College football is loaded with star power ahead of the 2025 season, but who could rise to the top as the Heisman Trophy winner?
Colorado’s Travis Hunter took home the prestigious award last season as a two-way star that became the first such player to win the honor since Charles Woodson in 1997.
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Hunter’s win also marked the first non-quarterback Heisman winner since Alabama’s DeVonte Smith in 2020 and only the fifth non-quarterback since 2000.
ESPN’s top-10 Heisman Trophy contenders includes three non-quarterbacks, featuring Alabama wide receiver Ryan Williams (No. 10), Notre Dame running back Jeremiyah Love (No. 8) and Ohio State wide receiver Jeremiah Smith (No. 3).
Not surprisingly, the rest of the list is loaded with star quarterbacks, including Oklahoma’s John Mateer (No. 9) South Carolina’s LaNorris Sellers (No. 7) Penn State’s Drew Allar (No. 6) Florida’s DJ Lagway (No. 5) and LSU’s Garrett Nussmeier (No. 4).
Clemson Tigers quarterback Cade Klubnik.Nathan Ray Seebeck-USA TODAY Sports
That leaves a pair of quarterbacks with the top two in Clemson’s Cade Klubnik and Texas’ Arch Manning.
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Manning, entering his first season as a starter, has drawn some notable hype as the Heisman favorite. The former five-star currently holds the top odds (+700) with Klubnik sitting second (+900), per FanDuel.
However, ESPN tabbed Klubnik as the No. 1 Heisman contender entering his senior season under head coach Dabo Swinney and offensive coordinator Garrett Riley.
“Klubnik has grown tremendously since his first season as a starter in 2023,” ESPN’s Chris Low wrote. “The 6-2, 210-pound senior ranks in the top five in Clemson history in nearly every passing category and put up huge numbers a year ago when he was one of two FBS quarterbacks with more than 3,600 passing yards and 400 rushing yards.”
Unlike Manning, Klubnik has a wealth of production to his name after two seasons at the helm of the Clemson offense.
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The former five-star put together a career year in 2024, completing 63.4% of his passes for 3,639 yards with 36 touchdowns to six interceptions while adding 463 yards and seven touchdowns on the ground.
Klubnik’s surge helped lead the Tigers to an ACC championship win and a College Football Playoff appearance.
Clemson’s offense returns four starters along the offensive line and three of the top wide receivers in Antonio Williams, Bryant Wesco Jr. and T.J. Moore. That continuity paints a bright picture for Klubnik’s chances at college football’s top honor.
Klubnik will begin his senior campaign at home when the Tigers host LSU on Aug. 30 at 7:30 p.m. ET (ABC).
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