The most prestigious award in college sports is back up for grabs in the Heisman Trophy. Last year's winner Travis Hunter is off to the NFL with the Jacksonville Jaguars so the possibility of doing what Archie Griffin did and winning the award multiple times is off the table.
Currently the favorites for 2025 are Garrett Nussmeier (+800), Arch Manning (+800), and Cade Klubnik (+900), but every year there is a guy who comes out of nowhere and thrusts himself into the Heisman conversation. With Hunter being just the third non-QB winner in the past 15 years and the last three to take the trophy home playing for teams that did not make the College Football Playoff, I believe this year's award could truly be won by anybody.
With that being said, here are five dark horse Heisman candidates that are flying under the radar as we get closer to the start of the 2025 college football season.
Odds via FanDuel Sportsbook
After lighting it up at Washington State Mateer joined the Sooners this offseason in hopes of reviving their offense that struggled mightily last season. The redshirt junior spent two seasons as backup to Cam Ward in Pullman before putting up video game-like numbers with just under 4,000 total yards and 44 touchdowns in his first season as the starter. The best thing going for Mateer though is that his former offensive coordinator at WSU made the jump to Norman with him. He is also a true dual-threat QB which is an ability that is well represented on the list of past Heisman winners. If Mateer was at a bigger program I believe his name would have been out there more in the Heisman conversation last season, which is what I think can happen in 2025 if Oklahoma has an impressive bounce back year.
If you did not get the chance to watch a New Mexico Lobos football game last season I feel bad for you because Devon Dampier was electric as their quarterback. He is another dual-threat guy making the jump to power-5 and could be the answer for a Utah team that really struggled at QB as of late when Cam Rising was not healthy. Last season he rushed for 1,116 yards and 19 touchdowns and should be a great extension to a strong Utah rushing attack. The quarterback will also be joined by his offensive coordinator from last season so the offense should look very similar but Dampier will have much more talent surrounding him.
If there is any chance of a running back taking home the award, I believe Jeremiyah Love is that guy. Health will be key though as Love had injury issues for most of last season that affected his production. When he was healthy though he was the go to guy and an explosive threat in the Notre Dame offense, and I expect him to be leaned on even more in 2025 with the Irish’s current quarterback situation. The likelihood of sharing carries with Jadarian Price hurts Love’s chances, but he is a worthy dark horse candidate.
There has been a lot of talk about North Carolina football regarding affairs off the field, but let’s talk Tar Heel football on the field. After being rumored to be in contention for Nico Iamaleava, the Tar Heels instead landed Gio Lopez in the spring transfer portal. Lopez saw minimal action as a true freshman at South Alabama, but did get the start in the bowl game where he accounted for 280 yards and four touchdowns cementing himself as the starter in 2024. Last season he threw for over 2,500 yards and led the Jaguars offense to 36.1 points per game when he played. If UNC is good in Bill Belichick’s first season the media attention will be massive which bodes well in terms of Heisman chatter.
Demond Williams Jr. has started just two games in his college career but looked very promising in both. In the 2024 regular season finale he completed 17 of 20 passes for 201 yards and a touchdown against an Oregon defense that was one of the best in the country. He then got the nod in the Huskies bowl game where he put on a show accounting for 422 yards and five touchdowns. While the stats were phenomenal he also just looked the part as he made several big time plays in a high level game as a true freshman. Having a full offseason as the guy and with Jedd Fisch, who has worked with several great quarterbacks, makes me very excited for what Demond Williams Jr. could do in 2025.