’s 49-14 win over No. 18 Army, Love had 136 all-purpose yards with three touchdowns. He’ll probably be sharing carries again with Jadarian Price in 2025, but quarterback Riley Leonard is moving on.
Nussmeier had the unenviable task of replacing Heisman Trophy winner Jayden Daniels as LSU’s starting quarterback, but he excelled in his first season. Nussmeier threw for 3,739 yards with 26 touchdowns and 11 interceptions. He threw for at least 300 yards in seven contests and at least 400 in a pair of games. Nussmeier was considered a potential first-round pick in next year’s NFL draft, but he announced Wednesday that he’s returning to LSU, saying in a statement that he was “fully committed to bringing this university a championship.”
Smith was ranked the No. 2 receiver prospect in the country in the class of 2024 by ESPN Recruiting, and he more than lived up to that lofty billing in his first season with the Buckeyes. He had 57 catches for 934 yards with 10 touchdowns. He already has a highlight reel of spectacular one-handed catches, and he dropped only two passes this season. Last week, Smith was named the Big Ten Freshman of the Year and Wide Receiver of the Year.
It’s a good thing for the Sun Devils that Michigan State hired former Oregon State coach Jonathan Smith to replace Mel Tucker last year. Leavitt grew up in West Linn, Oregon, and wasn’t happy that Smith didn’t offer him a scholarship when he was coaching the Beavers. So Leavitt transferred from Michigan State to ASU, where he guided the Sun Devils to an 11-2 record and unlikely Big 12 title in their first season in the conference. Leavitt passed for 2,663 yards with 24 touchdowns and ran for 383 yards with five scores. ASU coach Kenny Dillingham says Leavitt will play on Sundays.
Nittany Lions coach James Franklin was more than pleased with Allar’s progress from Year 1 to Year 2 as the starter, and the junior could be even better in 2025 if he returns for another season. Allar completed 69.1% of his passes for 2,894 yards with 21 touchdowns and seven interceptions. He also ran for six scores. Allar has elite arm talent, and the Nittany Lions started using it under offensive coordinator Andy Kotelnicki. Allar has to be excited that Kotelnicki stayed at Penn State after interviewing for West Virginia’s head coaching job.
After Sellers had 350 yards of offense (244 passing and 106 rushing) with three touchdowns in a 44-20 upset of Texas A&M on Nov. 2, another SEC coach called him “Superman” in a text to Gamecocks coach Shane Beamer. Sellers was Superman and more for South Carolina this season, passing for 2,274 yards with 17 touchdowns and running for 655 yards with seven scores. He led South Carolina to a surprising 9-3 record and a six-game winning streak to close the regular season.
The freshman from Saraland, Alabama, burst onto the scene by hauling in a 75-yard touchdown catch from Jalen Milroe with 2:18 left in a 41-34 victory against Georgia on Sept. 28. He had six catches for 177 yards in the game. Williams finished the season with 45 receptions for 857 yards with eight scores, but he cooled off late. He didn’t have more than 73 receiving yards in each of the past seven games. If Bama’s passing game is better in 2025, and Williams cuts down on his drops (eight), he could become one of the best receivers to play for the Tide.
Ducks coach Dan Lanning once joked that James runs like an “angry old man,” but the 20-year-old junior can’t even buy a drink yet. Lanning is happy that James flipped his commitment from Georgia to Oregon on national signing day in February 2022. James picked up 1,253 yards with 15 touchdowns this season. He had 115 yards with one touchdown in a 32-31 win over Ohio State, then gained 87 yards and scored twice in a 45-37 victory against Penn State in the Big Ten championship game. James hasn’t yet indicated whether he plans to return to Oregon in 2025 or turn pro.
With junior Quinn Ewers expected to move on to the NFL (or even just to another FBS team), the Manning era at Texas should finally kick off in 2025. A nephew of former NFL quarterbacks Eli and Peyton and son of Cooper, Arch Manning wasn’t rushed into the starting role, which is probably a great thing for his development. At 6-foot-4 and 225 pounds, he has the tools and pedigree to be a star. He completed 61 of 90 passes for 939 yards with nine touchdowns and two interceptions in eight games this season.
Tennessee fans got a glimpse of Iamaleava when he accounted for four touchdowns in last season’s 35-0 victory over Iowa in the Cheez-It Citrus Bowl. He was the first Vols freshman quarterback to win a bowl game since Peyton Manning in the 1994 Gator Bowl. This season, Iamaleava completed 65.7% of his attempts for 2,512 yards with 19 touchdowns and five interceptions. He’s 11-2 as a starter. If Iamaleava progresses as expected, the former five-star recruit could be a Heisman contender in 2025.
Lagway didn’t become the Gators’ full-time starter until senior Graham Mertz tore an ACL in a 23-17 overtime loss to Tennessee in the sixth game of the season. Lagway gave Florida fans a sneak peek of what was coming when he started against FCS program Samford while Mertz was out with a concussion. Lagway broke a UF freshman record with 456 passing yards and three touchdowns in a 45-7 victory. In 11 games, Lagway threw for 1,610 yards with 11 touchdowns. It was enough to give the struggling program hope and keep coach Billy Napier around for another season.
If junior tailback Trevor Etienne declares for the NFL draft, Frazier should enter the 2025 season as the Bulldogs’ primary back. He showed plenty of promise as a freshman, running 129 times for 634 yards with eight scores. Frazier, from Compton, California, improved tremendously as a pass blocker 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 might have laughed at the notion of Klubnik being a Heisman Trophy contender after he struggled in the Tigers’ 34-3 loss to Georgia in the opener in Atlanta. He threw for 142 yards with no touchdowns, leaving many fans questioning whether Clemson would be moving on. But Klubnik was one of the sport’s most improved passers this season, completing 63.7% of his attempts for 3,303 yards with 33 touchdowns and five interceptions. He passed for 262 yards with four scores in a 34-31 win against SMU in the ACC championship game.