On Saturday night, Colorado’s two-way star Travis Hunter was named the 2024 Heisman Trophy winner, beating out Boise State RB Ashton Jeanty, Oregon QB Dillon Gabriel and Miami QB Cam Ward. As a result, Hunter became the first defensive player to win the highest individual accolade since Michigan’s Charles Woodson back in 1997 and the first wide receiver to win it since Alabama’s DeVonta Smith in 2020.
Of course, the crazy part is that Hunter played both sides of the football at an elite level. It’s going to be awhile until we see that again, if we ever do.
All four Heisman finalists above are going to the NFL, and it’s never too early to think about which players could be in the conversation next year. Here are five standout players that will be great bets once odds for next year are released.
5. Ohio State WR Jeremiah Smith (Sophomore)
The Big Ten Freshman of the Year and Wide Receiver of the Year is going to eventually play on Sundays and will likely be the best receiver in college football next season. With 57 catches for 934 yards and 10 touchdowns in regular season play, Smith pulled down a number of major highlight reel catches and the 6’3, 215-pound wideout should thrive after a full Ohio State offseason program and from being in the second year of Chip Kelly’s offense. He’d have to put up something like 1,500 yards and 15 touchdowns to be in the mix, but that’s not out of the question.
4. Penn State QB Drew Allar (Senior)
You can make the argument that Allar has been the best Penn State quarterback ever and his presence alone has transformed the team’s offense into a run-first powerhouse to an all-around juggernaut. He completed just under 70% of his passes for 21 touchdowns and seven interceptions this season and ran for six more touchdowns. Assuming that PSU falls short in the College Football Playoff, I expect him to return next season, where his NFL Draft stock would likely improve with another year of production under his belt.
3. Texas QB Arch Manning (Sophomore)
Quinn Ewers might stay in college for another year, but it’d be difficult to see a situation in which Manning, a generational recruit, doesn’t start for Texas. Going 61-for-90 passing for 939 yards, nine touchdowns and two interceptions with 100 yards and four more scores on the ground in his limited time on the field this season, Manning can do pretty much everything you want from a college quarterback and has real speed, unlike his famous family members. If he puts up numbers and Texas has success, voters will run to give him love in what would be a fun storyline for the sport.
2. South Carolina QB LaNorris Sellers (Sophomore)
Sellers made incredible progress throughout the course of South Carolina’s breakout season. The freshman dual threat signal-caller led his team to six straight wins to end the year, including contests against Oklahoma, Texas A&M, Vanderbilt, Missouri and Clemson, and in that span, he racked up 13 touchdown passes to three interceptions with four more touchdowns on the ground. On the season, he finished with 17 touchdown passes, seven rushing scores and 655 rushing yards. He finished the year on a high note, too, beating Clemson on the road with 166 rushing yards and two touchdowns. The comparison to Vince Young is obvious and everyone is going to know his name at this time next year.
1. Clemson QB Cade Klubnik (Senior)
Klubnik took a massive step forward this season, racking up 33 touchdown passes compared to just five interceptions to go along with 3,303 passing yards, 458 rushing yards and seven more touchdowns on the ground to lead Clemson to the College Football Playoff. Based on Dabo Swinney’s past, I trust that Clemson’s program will continue to recruit top-end talent, develop their players and should give Klubnik every resource to put up gigantic numbers in 2025 before turning pro. If I was tasked with making an odds board for the 2025 Heisman, Klubnik would be at the top of it right now.
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