The 2025 college football season looks completely wide open from a competitive standpoint. Several of the top programs around the country have new starting quarterbacks, so there's virtually zero consensus on which team looks like this year's inevitable national champion. And with many new quarterbacks at the helm, that also means the race to win the Heisman Trophy is entire up for grabs–even more so than usual.

Five of the writers from our team at A to Z Sports thought it would be fun–especially in a year like 2025–to hold our own Heisman Trophy Fantasy Draft. We could just collaboratively list 25 players that might win the Heisman, but then we wouldn't be able to hold bragging rights over one another when the season was all said and done. And who doesn't love a good fantasy draft?

For this Heisman Trophy Fantasy Draft, our writers took turns selecting the players we all believe are most likely to win it this year (with each round reversing the order). 10 points for the writer that correctly picks the Heisman winner. 6 points for finalists that make it to New York. 3 points for players who finish inside the top ten in Heisman votes. And 100 points to you, the reader, for not skipping this part of the introduction. Enjoy!

A to Z Staff participating:
Destin Adams – NFL Draft & Indianapolis Colts Beat Writer
Ryan Roberts – NFL Draft & Notre Dame Beat Writer
AJ Schulte – NFL Draft & Oklahoma Sooners Beat Writer
Tyler Forness – NFL Draft & Minnesota Vikings Beat Writer
Travis May – College Football & NFL Draft Managing Editor

1.01 – Cade Klubnik, QB Clemson

Some will be shocked Cade Klubnik is the first off the board here over Arch Manning (QB, Texas). I think Klubnik's experience as a starter and the fact he plays in the ACC as opposed to the SEC should give him a bit of a leg up over Manning. We started to see Klubnik hit his stride last season. If he can build off that and put up the best year of his career he will be on the stage come Heisman presentation night. – Destin Adams

1.02 – Arch Manning, QB Texas

There are some very high expectations for Arch Manning in his first year as a starter, and for good reason. The physical tools are awesome and he is in a very quarterback friendly system under head coach Steve Sarkisian. Manning should flourish in 2025, and he has the name recognition for voters to get drawn even more to. – Ryan Roberts

1.03 – DJ Lagway, QB Florida

This might feel a little premature to some, given that Lagway has just 12 games as a starter, but his talent is jaw-dropping. He's on track to be a number one overall caliber player in the 2027 NFL Draft. If he can bring Florida success in his second year running the offense, he'll undoubtedly be in the running for the Heisman Trophy. – AJ Schulte

1.04 – Jeremiah Smith, WR Ohio State

With the obvious quarterbacks off the board, I went with Jeremiah Smith, who is arguably the best player returning in the nation. Smith already logged over 1300 yards and 15 touchdowns as a true freshman last season. No matter who the quarterback is, Smith can easily have a year like DeVonta Smith did when he won the Heisman Trophy in 2020. – Tyler Forness

1.05 – Drew Allar, QB Penn State

Drew Allar took a big leap forward in pass efficiency, confidence in his deep throws, and maintained his elite level sack avoidance for the vast majority of the season. If he takes yet another step in the right direction and syncs up with his completely revamped receiving corps Allar should put together his best season by far. Penn State is in line to compete for a potentially undefeated or one-loss regular season this fall given what they bring back, which would certainly set Allar up for Heisman Trophy potential. – Travis May

2.01 – Sam Leavitt, QB Arizona State

Sam Leavitt put together a top ten QB season via the meaningful metrics last fall, and nearly pushed Arizona State past Texas in the College Football Playoff last year. Doing that in his first full year as a starter is impressive. Arizona State won't able to lean on Cam Skattebo this year, so it should be the Sam Leavitt and Jordyn Tyson (his star WR) show all year long. There's a real path to a significant uptick in passing volume and continued success for Arizona State this year. That should keep Leavitt in the mix for Heisman consideration all year long. – Travis May

2.02 – LaNorris Sellers, QB South Carolina

He's built and plays like Daunte Culpepper, except he's even more mobile. With an entire offseason to better master how to use his otherworldly arm talent, Sellers could easily have a Heisman caliber season. – Tyler Forness

2.03 – Dante Moore, QB Oregon

Both Bo Nix and Dillon Gabriel finished as Heisman finalists in Oregon's offense, but I don't think either are as naturally talented as what we've seen out of Dante Moore. With plenty of playmakers around him (albeit no Evan Stewart now due to injury), Moore could rack up some incredible numbers on his way to helping Oregon make the College Football Playoff again and put his name in the Heisman running. – AJ Schulte

