By now, we’ll assume you’re aware of college football’s Heisman Trophy frontrunners ahead of the 2025 season. That group is dominated by quarterbacks who are the faces of their respective programs along with a wide receiver coming off one of the most memorable freshman seasons in history for the defending national champions.
But it’s never fun betting the favorites, is it?
Last season, Travis Hunter became the third consecutive Heisman winner whose team failed to reach the College Football Playoff, continuing the recent trend of stars outside of the national title picture drawing consideration. After Lamar Jackson won the award in 2016 for a nine-win Louisville squad, five consecutive Heisman winners led their respective teams to the playoff, including two future national champions (Joe Burrow, 2019; DeVonta Smith, 2020).
College football betting odds: Value future plays for 2025 national championship, conference titles, Heisman
Chris Hummer
Courtesy of FanDuel Sportsbook, we’ve identified 10 players with current Heisman odds of +5000 or greater that could be worth a closer look this summer. As with all Heisman futures, if you’re able to grab good value now, there’s always a possibility of an early cashout during the middle of the season if your chosen star makes an impact early.
The straw who stirs the drink for the Fighting Irish on offense, Love averaged 6.9 yards per carry last season and scored a touchdown in 13 consecutive games at one point. He’ll have an increased role this fall given run-heavy quarterback Riley Leonard’s exit and Notre Dame going with a first-year starter at the position. Love had four carries stretching 60 or more yards as a sophomore, including his 98-yard burst against Indiana in the playoff. Only three running backs have won the Heisman since 2000 and Notre Dame’s last winner of the bronze statue was Tim Brown in 1987.
Could the Big 12 produce another Heisman winner few saw coming in the preseason? Perhaps. Johnson isn’t a household name like Hunter was in 2024, but the schedule starts with an exclusive opportunity against Iowa State in Dublin, Ireland on Aug. 23. That’s a premiere chance to win the national spotlight early for Johnson, whose Wildcats are the current co-favorites to win the conference with Utah (+600). Johnson was responsible for 10 multi-touchdown starts last season, highlighted by a five-touchdown performance during a win over Oklahoma State.
Hugh Freeze must get this one right on The Plains following last season’s quarterback troubles at Auburn. Arnold began the 2024 season as the starter at Oklahoma, but inconsistent play led to a short rope from Brent Venables. The Sooners’ offensive front struggled, the wideout room was a mash unit and Arnold looked for greener pastures in the portal. The Tigers’ primary strength will be their wide receiver corps following heavy offseason acquisitions and Arnold should benefit from those elite targets in the passing game. Arnold can run, too.
If you’re buying what Huskers coach Matt Rhule is selling about Raiola this summer, this one’s worth exploring further. The sophomore quarterback is all-in on bringing Nebraska back to national prominence and showed flashes of elite arm strength as a five-star, first-year starter in 2024. Raiola would’ve fetched top dollar in the transfer portal given his expansive skill set, but stuck to his guns and honored his initial commitment for another year with the Huskers. Nebraska should be 3-0 with sparkling numbers for Raiola before hosting nationally-ranked Michigan at the end of September. The transfer addition of ex-Kentucky wideout Dane Key, who caught 126 passes for 1,870 yards and 14 touchdowns over three seasons with the Wildcats, was an early Christmas gift for Raiola.
5. Demond Williams, QB, Washington (+6500)
Williams keeps coming up in offseason conversations about dark-horse breakout star candidates and it’s easy to see why. Huskies coach Jedd Fisch expects his signal-caller to lead Washington to great things in 2025. Playing behind former Mississippi State transfer Will Rogers last season, it was clear from glimpses that Williams was the future of the offense. He threw for 201 yards and a touchdown during a loss to Oregon in November before a 374-yard explosion during bowl season against Louisville. With a 78.1% completion rate, Williams knows where to go with the football and is always on time.
This one’s a considerable long shot, but if there’s a defensive player capable of getting to New York, Downs is your guy. He might even get some punt return reps on special teams. Downs made several critical game-changing plays during Ohio State’s CFP semifinal win over Texas last season, including an instinctual stop down near the goal line and the victory-clinching interception at midfield in the final moments. The former five-star recruit and Alabama transfer could be the first defensive back off the board in the 2026 NFL Draft.
Sure, Singleton is going to split carries with Kaytron Allen in the Nittany Lions’ backfield, but this is a cheap price for a player who has posted two 1,000-yard seasons in his career and was the workhorse of sorts throughout the playoffs last season. He followed up a 100-yard outing against Oregon in the Big Ten Championship Game with 261 yards and five touchdowns over three CFP games. The yardage total was behind Allen, but Singleton is the home-run threat within this offense.
If you can navigate TV and streaming restrictions and tune in for Navy football this fall, Horvath might be your favorite college football player by season’s end. He’s part of the reason why Navy is CBS Sports’ preseason Group of Five champion and a way-too-early projected playoff pick. Horvath was responsible for 30 touchdowns last season (17 rushing, 13 pass) and averaged 7.1 yards per carry en route to 1,254 yards in his first year as the Midshipmen’s starter. Expect Navy to be the betting favorite over its first 10 games of the season before traveling to Notre Dame on Nov. 8. That could mark his Heisman moment and the perfect time to cash out if you’re holding a Horvath futures ticket.
The Ducks have produced Heisman finalists at quarterback in consecutive years and Dante Moore could certainly continue that streak. However, Hughes from Tulane was signed to absorb the loss of Jordan James to the NFL Draft and he’ll be running behind one of the nation’s loaded offensive lines. Hughes has 2,779 career rushing yards and 22 touchdowns without a fumble over his first two collegiate seasons, and he should mirror that type production in the Big Ten. The Hughes acquisition for Oregon feels similar to Ohio State signing former Ole Miss star Quinshon Judkins last transfer cycle. And we know what that addition to the lineup resulted in for the Buckeyes.
There’s considerably more value on Stewart at this price than his teammate and quarterback LaNorris Sellers (+1900) given the Gamecocks’ expected changes offensively with a new play-caller, unproven talent at wide receiver and new faces in the backfield. Stewart is hoping to become the program’s third No. 1 overall selection a coupe years from now in the NFL Draft as a freakish talent off the edge. The sophomore notched 6.5 sacks as a first-year player last fall and is the focal point of Clayton White’s defense.
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