The first month of the college football season is behind us, and it’s time to see which players are in the running for the nation’s premier award, the Heisman Trophy. Here are the top-10 contenders for the award — so far.
1. QB Dante Moore, Oregon
The top Heisman contender entering October is Oregon quarterback Dante Moore. Moore is following in the footsteps of past Oregon quarterbacks, where the last two starters have finished third in Heisman voting.
Moore has Oregon undefeated and ranked No. 2, fresh off the best road win in the country this season against Penn State. Moore completed 74 percent of his passes for three touchdowns against the Nittany Lions. He’s thrown for 1,210 yards and 14 touchdowns to just one interception this season.
With another top-10 matchup against Indiana on the schedule in October, Moore could create a gap between him and other Heisman contenders before Halloween. It might be necessary because the Hoosiers are potentially the last ranked opponent of the season for the Ducks.
2. QB John Mateer, Oklahoma
Before John Mateer went out with a hand injury, he was the Heisman frontrunner. Mateer started the season with 1,215 passing yards and six passing touchdowns, while also leading Oklahoma in rushing with 190 yards and five touchdowns.
Luckily, Mateer has already had surgery, and Oklahoma had a bye week following his injury. He’ll miss the Kent State game, and then up next is Texas. Mateer’s status is up in the air for the Red River Rivalry, a game 17 days after his surgery.
A big performance against a top-10 Texas team could be great for Mateer, but even if Mateer misses that game, he’ll have plenty of ranked matchups to get back into the Heisman running when he returns. Ole Miss, Tennessee, Alabama, Missouri and LSU close Oklahoma’s season.
CAUGHT OFF GUARD: 6 September surprises after the first 4 weeks of the 2025 college football season
3. QB Trinidad Chambliss, Ole Miss
Everyone loves a good underdog story, and the best underdog story after the first month of the season is none other than the story of Ole Miss quarterback Trinidad Chambliss. Chambliss is a Division II transfer, where he won the DII national championship and finished as a finalist for the Harlon Hill Trophy — the DII Heisman.
Now at Ole Miss, Chambliss took over as a starter against Arkansas and has since won three games, including a win over then-No. 4 LSU. He’s completed 64 percent of his passes, accounting for 1,219 total yards and six total touchdowns as a starter.
With road trips against Georgia and Oklahoma remaining, Chambliss could keep college football’s Cinderella story rolling deep into the season.
4. RB Ahmad Hardy, Missouri
Ahmad Hardy leads the FBS in rushing yards (730) and touchdowns (9). He has Missouri 5-0 and has rushed for over 100 yards and scored a touchdown in every game. Hardy hasn’t missed a beat since transferring in from UL Monroe, showing that last season was no fluke.
If Hardy didn’t play running back, he’d be higher on the list, but 20 of the last 25 Heisman winners have played quarterback — 80 percent of 21st century Heisman winners.
TURNING IT AROUND: What 7 college football teams need to do to bounce back from disappointing starts
5. DE Rueben Bain, Miami (Fla.)
Could we have back-to-back defensive players win the Heisman? Obviously, “defensive” has an asterisk after two-way superstar Travis Hunter won the award playing wide receiver last year, too. But, if a defensive player is to win the Heisman, the top candidate is Miami’s Rueben Bain.
Bain has been dominant to start the year, with a 95.8 PFF grade through four games and a 29.7% pass-rush win rate. While PFF grades aren’t always the best indicator of performance, Bain also leads a top-10 scoring defense, third-down defense and run defense in the FBS.
Bain’s biggest challenge will be whether people continue to watch his games, not just look at his stats. Bain’s impact on the field outweighs his numbers, with just 2.0 sacks and 3.5 tackles for loss thus far.
Bain is trying to follow Aidan Hutchinson (2021, Michigan), Chase Young (2019, Ohio State), Jabrill Peppers (2016, Michigan), Manti Te’o (2012, Notre Dame), Tyrann Mathieu (2011, LSU) and Ndamukong Suh (2009, Nebraska) as defensive players in the 21st century to finish as Heisman finalists.
6. QB Diego Pavia, Vanderbilt
The Heisman Trophy goes to the “most outstanding player in college football.” Would there be anything more outstanding this season than Vanderbilt making the College Football Playoff?
That’s why Diego Pavia is firmly in Heisman contention entering October. Pavia has the Commodores ranked No. 16 in the country, entering a gauntlet of four straight ranked opponents, including road trips to Alabama and Texas.
Pavia already led Vanderbilt to a ranked road win at South Carolina, where he completed 72 percent of his passes for two touchdowns. If he can continue that success to start the month against the Crimson Tide, he could become a favorite for the award.
HEISMAN HISTORY: Top three finishers all-time | Closest voting finishes | Teams with most winners
7. QB Ty Simpson, Alabama
Speaking of Alabama, Ty Simpson launched himself into the Heisman conversation with a big-time performance on the road in Athens to close September. Simpson accounted for three total touchdowns, 288 total yards, had a 141.5 passer rating and a QBR of 90.1 as Alabama knocked off Georgia.
Simpson stepped up in a big game, and Alabama has plenty of big games upcoming on the schedule. If he continues to play his best when the lights are brightest, Simpson could become Alabama’s fifth Heisman winner.
8. QB Haynes King, Georgia Tech
Heisman moments often come from the biggest games. There might not be a bigger game when it comes to the College Football Playoff outlook in the season’s final weekend than Clean, Old-Fashioned Hate between Georgia and Georgia Tech. That’s when quarterback Haynes King could stake his claim for the Heisman.
King already had an early season Heisman moment in an upset of Clemson, where he accounted for 314 total yards, completed 71 percent of his passes and rushed for a touchdown. Now King has Georgia Tech positioned as an ACC contender.
If Georgia Tech runs the table in the ACC entering the Georgia game, King could be poised for a huge Heisman moment. Let’s not forget he had 303 passing yards, two passing touchdowns, 110 rushing yards and three rushing touchdowns against Georgia in an eight-overtime classic last year.
MORE HEISMAN: Active NFL Heisman winners | Heisman CFP performances | Heisman top draft picks
9. QB Carson Beck, Miami (Fla.)
The other quarterback in that eight-overtime classic now plays for a different school. Carson Beck transferred to Miami in the offseason and has embarked on his redemption arc this fall.
Beck has Miami undefeated, already winning two ranked games. If Beck continues to lead the Hurricanes to wins, he could be in Heisman contention as the quarterback on one of the nation’s top teams.
10. S Caleb Downs, Ohio State
Ohio State has the No. 1 scoring and red zone defense, No. 4 third-down defense and No. 8 pass and total defense in the FBS. The best player on that defense is Caleb Downs, with 15 tackles, 2.0 tackles for loss and an interception on the season.
The numbers don’t jump off the page, but the Buckeyes are the best team in the country and have allowed just one touchdown this year. If Ohio State keeps up the dominance on the defensive side of the football, Downs is bound to get some recognition.
🗓️ SCHEDULE: Weekly FBS TV schedule and times | College Football Playoff schedule | Bowl schedule
Next up (alphabetically by school): WR Jordyn Tyson, Arizona State; QB Fernando Mendoza, Indiana; WR Jeremiah Smith, Ohio State; QB Joey Aguilar, Tennessee; WR Chris Brazzell II, Tennessee; QB Marcel Reed, Texas A&M