2.04 – Jeremiyah Love, RB Notre Dame

The Heisman Trophy may be a quarterback award most years, but Love might just be the best all around running back in college football, and the engine of the Notre Dame offense. If the Irish make another deep run into the College Football Playoff and Love puts up some gaudy numbers, he has a chance to be excellent. – Ryan Roberts 

2.05 – Garrett Nussmeier, QB LSU

I was shocked to see Garrett Nussmeier make it back to me in the second round. I think Nussmeier is a top five Heisman Trophy candidate entering the season and should have a better team around him this year compared to 2024 with several key incoming transfer talents like wide receivers Barion Brown (Kentucky) and Nic Anderson (Oklahoma). – Destin Adams

3.01 – Ryan Williams, WR Alabama

Ryan Williams ends up being the third non-QB selected in this Heisman Trophy Fantasy Draft and I think that's exactly where he belongs. Jeremiah Smith is viewed as the consensus top wide receiver in college football, and while I agree with that sentiment I think Williams is closer than people realize. He is a real difference maker, and if the passing game is a bit more consistent this season I don't think it's out of the realm of possibility for him to become a top candidate to win the Heisman. Who knows? Maybe he will join DeVonta Smith as yet another Alabama receiver to win this prestigious award. – Destin Adams

3.02 – Austin Simmons, QB Ole Miss

The Ole Miss offense under Lane Kiffin is very quarterback friendly, and Austin Simmons is extremely talented. He has a massive arm and could put up some big numbers in 2025. He's a wildcard with very little experience, but a very gifted one. – Ryan Roberts 

3.03 – John Mateer, QB Oklahoma

The buzz out of Norman around John Mateer is very real, and he's turning heads. In his second season as a starter in Arbuckle's offense with upgraded playmakers all around him, Mateer will likely be productive once more. If he helps the Oklahoma Sooners rebound from a disastrous 2024 season, I'd expect he'll be in the Heisman race. – AJ Schulte

3.04 – Sawyer Robertson, QB Baylor

This is the first real wild card on the board, but Sawyer Robertson performed really well once he took over for Dequan Finn. His underrated dual-threat ability can likely elevate him into the Heisman Trophy conversation. – Tyler Forness

3.05 – Julian Sayin, QB Ohio State

The sports books are far too aggressive with Julian Sayin (+1500, sixth best Heisman odds), but getting him here at pick 15 feels like a steal. Any time you can bet on a five star quarterback set to take over for Ohio State that's typically going to go pretty well. Sayin has all the arm talent in the world, a generational wide receiver to throw the ball to with Jeremiah Smith, and at least two other early NFL Draft picks to work with in Carnell Tate (WR) and Max Klare (TE). – Travis May

4.01 – Demond Williams, QB Washington

Demond Williams is vastly underrated by the sports books to win the Heisman (+6500, tied for 29th best odds). Williams has been undervalued for quite some time due to his stature (only about 5'11", 190 pounds), but that won't be the case for long. He played nearly perfect football last season in limited snaps, seeing significant action in five games for Washington last fall. Williams completed nearly 80% of his passes, tossing eight touchdowns to just one interception on his 105 pass attempts in 2024. This dual threat explosive athlete should put on a show all season long in 2025. – Travis May

4.02 – Aidan Chiles, QB Michigan State

Let's be real, nobody watched Michigan State football last year. However, Chiles was excellent under head coach Jonathan Smith after transferring from Oregon State–with the exception of his early season struggles with turnovers. Pair that with being a dual-threat and you have a recipe for success. – Tyler Forness

4.03 – Kevin Jennings, QB SMU

Time for a bit of a wild card here. Kevin Jennings caught fire last season, helping the Mustangs rattle off nine straight wins to put them in the College Football Playoff. If Jennings can pull off that same feat while playing even better with more experience under his belt next year, why shouldn't he be in the running for the Heisman? – AJ Schulte

4.04 – Avery Johnson, QB Kansas State

Avery Johnson is a dual threat quarterback who has the talent to put up some impressive numbers as a runner. If he takes a step in the right direction this season as a passer, Johnson has a chance to be a household name nationally on a potential playoff team. – Ryan Roberts 

