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Justin's top 10 Heisman Trophy contenders ahead of Week 2 of the 2025 college football season. Where do Garrett Nussmeier and Arch Manning rank?
Top 10 Heisman Contenders For Week 2
Week 1 of the college football season is behind us, and the Heisman Trophy race has, like, anti-heated up. Instead of the biggest names in college football going out and asserting themselves in Week 1, multiple preseason contenders went out and put up total stinkers to fall out of the race.
There’s still plenty of time left for things to change, of course. Arch Manning and Cade Klubnik can get back into the race, but they’re entering Week 2 at a disadvantage after their Week 1 showings. Here are the current top 10 Heisman contenders entering Week 2.
10. Jackson Arnold, QB, Auburn
Last week: Not Ranked
Jackson Arnold’s Oklahoma tenure was largely a disappointment, and I doubt many expected his move to Auburn to really make much of an impact, but Arnold was really good in a huge road win over Baylor. Arnold was 11-for-17 for 108 yards as a passer, but it was what he did with his feet that made the big difference in the game as he carried the ball 16 times for 137 yards and two touchdowns.
9. Arch Manning, QB, Texas
Last week: Second
Sure, Ohio State has a good defense, so we should have expected Arch Manning to struggle a bit in the opener, especially after Texas lost its two best wide receivers to the NFL.
But the level at which Manning underperformed against the Buckeyes was concerning. He completed 56.7 percent of his passes for 170 yards with a touchdown and an interception as the Longhorns managed just seven total points in the defeat. Suddenly, there are major question marks about Manning’s future.
8. Gunner Stockton, QB, Georgia
Last week: Not Ranked
Concerns about how Georgia would play with Gunner Stockton taking over as the full-time starter appear to have been overblown. Sure, the team’s Week 1 win was only against Marshall, but Stockton did what he needed to do, passing for a pair of touchdowns and rushing for a pair as well. We won’t learn how good Georgia is until Sept. 13 against Tennessee, but Stockton might be a Heisman dark horse.
7. Drew Allar, QB, Penn State
Last week: Fifth
This drop in the rankings isn’t really reflective of anything bad about Drew Allar’s game. It’s simply that other guys did more exciting things in Week 1. Allar was good in the 46-11 win over Nevada, going 22-for-26 for 217 yards and a touchdown. He’ll likely jump up this list if he can play near this level against power conference opponents.
6. John Mateer, QB, Oklahoma
Last week: Not Ranked
Obviously, we have to factor in competition level here, but Oklahoma’s John Mateer looked really good as Oklahoma rolled past FCS program Illinois State.
He was 30-for-37 for 392 yards and three touchdowns while rushing for 24 yards and a score. He was picked off once, but his overall body of work was impressive. If he can do it again against Michigan this week, then we can start to take his Heisman hopes seriously.
5. Cade Klubnik, QB, Clemson
Last week: First
The hardest thing about putting this week’s ranking together was figuring out how far to drop Cade Klubnik, who went from Heisman favorite to, uhh…whatever he is now.
In a huge, high-profile meeting with LSU, Klubnik completed just half of his pass attempts, going 19-for-38 for 230 yards with no touchdowns and a pick. He didn’t add anything on the ground either. I still believe in the talent, but Klubnik has this bad habit of playing horribly against SEC teams. It’s going to make his path to winning the Heisman really, really difficult.
4. Carson Beck, QB, Miami
Last week: Ninth
I was wary of Carson Beck having a real Heisman case after being fooled by him in 2024, but it appears that the move to Miami has a chance to do for him the same thing it did for Cameron Ward last year. Beck helped the Hurricanes score an upset 27-24 win over Notre Dame on Sunday night, going 20-for-34 for 205 yards and two touchdowns.
The individual numbers might not look that impressive, but Beck stepped up in a huge spot, leading the Hurricanes to the win in what was theoretically their toughest game of the season.
3. LaNorris Sellers, QB, South Carolina
Last week: Sixth
In a week where it felt like every quarterback had a letdown performance, South Carolina’s LaNorris Sellers was a breath of fresh air.
Sellers was 12-for-19 for 209 yards and a touchdown in a 24-11 win over Virginia Tech. He also rushed for 25 yards and a score. The rushing numbers probably need to improve for Sellers to actually win the award, but it was a very solid start to his 2025 campaign.
2. Jeremiah Smith, WR, Ohio State
Last week: Fourth
Jeremiah Smith was largely held in check by Texas, catching six passes for 43 yards. Those aren’t Heisman numbers, but quarterback Julian Sayin only completed 13 passes on the day. There wasn’t much else Smith could have done.
He’ll need improved quarterback play to help him generate the kind of big-play highlights that a receiver needs to win the Heisman, but that should be coming. The Buckeyes don’t play a ranked team again until the second week in October.
1. Garrett Nussmeier, QB, LSU
Last week: Third
Garrett Nussmeier survived Week 1. That’s about all you can ask for, considering how the rest of the top preseason contenders fared.
In a 17-10 win over Clemson, Nussmeier was 28-for-38 for 232 yards and a touchdown. He wasn’t picked off, which is notable after he struggled with turnovers last year. He’s the Heisman frontrunner at the moment, and that head-to-head win over Cade Klubnik will go a long way toward making his case, but there’s still a lot of football left to be played.
