12 Underclassmen with Best Shot at 2025 Heisman Trophy

When you’re talking about who has the chops to win college football’s top individual award, the list is going to be quarterback-heavy. Let’s face it—it’s not often that an out-of-nowhere candidate like two-way phenom Travis Hunter’s presence on the scene is so undeniable as it was in 2024.

Talking about underclassmen—those who will be either freshmen or sophomores—the list condenses even more.

Still, there are probably seven or eight legitimate candidates in that category for the ’25 season and a few other “dark horses.” To make this list, you’ve got to have the potential and be in the system to produce the type of numbers that get you noticed on a national level.

Sorry, Dylan Raiola. He has the talent, yes, but he just missed the list because Matt Rhule’s system doesn’t lend itself to gaudy numbers, and the Nebraska Cornhuskers didn’t exactly surround him with a stable of playmakers.

So, who did make it? Some of the guys on the list you’re going to scoff at because they’d need to make a humongous leap. But there is certainly potential abounding all over the place here.

Let’s take a look at some freshmen and sophomores who could take home the hardware later this year.

Looking up and down the running back rankings in college football, you simply don’t see a lot of star power at the position. 

Sure, Notre Dame junior Jeremiyah Love should pace the field, but he isn’t an underclassman. There just aren’t any slam-dunk producers who are freshmen or sophomores besides Louisville second-year runner Isaac Brown.

The 5’9”, 180-pound Homestead, Florida, native was an unheralded runner in the ’24 class who was a 3-star commitment for coach Jeff Brohm. But he showed real quickly that he’d become an offensive centerpiece for the Cardinals. 

Brown finished his true freshman year with 165 rushes for 1,173 yards and 11 touchdowns. He averaged 7.1 yards per rush and also had 30 catches for 152 yards and another scores.

Simply put, Brown can do it all and is a home-run hitter when he gets in space. 

Now, with Tyler Shough gone, Brown will be the centerpiece and the focal point of the offense. You may think that could hurt the running back, but USC transfer Miller Moss is coming in, so big numbers could follow.

Brown is a guy who has now proven he can be an offensive focal point, and before you think, “Well, Louisville isn’t really going to be a hotbed for Heisman voters,” did you forget about former winner Lamar Jackson?

If you’re good enough and you produce—and your team wins—acclaim will find you. Brown may be a dark horse, but he’s worth watching.

Much like Arch Manning, much was expected of Nico Iamaleava as part of the illustrious quarterback class of 2023, but so far, the promise and potential need to materialize into production.

As a full-time starter in ’24, Iamaleava made some big plays early in the season, had some elite passes and some gritty showings here and there, but it was a largely uneven and uninspiring season.

When coach Josh Heupel handed over the reins of his high-octane, up-tempo offense to Iamaleava, it seemed bogged down, and the Vols actually slowed things down to highlight a dominant defense and the running of Dylan Sampson.

Much more is expected of Iamaleava in ’25, and rightfully so. He was one of the first big-name NIL guys, and if he gets back to running the ball with his long-striding speed and zips those passes to his playmakers, he could have a big year.

In ’24, Iamaleava completed 64 percent of his passes for 2,616 yards, 19 touchdowns and five interceptions while he acclimated himself to Heupel’s offense and adjusted to the SEC speed of defenses. Only 358 rushing yards proved he didn’t really settle into his game.

Make no mistake, though: Iamaleava is an uber-talented, dual-threat signal-caller with a lot of leap ability in his game. If he adjusts in Heupel’s quarterback-friendly offense, big numbers could follow.

Like a lot of players on this list, bounds of expectations came with DJ Lagway to Gainesville as a 5-star quarterback in the ’24 class, but the athletic first-year field general seemed content to shine in his spots and wait his turn.

Then, Graham Mertz was injured for the season in a loss at Tennessee, and the Gators became Lagway’s team. Once he got healthy, that’s when coach Billy Napier’s team went on a run.

The 6’3”, 239-pound freshman finished the year completing 60 percent of his passes for 1,915 yards, 12 touchdowns and nine interceptions. He also ran for 101 yards.