4.05 – Fernando Mendoza, QB Indiana

The Indiana Hoosiers were perhaps the greatest story in all of college football last season, and their transfer portal haul tells us they have no interest in just being a one-year wonder. The headliner of the class is QB Fernando Mendoza (from California). He has all the skill needed to potentially upstage Kurtis Rourke's fantastic season in Bloomington last year. I think he's a solid sleeper candidate to elevate into the Heisman conversation if he is able to tear up defenses in the Big Ten. – Destin Adams 

5.01 – Dylan Edwards, RB Kansas State

To finish up my draft I wanted to add a running back and I was shocked Dylan Edwards was still available. He was only a rotational player for Kansas State last year alongside DJ Giddens, but he was able to flash how good he could end up becoming. He only had 74 carries last year as Giddens commanded 205 carries, but now that his backfield mate is off to the NFL that opens up a ton of opportunities for Edwards who averaged an impressive 7.4 yards per attempt, which led the team in 2024. – Destin Adams 

5.02 – Justice Haynes, RB Michigan

The quarterback position should be better for Wolverines in 2025, but they are still going to be a heavy running team. The former Alabama target comes to Ann Arbor with high expectations for a ton of touches. Haynes has the talent to take the Big Ten Conference by storm. – Ryan Roberts 

5.03 – Caleb Downs, S Ohio State

Caleb Downs is the best football player in college football right now, and he is an integral part of the Buckeyes' defense. He is a transcendent talent who will constantly be in the spotlight and featured in big games. It takes a lot for a defensive player to be in Heisman Trophy territory, but Downs has the talent and national exposure to do so. – AJ Schulte 

5.04 – Darius Taylor, RB Minnesota

If you want to win the Heisman Trophy, being the unquestioned guy at running back is a crucial caveat, especially when you don't play quarterback. Taylor has been the workhorse for the Golden Gophers and that should continue this fall. – Tyler Forness 

5.05 – Jordyn Tyson, WR Arizona State

When Jordyn Tyson is healthy he's a dominant force on the field. As a true freshman he burst into impressive action as Colorado's WR1 prior to getting injured. He then missed virtually all of 2023 with Arizona State due to the significant knee injury he suffered at Colorado. However, once healthy, Tyson put up over 1100 receiving yards in about 11 games this past season. Unfortunately he injured his collarbone near the end of the season, missing the playoff game. If he stays healthy, Tyson is going to be the WR1 with Sam Leavitt once again, and the team will be throwing much more than they were a year ago. The path is there for a wild DeVonta Smith-like season as the Sun Devils' only real receiver threat and an extremely talented QB tossing him the ball. – Travis May

Final Heisman Draft Fantasy Rosters

Destin Adams (NFL Draft & Indianapolis Colts Beat Writer)

1.01 – Cade Klubnik, QB Clemson
2.05 – Garrett Nussmeier, QB LSU
3.01 – Ryan Williams, WR Alabama
4.05 – Fernando Mendoza, QB Indiana
5.01 – Dylan Edwards, RB Kansas State

Ryan Roberts (NFL Draft & Notre Dame Beat Writer

1.02 – Arch Manning, QB Texas
2.04 – Jeremiyah Love, QB Notre Dame
3.02 – Austin Simmons, QB Ole Miss
4.04 – Avery Johnson, QB Kansas State
5.02 – Justice Haynes, RB Michigan

AJ Schulte (Oklahoma Sooners Beat Writer)

1.03 – DJ Lagway, QB Florida
2.03 – Dante Moore, QB Oregon
3.03 – John Mateer, QB Oklahoma
4.03 – Kevin Jennings, QB SMU
5.03 – Caleb Downs, S Ohio State

Tyler Forness (Florida Gators & Minnesota Vikings Beat Writer)

1.04 – Jeremiah Smith, WR Ohio State
2.02 – LaNorris Sellers, QB South Carolina
3.04 – Sawyer Robertson, QB Baylor
4.02 – Adian Chiles, QB Michigan State
5.04 – Darius Taylor, RB Minnesota

Travis May (College Football & NFL Draft Managing Editor)

1.05 – Drew Allar, QB Penn State
2.01 – Sam Leavitt, QB Arizona State
3.05 – Julian Sayin, QB Ohio State
4.01 – Demond Williams, QB Washington
5.05 – Jordyn Tyson, WR Arizona State

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