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Texas QB Arch Manning set to enter the 2025 season as the Heisman favorite

Arch Manning is heading into his first season as Texas’ full-time starter and is the favorite to win the Heisman Trophy.

The junior quarterback is +600 at BetMGM to win the trophy in December as he takes over for Quinn Ewers. Manning, the top quarterback in the class of 2023, appeared in 10 games and started two in 2024 when Ewers was sidelined by an oblique injury.

Manning showed flashes of his immense talent in that limited sample size a season ago. After Ewers was injured against UTSA, Manning threw for four TDs and broke a long TD run. But he threw two interceptions against Louisiana-Monroe in his first start before going 26-of-31 passing for 325 yards and two TDs against Mississippi State.

Ewers returned against Oklahoma and played the entire game before Manning relieved him as Georgia was dominating the Longhorns on Oct. 19. Manning’s arrival into the game didn’t give Texas a spark; he dealt with the same pass rush issues that Ewers did and was 3-of-6 for 19 yards before Ewers came back into the game in the 30-15 loss.

Overall, Manning was 63-of-95 for 969 passing yards and nine TDs through the air with those two interceptions. He also rushed 28 times for 115 yards and four TDs.

Arch Manning #16 of the Texas Longhorns warms up before the Goodyear Cotton Bowl at AT&T Stadium on January 10, 2025 in Arlington, Texas. (Photo by CFP/Getty Images)

Manning is the Heisman favorite thanks to his status as the starting QB on a team that made the College Football Playoff semifinals a season ago and because of his name recognition across the country. The nephew of Peyton and Eli is the most recognizable player in college football even before starting a Week 1 game. And his first Week 1 start will come in Columbus, as the Longhorns visit the defending national champion Ohio State Buckeyes to begin the season.

Ohio State’s likely new starter is one of the Heisman favorites too. Former Alabama signee Julian Sayin looks primed to take over as the Buckeyes’ new QB and his odds of winning the Heisman are +1800. That’s tied for sixth-best in the country and second-best among all Ohio State players.

LSU QB Garrett Nussmeier is the No. 2 favorite behind Manning at +850. Nussmeier threw for over 4,000 yards in 2024 and had 29 TD passes to just 12 interceptions. Nussmeier was an early season Heisman favorite in 2024 after throwing for 18 TDs over his first six games of the season. But a three-game losing streak for the Tigers where he threw four TDs and had five interceptions derailed his Heisman campaign.

Clemson QB Cade Klubnik and Ohio State WR Jeremiah Smith have the third-best odds at +1000. Klubnik had a bounce-back season in 2024 after he struggled in 2023. The Tigers made the College Football Playoff a season ago as Klubnik completed 63% of his passes and threw 36 TDs to just six interceptions while also rushing for 463 yards and seven touchdowns.

Smith was one of the best wide receivers in college football as a true freshman last season. He had 76 catches for 1,315 yards and 15 TDs and had numerous highlight-reel grabs. If Smith can build upon that stellar debut, he’ll have a fantastic chance to be the first receiver to win the Heisman since DeVonta Smith did in 2020.