RADIO
Justin's top 10 Heisman Trophy contenders ahead of Week 3 of the 2025 college football season. Where do Garrett Nussmeier and John Mateer rank?
Top 10 Heisman Contenders For Week 3
It’s hard to believe we’re already heading into Week 3 of the 2025 college football season. The main Heisman contender heading into this week is the same as the main Heisman contender was last week, but there’s a big change when it comes to who his biggest competition is.
This week, we say goodbye to a couple of contenders from last week. Notably, Clemson quarterback Cade Klubnik is out after the Tigers struggled for an entire half against Troy, with Klubnik throwing a pick-six before settling in in the second half. There’s plenty of time for Klubnik to get back into the Heisman picture, but the preseason favorite just hasn’t played even close to expectations. Here are the current top 10 Heisman candidates entering Week 3.
10. Devon Dampier, Quarterback, Utah
Last Week: Unranked
I did not expect Devon Dampier to show up in the Heisman rankings this year. Last year at New Mexico, he completed 57.9 percent of his passes with 12 touchdowns and 12 interceptions.
But his Utah tenure is off to a great start. In the season opener against UCLA, he threw a pair of touchdown passes and ran for one. At the moment, he’s completing 79.2 percent of his pass attempts with five touchdowns and no picks.
9. Gunner Stockton, Quarterback, Georgia
Last Week: Eighth
We didn’t really learn much about Gunner Stockton this week because Georgia took on Austin Peay. He completed 76.5 percent of his passes, but he also failed to find the end zone with either his arms or legs.
We won’t know if Stockton is a real Heisman contender until this upcoming week when the Bulldogs go on the road to take on Tennessee. Either he’ll be off this list entirely after that game, or he’ll move up into the top five.
8. Drew Allar, Quarterback, Penn State
Last Week: Seventh
Penn State also had one of those games this week where you learn nothing about the team, as it took down FIU 34-0. Allar was good enough, though you’d probably like to see a Heisman contender complete more than 57.6 percent of his passes against a team like Florida International.
As the season goes along, though, I’m starting to doubt Allar’s Heisman candidacy for reasons that have nothing to do with Allar. See, the Nittany Lions running back duo of Kaytron Allen and Nicholas Singleton is really, really good, and that means Allar simply might never be asked to do too much, preventing him from having any big Heisman moments.
7. Dante Moore, Quarterback, Ohio State
Last Week: Unranked
What we saw in Eugene this week isn’t supposed to happen. Oklahoma State is a power conference team, yet it looked like an FCS-level program against the Ducks. Oregon rolled to a 69-3 victory.
Dante Moore continued to show why Oregon trusted him to take over for Dillon Gabriel as he completed 76.2 percent of his attempts for 266 yards and three touchdowns. He currently leads the Big Ten in touchdown passes.
6. Arch Manning, Quarterback, Texas
Last Week: Ninth
After a disastrous season debut against Ohio State, Arch Mannin looked much better as the Longhorns rolled to a 38-7 win over San Jose State.
Manning threw for 295 yards and four touchdowns in the win while also rushing for another score. Sure, it was against much worse competition than Texas faced in its opener, but it reminded us why Manning entered the season as a top-three Heisman candidate.
5. Jeremiah Smith, Wide Receiver, Ohio State
Last Week: Second
This large drop for Ohio State wide receiver Jeremiah Smith shouldn’t be viewed as an indictment of Smith. He’s the best receiver in college football and showed it on Saturday, but in the early going, it’s best to lean on quarterbacks when projecting forward for this award.
After a quiet Week 1 game, Smith caught five passes for 119 yards and two scores as the Buckeyes rolled past Grambling with ease, winning 70-0.
4. LaNorris Sellers, Quarterback, South Carolina
Last Week: Third
The Gamecocks didn’t need LaNorris Sellers to do much in Week 2 against South Carolina State. He was 11-for-19 for 128 yards and a touchdown and also added 23 yards on the ground.
Sellers will need to have more highlight reel moments to be a true Heisman contender, but as long as he stays healthy and the Gamecocks keep winning, he’ll be in the top five of these rankings.
3. Carson Beck, Quarterback, Miami
Last Week: Fourth
I’m moving Carson Beck up a spot despite facing an FCS school in Week 2 because he completed 91.7 percent of his pass attempts in the win. It’s as simple as that.
This is what you need to do against lower competition: dominate. Some other quarterbacks didn’t quite achieve that in Week 2, but Beck sure did. He was a pseudo-candidate for the Heisman last year. He’s a real one in 2025.
2. John Mateer, QB, Oklahoma
Last Week: Sixth
Folks, I think we have our 2025 breakout star.
John Mateer was really good for Washington State last season, throwing for 3,139 yards and 29 touchdowns, but his performance went under the radar because of the whole Pac-12 breakup thing.
Now at Oklahoma, Mateer is playing some really good football. He willed the Sooners to a win over Michigan on Saturday, going 21-for-34 for 270 yards and a touchdown while adding 19 carries for 74 yards and two more scores. It was a huge win and puts the Sooners in solid shape as far as the playoff race goes.
1. Garrett Nussmeier, QB, LSU
Last Week: First
If we’re talking strictly about numbers, Garrett Nussmeier probably should have dropped to second this week, but narratives matter too and that season-opening win over Clemson has to still play a huge factor here.
Nussmeier has thrown just two touchdowns all season, so that has to change pretty soon for him to remain the favorite, but preseason expectations keep him at No. 1 for now. However, don’t be shocked if you see Mateer in this spot a week from now.
