The Heisman Trophy is the pinnacle of individual achievement in all of college football. There are plenty of other individual awards but all pale in comparison to the Heisman. It’s way too early, but some of the best odds to win the Heisman Trophy look promising.
Last year, Jayden Daniels took home the award despite entering the season with (+1700) odds. Eight quarterbacks own better odds to win the Heisman Trophy than that entering Week 1.
All odds via FanDuel Sportsbook
Week 1: Best Odds to win the Heisman Trophy
Dillon Gabriel, Oregon (+500)
The best player on what looks to be the best offense in the nation, Dillon Gabriel is an easy play. To say he’s had an eventful career would be an understatement. He started off having to fill the shoes of UCF legend McKenzie Milton.
And he did. In his first two seasons with the Knights, Gabriel threw for 7,233 yards and 61 touchdowns. He led the American Athletic Conference in passing and scoring in 2020. In 2021, he saw his season end early due to injury. After that, he transferred to Oklahoma.
He picked up where he left off and in two seasons with the Sooners, Gabriel threw for 6,828 yards and 55 touchdowns. He left OU the Big 12 passing yards and touchdowns leader from 2023 and landed in Eugene, Oregon.
The Ducks are going to make noise this year. With Bo Nix at the helm, the Ducks lost two games…to Washington (you know, the National Championship runner-up)…by three.
He enters the season with the eighth-most career passing yards in the history of the game. If he has a Heisman-worthy season and puts up 4,353 yards, he’ll pass Case Keenum with the most in history.
Carson Beck, Georgia (+800)
In Carson Beck’s first season as the starter at Georgia, he led the Bulldogs to a respectable 13-1 season capped off by an obliteration of Florida State in the Orange Bowl. However, he and the Dawgs left 2023 with a bad taste in their mouth as they felt they could have and should have gone for the three-peat.
Beck was fantastic in 2023. He completed 72.4% of his passes for 3.941 yards and 24 touchdowns. He did have to deal with missing Brock Bowers for a large portion of the year.
Even through all of that, Beck led the SEC in passing yards.
This year, Georgia is the favorite to win it all yet again, evident by their preseason number-one AP Poll ranking. Beck is looking to make it three UGA titles in four years and will play himself into top-five NFL Draft pick status.
Quinn Ewers, Texas (+1200)
A popular pick to end up in New York, it makes sense that Quinn Ewers has some of the best odds to win the Heisman Trophy for 2024.
In Ewers’ second year as the starter for the Texas Longhorns, he might have solidified his team into the “Back” category. Jokes aside, he was great for the Longhorns, throwing for 3,479 yards and 22 touchdowns en route to winning the Big 12 for the last time in program history.
Ewers has plenty of work to do to take home the Heisman but if he can lead the Longhorns to an SEC Championship in the program’s first season in the toughest conference in the sport, it’ll help.
Five Tied at (+1400)
Will Howard, Ohio State
Nico Iamaleava, Tennessee
Jalen Milroe, Alabama
Jaxson Dart, Ole Miss
Cameron Ward, Miami (FL)
Of the top eight odds to win the Heisman Trophy, five are transfers.
Will Howard heads to Ohio State to take over a hungry program looking to get back to the level of play it expects. With a loaded roster around him, Howard just needs to be a better version of Kyle McCord to lead the Buckeyes to the promised land. He was good at Kansas State but he didn’t have the level of talent there as he will have in Columbus.
Listing Nico Iamaleava here is wild but crazier things have happened. The redshirt freshman showed a taste of what he can do in the Citrus Bowl win over Iowa. In that game, his first start, Iamaleava threw for just 151 yards and a score. However, he added 27 rushing yards and three touchdowns. 2024 will be his first opportunity to fully showcase what he can do.
Jalen Milroe matured on the football field right before our eyes last year. He started off the season by getting benched after a rough game in the loss to Texas. He then took back over and led the Tide to 10 wins in a row including the SEC Championship by knocking off the back-to-back CFP National Champions Georgia.
Jaxson Dart is going to be fun to watch in 2024. He’s gotten better and better each year and broke out with 3,364 yards and 23 touchdowns and led Ole Miss to its first-ever 11-win season after dismantling Penn State in the Peach Bowl. With the expanded College Football Playoff, Ole Miss should be a threat to make it with a weaker schedule (no Alabama, Texas, Missouri, or Tennesse).
Finally, speaking of weak schedules, Miami (FL) should also be a threat with Cam Ward transferring in. Ward hit the portal but also mulled entering the NFL Draft. He elected to stay in school one more year. After dominating the FCS level at Incarnate Word, he balled out at Washington State for two years. He comes to Miami (FL) after throwing for 6,968 yards and 48 touchdowns in two years with Wazzu.
Top Non-Quarterback: Travis Hunter, Colorado (+6000)
Top Group of 5: Ashton Jeanty, Boise State (+15000)