But in a four-game winning streak over ranked LSU and Ole Miss, rival Florida State and a bowl win over Tulane, Lagway threw for 844 yards, six touchdowns and four interceptions.

Of course, he needs to make a huge leap between last year and this season now that the Gators are “his” team, but there are plenty of reasons for excitement in the Swamp. Napier surrounded him with some special youngsters.

Guys like running back Jadan Baugh and incoming freshman receivers Dallas Wilson and Vernell Brown III are exciting playmakers that will make Lagway better. This Gators offense will make some mistakes, but they’ve got the potential to be explosive.

Lagway is charged with making it all tick. Once he learns to limit turnovers and use his athletic ability to better extend plays against quality competition, the sky is the limit for his potential.

As the Arizona State Sun Devils made their unexpected run to the College Football Playoff in 2024 and nearly beat Texas, there’s no question that they were Cam Skattebo’s team.

The rugged running back willed his team to win, and every time they needed a tough yard, they could rely on him. Now, he’s off to the NFL, and that’s a major void that must be filled.

But lost in the shuffle of the well-deserved Skattebo hype was the blossoming of another star in quarterback Sam Leavitt.

After all, coach Kenny Dillingham was known as a terrific quarterback developer during his time as an offensive coordinator, and sure enough, Leavitt went from an unheralded transfer from Michigan State to a redshirt freshman catalyst.

In his redshirt freshman campaign, Leavitt completed 62 percent of his passes for 2,885 yards, 24 touchdowns and six interceptions. He also ran for 443 yards and five more scores, cementing himself as a true dual-threat quarterback.

With his top receiver out in the playoffs, Leavitt still threw for 222 yards and made several huge plays in a 39-31 double-overtime loss to the Longhorns, proving he has big-game chops.

This is Leavitt’s team with Skattebo gone, and with the transfer of Army running back Kanye Udoh to go along with Kyson Brown and Raleek Brown, there are still offensive backfield weapons around him. 

If the Sun Devils make another run, Leavitt’s handprints will be all over it.

Some of you are going to say Arch Manning is only on this list because of his name, and they’d be the same doubters who harrumphed about his No. 1 prospect ranking coming out of high school.

The bottom line is the rising redshirt sophomore quarterback patiently waited his turn for two seasons at Texas behind Quinn Ewers and wedged his way into the rotation as a change-of-pace, athletic signal-caller who was used by coach Steve Sarkisian situationally.

Then, when his time came and Ewers got hurt, Manning stepped in and ran the show.

The glimpses of greatness he showed were undeniable. Now, the nephew of NFL Hall of Famers Peyton and Eli Manning is ready to step into the spotlight, and his potential is off the charts.

It wouldn’t be surprising for him to have the type of season in ’25 that kept the Longhorns on their national champion trajectory and spring-boarded Manning into the first few picks of the NFL draft. Yes, he’s got that ability.

At 6’4”, 225 pounds, Manning has the size and arm strength to be special. He completed 68 percent of his passes for 939 yards, nine touchdowns and two interceptions last year, along with 108 more rushing yards and four additional scores.

He’s more athletic than you think and is a threat with his legs, which will further open up the passing game. Plus, he has a bunch of weaponry around him.

Everything is set up for Manning to man another title run in Austin.

Another bit of a logic leap to put a guy on this list who hardly played in 2024, but there's a case to be made for Oregon rising redshirt sophomore Dante Moore.

Some may scoff at putting him here over somebody like Dylan Raiola—who has a year of starting under his belt—but that shouldn’t be the case for a couple of reasons.

No. 1, when Moore takes the field as the Ducks’ starting signal-caller in ’25, it won’t be his first time under the bright lights of important football. As a true freshman with UCLA in ’23, Moore got plenty of starting experience. Though he proved he wasn’t ready, there were glimmers of brilliance.

Secondly, with Will Stein as the offensive coordinator in Eugene, Moore steps into a very quarterback-friendly offense where Bo Nix and Dillon Gabriel shined before him. Of course there’s a big difference in those two veterans and Moore, but the latter has special ability, too.

