CFB analyst predicts Big 12 QB to win Heisman Trophy over Florida's DJ Lagway and LSU's Garrett Nussmeier

Arch Manning, Garrett Nussmeier and DJ Lagway are the names that come to mind when thinking of the potential winner for the Heisman Trophy in 2025. But not for Phil Steele.

The CFB analyst is backing a dark horse in this year's Heisman race. According to Steele, Arizona State's Sam Leavitt could be the unlikely winner of the decorated individual award.

On Monday, the veteran analyst, famous for his Phil Steele's College Football Preview, published his list of top ten favorites to win the Heisman. The Sun Devils signal-caller led the pack with odds of 30/1. Cade Klubnik, Garrett Nussmeier, Arch Manning and DJ Lagway made up the rest of the top five.

Leavitt led the Arizona State Sun Devils to an 11-2 record in his first year as a starter at Tempe. That resulted in the school's inaugural appearance in the College Football Playoff (CFP).

For his efforts, Leavitt was named the Big 12 Offensive Freshman of the Year. He also earned a second-team All-Big 12 selection.

What are Sam Leavitt's Heisman Trophy odds?

According to BetMGM, the favorite to win the Heisman Trophy is Arch Manning with odds of +600. This is a view widely shared by other betting sites. Behind the Texas Longhorns quarterback is LSU's Garret Nussmeier with odds of +850.

According to BetMGM, Sam Leavitt has the sixth-best odds to win the coveted individual award next year. He's tied in the position with Oklahoma's John Mateer and Miami's Carson Beck.

Last season, Leavitt threw for 2885 yards, with 24 passing yards and six interceptions. His QBR was a highly positive 80.0, which ranked ninth best among signal callers in the country. Leavitt also ran for 442 yards with five touchdowns.

For context, Jayden Daniels, the last quarterback to win the Heisman, threw for 3812, with 40 touchdowns and 4 interceptions in the 2023 campaign for LSU. Daniels also ran for 1134 yards with 10 touchdowns.

About the author

Andres is an analyst who has reported on college basketball and college football at Sportskeeda since 2023. Currently pursuing a Bachelor's degree in law from Universidad Metropolitana in Venezuela, and has minor in International Relations. Andres holds a college certificate in Sports Entities Management from Unisport Management School in Spain. He is also an alumnus of the FIFA/CIES International Programme in Sports Management by FIFA and Universidad Metropolitana, and has been accepted into the Harvard CORe online program for which he was awarded a grant.

Given his background in sports management, law and business, Andres loves any chance to jump into the industry side of things and explain what's happening behind the curtain. He takes care when it comes to separating the wheat from the chaff and ensures he refers only to appropriate and respected sources.

His favorite college team is the Arkansas Razorbacks. While Troy Aikman and Joe Montana are two of his most favorite QBs, he is also an admirer of Joe Burrow's style and is rooting for Riley Leonard to do well.

Andres is an avid reader, likes adventure sports, dabbles in rock climbing, and is also a scuba diver. He is also an enthusiastic gamer, especially when it comes to strategy PC titles and loves his fair share of Halo.

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Edited by Satagni Sikder