College football is about to enter the all-important month of November with the Heisman Trophy race far from settled.
It’s unusual, actually, for the race to feel this wide-open this late into the year. The two-man race between Travis Hunter and Ashton Jeanty was clear by the midpoint of last season — maybe even earlier than that. But this year? The race has fluctuated dramatically week to week because the sport has been pure chaos. Never forget that Arch Manning was the preseason Heisman favorite! That feels like a lifetime ago.
With five weeks to go in the 2025 regular season, here’s how I see the Heisman Trophy race and its top contenders:
1. Alabama quarterback Ty Simpson
Simpson is my top contender heading into the month of November for fairly obvious reasons. He’s thrown for 2,184 yards and 20 touchdowns on the season — while throwing just one interception. He leads the SEC in passing touchdowns and is second in total passing yardage (behind Tennessee’s Joey Aguilar). But, beyond his stat line, he’s been the catalyst for Alabama’s success this season. He’s the engine that makes this thing go. He’s the main reason the Crimson Tide are 7-1, well-positioned for the College Football Playoff and, arguably, the best team in the SEC. Alabama has two top-10 wins and two more top-20 wins because of Simpson’s command of the Kalen DeBoer/Ryan Grubb offense. You see it best when he’s called upon to get Alabama back into a game, like he did against South Carolina last week, down 22-14 in the fourth quarter. His ball placement and accuracy are impressive, as his general poise in the pocket. He’s turned Germie Bernard into a household name and a true game-breaker. I’ve got some concerns about Alabama’s run game (and offensive line), but I have no real concerns about a passing attack that is good enough to keep Alabama in every game it plays, no matter who the Tide face.
It’s also worth noting that Simpson will stay in the spotlight in the coming weeks, with upcoming matchups against LSU, No. 18 Oklahoma and Auburn. Even the games against unranked SEC teams will get eyeballs, which means strong Simpson performances will be undoubtedly be seen by Heisman voters.
2. Indiana quarterback Fernando Mendoza
I’ve said it over and over again, and I’ll say it now: Indiana’s pickup of the Cal transfer quarterback was the biggest offseason acquisition nobody talked about. But even if you weren’t familiar with Mendoza before September started, you have had plenty of time to watch him play — and thrive — since. He leads the country with 24 passing touchdowns, and the Indiana offense led by Mendoza is one of the most efficient in the country. Still, Mendoza’s overall stat line isn’t quite as overwhelming as other top quarterbacks. He’s thrown for 1,923 yards on the season, which ranks 27th in the country. He averages 240.4 yards per game, good for 40th in FBS. While these data points mean nothing when evaluating the Hoosiers and their national championship chances, they could affect this Heisman race. Indiana doesn’t need crazy production from Mendoza when it is bulldozing opponent after opponent. To wit: Against UCLA, he threw for 168 yards and accounted for four total touchdowns. And that game was all but over midway through the first quarter.
The biggest hurdle Mendoza will have to overcome over the final month of the season? Indiana’s remaining schedule. The Hoosiers are playing four teams that are a combined 1-17 in Big Ten play, which means there could be more lopsided games in Mendoza’s future ... aka matchups that aren’t exactly appointment viewing. We’ll all see highlights of what he does, but he won’t exactly have many opportunities for Heisman moments until the Big Ten championship game.
3. Notre Dame running back Jeremiyah Love
There are a number of electrifying receivers doing jaw-dropping things across the sport this year, from Jeremiah Smith and Carnell Tate at Ohio State to Makai Lemon at USC and Chris Brazzell at Tennessee. But we know how hard it is for a receiver to win this award; voters have to give the receiver more credit for a team’s offensive success than the quarterback gets, which is usually a lot to ask. It’s hard for running backs to win the Heisman, too, especially in an era of college football dominated by dual-threat quarterbacks that put up big numbers in the passing game and a good chunk of yardage/touchdowns on the ground as well. Derrick Henry was the last running back to win the award, and that was a decade ago. But Love may have a chance to break that drought come December.
Love is seventh in the nation in rushing yardage per game (108.29) and has accounted for 12 total touchdowns this season (nine rushing, three receiving). And, even so, his numbers could be so much more overwhelming if he didn’t split carries with Jadarian Prince, who is also one of the best running backs in the nation. I think voters understand that and would still respect the immense individual effort/production we see from Love. He can be physical and bruising at the goal line, but he can also beat opponents with his footwork and breakaway speed. His highlight reel includes a little bit of everything, and he’ll be a first-round pick in the upcoming NFL Draft because of that.
4. Ohio State quarterback Julian Sayin
Sayin has quietly been one of the best quarterbacks in the country. I say that it’s been quiet because there really isn’t as much chatter about the No. 1 team in the country, and that surprises me. My working theory is that there’s a bunch of college football fans and pundits that haven’t watched much Ohio State in the two months since the Buckeyes’ season-opener vs. Texas because the team hasn’t been in any close games. So, there are still people who think of Sayin as they saw him against Texas — which was his first career start and against a very good defense. Head coach Ryan Day said later that the coaching staff probably could have opened up the offense more for him in that game in retrospect. Either way, Ohio State is clearly trying to pace itself for what it hopes will be a 16-game season (including the CFP), and it’s important to view the Buckeyes’ season with that in mind. Sometimes, they work on the run game. And recently, we’ve finally seen them work on the explosive pass game. Sayin had his best performance of the season his last time out, against Wisconsin. He accounted for 400 total yards and four touchdowns in that game, but perhaps the most important stat is this: He threw nine passes of 15 yards or more (designated as an “explosive” pass by PFF) for 190 yards.
Sayin has gotten better and better as the season has gone on. He’ll have at least a couple of high-profile matchups down the stretch — against Penn State and Michigan and then, presumably, against Indiana in the Big Ten title game. So, voters should see his spectacular play (and growth) when it matters most.
5. Georgia Tech quarterback Haynes King
There has been so much buzz around Vanderbilt’s scrappy dual-threat quarterback Diego Pavia and not enough ink spilled on Haynes King — who does what Pavia does, but better. He’s thrown for 1,480 passing yards, seven touchdowns (to just one interception) with the nation’s seventh-best completion percentage (72.3 percent). He’s also accounted for 651 rushing yards and 12 rushing TDs; he’s tied for second in the nation in rushing touchdowns scored and would rank inside the top 20 of FBS running backs with 93 yards per game on the ground. He’s personally accounted for 56.4 percent of Georgia Tech’s offensive yardage this season — and that’s with him missing a game. He ranks 14th in the nation in points responsible for per game (16.6). King is Georgia Tech, and he deserves more Heisman Trophy consideration. And he’ll have the nation’s attention on Black Friday, in the regular-season finale vs. Georgia.
“Find me somebody else that brings more value to the team, that is truly the epitome of what the team is rooted in,” Yellow Jackets coach Brent Key said after Georgia Tech beat Syracuse to improve to 8-0 on the season. “He can run, he can throw. I’m glad he’s on my team. I don’t have a vote for it...it’d be a shame if he’s not in New York. And I think he will be.”
