With the college football season kicking off this week, Bucky Brooks identifies his top eight candidates to win the 2025 Heisman Trophy. Where do Texas QB Arch Manning and Ohio State WR Jeremiah Smith rank?

Another commonality: Almost all of these players are on preseason top-25 teams. The Heisman Trophy winner is often a leader on a team that played for its conference championship or is bound for the College Football Playoff. The past two winners (Hunter in ’24 and Jayden Daniels in ’23) were rare exceptions.

Who our 28 college football staffers believe will win the national title (Texas?), the Heisman (not Arch?) and more, plus bold predictions.

Notre Dame is expected to contend for the championship again in 2025, and if they come close, it will likely mean Love is in the running for the Heisman. A couple of injuries limited Avery Johnson in his sophomore season in the Little Apple, but there was still plenty to love about the dual-threat quarterback.

One of the funnier tweets to come across the X timeline during the dog days of summer is Darren McFadden's right to claim one of the Heisman Trophy's he was rob

The Heisman Trophy weighs 45 pounds, is 14 inches long, 13 inches high, and 6 inches wide. The bronze trophy has been given out every year since 1935.

Odds: +700 — The most hyped quarterback in America finally earning his stripes. Less than three full games last season resulted in 939 yards and nine TDs. He also carries dual-threat upside—a meter voters love.

After the departure of NFL number-one overall pick Cam Ward, the Hurricanes have yet another signal caller who might be holding Heisman hardware after the 2025 season