Remember, Moore was part of the vaunted 2023 class of quarterbacks and was the No. 4-ranked overall player in the class and the third-rated quarterback (behind only Arch Manning and Nico Iamaleava).

He’s waited his turn behind Gabriel learning Stein’s offense. Now, he will be in the spotlight under center for a Big Ten champion team that expects to compete for national titles.

It’s a tall ask for Moore, but entering Year 3 of his college career, it’s now-or-never time. The belief here is he has what it takes to churn out a big year and make his inclusion on this list worthwhile.

There are a few roll-of-the-dice gambles on this list, and a couple of them will be dueling signal-callers who play for hated rivals.

The first of these is Julian Sayin, who will step into the role that Will Howard had in 2024 when he led the Ohio State Buckeyes to a national championship as the quarterback when he transferred from Kansas State.

Howard will be a Buckeye star remembered, no matter how little he played in Columbus, but Sayin has the potential to be the next long-term legend much the way C.J. Stroud and those before him were.

Sayin has wowed everybody with his ability to make all the throws in his short time on campus after signing with Alabama as the No. 1-ranked overall quarterback in the ’24 class out of California but changing his mind and portaling to Ohio State once Nick Saban retired.

Even though coach Ryan Day went out and got Howard, Sayin honed his craft all year, patiently waiting his turn. He impressed so much that Howard’s primary backup, Devin Brown, left the Buckeyes and transferred to the Cal Bears for his final two years.

This is Sayin’s team now, and he has so many star players around him on offense that there’s nothing suggesting he can’t step right in and make everything tick. Will there be bumps in the road? Sure, most likely. But this is a guy who will be learning under a great QB developer in Day with all the weapons to be great.

It’s not a leap to have him on this list.

When talking about the “old SEC East” back before the conference ceased to have divisions, we’ve got three potential Heisman Trophy-contending quarterbacks on this list. 

Nico Iamaleava and DJ Lagway already have been discussed, and now we head to Columbia, South Carolina, and LaNorris Sellers. 

The big, athletic Sellers is a lot like Lagway with a year of seasoning. At 6’3”, 242 pounds, the rising redshirt sophomore is big, strong-armed and possesses the type of athleticism to extend plays and make gains with his feet.

Even though things weren’t always rosy at the beginning of the ’24 season for coach Shane Beamer and the Gamecocks, they became one of college football’s hottest teams late in the year, largely because of Sellers’ progression.

The signal-caller from Florence, South Carolina, finished the year completing 66 percent of his passes for 2,534 yards, 18 touchdowns and seven interceptions. He also ran for 674 yards and seven more scores.

When the Gamecocks didn’t have a lot of difference-makers on the perimeter, Sellers helped bring the young guys along with his leadership, play-making ability and propensity to make all the throws. In short, he made the team better, and that’s what you’re looking for in a quarterback.

Now, the question is whether he can make the leap to superstar? There is a lot of untapped potential, and with his size and ability, Sellers has all the trappings of somebody who can be one of college football’s top stars. With a better supporting cast around him in ’25, watch out.

The elephant in the room here is that an edge-rusher has never won the Heisman Trophy, and only two defensive players ever have—Michigan’s Charles Woodson and Colorado’s Travis Hunter.

Hunter’s name being there deserves an asterisk, too, since he also caught 96 passes for 1,258 yards and won the Biletnikoff Award for the top overall receiver in ’24 (along with his elite cornerback skills).

But it’s always fun to break new ground with picks, and Texas’ rising sophomore outside linebacker Colin Simmons may be the top defensive player in the nation in ’25. He looks like he’s got the potential to be a future No. 1 overall pick.

Simmons is a havoc-wreaker who simply wouldn’t be denied playing time as a true freshman in ’24. The 6’3”, 245-pound first-year defender from Dallas finished the year with 48 tackles, nine sacks, three forced fumbles and an interception.

He was all over the place, and you’d better believe defensive coordinator Pete Kwiatkowski will continue moving him around, getting him in unbalanced situations so he can get after quarterbacks and making him difficult to block.

