The early favorite for the 2025 Heisman Trophy isn’t much of a surprise.

Texas QB Arch Manning has opened as the favorite at BetMGM ahead of his first season as the Longhorns’ starter. Manning is +800 and has odds slightly better than LSU’s Garrett Nussmeier at +850.

Manning takes over for Quinn Ewers as Texas’ QB and said in an interview released this week that he doesn’t feel he’s done enough as a college football player yet to get all the attention that he’s received. And it’s safe to say that attention is a significant reason why Manning is the early favorite.

Manning had 13 total TDs across 10 games in 2024. He started two games in Ewers’ absence after Ewers suffered a strained oblique in September against UTSA. Manning had five total touchdowns in relief of Ewers in that game.

Ewers opened as one of the co-favorites to win the Heisman in 2024. Ewers, Oregon’s Dillon Gabriel, Georgia’s Carson Beck and Alabama’s Jalen Milroe were all at +800 to win the Heisman when BetMGM first posted the odds. Of the four players, only Gabriel made it to New York City as a Heisman finalist. Eventual Heisman winner Travis Hunter opened at +3500 and was at +5000 over the summer before taking the college football world by storm with his ability to play both defensive back and wide receiver at a high level.

Nussmeier returns to LSU for a second season as a starter following a solid 2024. He completed 64% of his passes for 4,052 yards and 29 TDs with 12 interceptions, though he cooled off during SEC play. Nussmeier threw 18 TDs over LSU’s first six games of the season and had just five passing TDs over his next five games.

He’s one of the top returning QBs in the SEC as Texas isn’t the only playoff contender to have a new quarterback ahead of the 2025 season. Gunner Stockton is set to replace Beck at Georgia and Ty Simpson appears to be in line to take over from Milroe at Alabama.

Clemson QB Cade Klubnik is the No. 3 favorite at +1100 ahead of Ohio State wide receiver Jeremiah Smith at +1200. Klubnik made a leap in his second season as Clemson’s starter in 2024 as he totaled 43 touchdowns and the Tigers made the College Football Playoff.

Smith was one of the best receivers in the country a season ago as a freshman and had 76 catches for 1,315 yards and 15 TDs. His catch on a go route late in the national championship game sealed Ohio State’s win over Notre Dame.

Smith is also the only non-quarterback who can’t be considered a long shot to win the Heisman. Every other player with odds of better than 50-1 to win the Heisman is a QB. The running back with the shortest odds is Notre Dame’s Jeremiyah Love at +5000 and no other non-QB outside of Smith and Love has odds shorter than 150-1 at this point.

Early 2025 Heisman Trophy favorites

• Texas QB Arch Manning (+800)

• LSU QB Garrett Nussmeier (+850)

• Clemson QB Cade Klubnik (+1100)

• Ohio State WR Jeremiah Smith (+1200)

• Penn State QB Drew Allar (+1300)

• Tennessee QB Nico Iamaleava (+1300)

• South Carolina QB LaNorris Sellers (+1800)

• Oregon QB Dante Moore (+1800)

• Ohio State QB Julian Sayin (+1800)

• Miami QB Carson Beck (+2000)

• Florida QB DJ Lagway (+2500)

• Oklahoma QB John Mateer (+2500)

• Ole Miss QB Austin Simmons (+3500)

• Louisville QB Miller Moss (+3500)

• SMU QB Kevin Jennings (+3500)

• Georgia QB Gunner Stockton (+3500)

• Arizona State QB Sam Leavitt (+4000)

• Texas A&M QB Marcel Reed (+4000)

• Kansas QB Jalon Daniels (+5000)

• Notre Dame RB Jeremiyah Love (+5000)

• Auburn QB Jackson Arnold (+5000)