It would be an outside-the-box occurrence for Simmons to produce the type of numbers that would make him a Heisman Trophy candidate, and it would take the type of development and production you don’t normally see.

But Simmons is an uncommon talent with so many elite players around him that he will get his shots. Why shouldn’t he be included or considered?

Nobody from the 2024 recruiting class burst onto the scene quite like Ohio State pass-catcher Jeremiah Smith, who became a sensation almost immediately.

From the time he stepped onto campus in Columbus in time for spring practice, everybody was talking about him, and the true freshman pass-catcher became one of the premiere players regardless of class or position in the country.

While he kind of disappeared a little at times during the playoffs, Smith was the Buckeyes’ catalyst during the first two wins over Tennessee and Oregon. Then, when they had to have a massive play to secure the title win over Notre Dame, quarterback Will Howard went to him for a big gain down the field.

Smith has special ability and finished the season with 76 catches for 1,315 yards and 15 touchdowns. You simply aren’t supposed to have that type of production as a true freshman. Essentially, he rendered the loss of Ohio State’s top receiver—Marvin Harrison Jr.—a nonfactor. 

Now, Smith will set his sights on something much bigger. The former No. 1-ranked overall player in the ’24 recruiting class has the ability to be the Heisman Trophy winner.

Coach Ryan Day is charged with finding somebody who can consistently get Smith the ball, but once he does, the Florida native has the ability to carry an offense and take it to the next level.

How are you going to put a true freshman on this list, right? Well, just ask Jeremiah Smith, who—even though he didn’t really get brought into the Heisman equation as a true freshman—at times looked like the best player in the College Football Playoff.

Bryce Underwood has the elite ability to be here, and, really, so does Alabama incoming freshman quarterback Keelon Russell, who just missed this list. Russell didn’t make it because he’s “blocked” possibly by Ty Simpson.

Even though Davis Warren is in Ann Arbor, it certainly feels like coach Sherrone Moore is going to give elite 5-star freshman quarterback Underwood every chance to win the job.

He’s probably the largest leap of anybody on the list, simply because the Wolverines must restock the shelf at receiver, too, meaning Underwood isn’t going to have a bunch of locks to produce on the perimeter, but there is some good, young talent for Big Blue.

The Wolverines began to look like a potential budding powerhouse down the stretch again last year, and they went out and added Alabama transfer running back Justice Haynes to go along with Jordan Marshall in the backfield.

Underwood was a massive recruiting win for the Wolverines, getting him to flip from LSU and stay home to be the face of the future for the program. He can make all the throws and is a pretty darn good runner, too.

This likely will be Underwood’s team, and if Michigan can return to the national spotlight, he’ll rightfully get a bunch of credit. That sets up for Heisman consideration.

You could have crafted a drinking game around every time announcers mentioned that Alabama freshman receiver Ryan Williams was “only 17 years old” last season.

It became a bit of a cliche and a running joke, yeah, but the bottom line is him doing some of the things he did for the Crimson Tide were pretty jaw-dropping considering he really should have been a high school senior.

Williams reclassified to the ’24 recruiting class rather than play his final year at Saraland (Alabama) High School, and coach Kalen DeBoer is certainly glad he did. It didn’t take long for Williams to prove he belonged at the upper echelon of receivers on the highest level.

As the Tide struggled to find consistent offensive playmakers in DeBoer’s first year of implementing his offense with square-peg quarterback Jalen Milroe under center, Williams was the most explosive, even if he was undersized at 6’0”, 175 pounds.

Williams finished his first year in Tuscaloosa with 48 catches for 865 yards and eight touchdowns. He added two rushing scores (and 48 yards) on just four carries, and DeBoer used him as a punt returner, too, just to get the ball in his hands more.

Late in the season as the offense sputtered, Milroe didn’t find Williams enough, and it was evident in Alabama’s lack of game-changing plays. Now with Williams getting an extra year in the weight room and Milroe off to the NFL, they’ve got to get him the ball even more.

If they do, big things will follow.