Heisman Trophy Odds 2025: Top 3 dark horses no one’s talking about ft. Jake Retzlaff

The race for the 2025 Heisman Trophy hasn't even begun, and yet there are already a number of front runners for the prestigious award.

Players like Texas Longhorns quarterback Arch Manning, LSU Tigers quarterback Garrett Nussmeier and the Penn State Nittany Lions' Drew Allar are all names that have been mentioned as potential winners.

But one should not rule out other players. There are many potential "dark horses" for the award who may surprise everyone in December.

Here are three dark horse candidates for this year's Heisman Trophy.

3 "Dark Horses" for the 2025 Heisman Trophy that no one is talking about

1. Ryan Williams (Alabama Crimson Tide)

The young wide receiver took the college football world by storm last year after a very impressive freshman year for the Crimson Tide. He recorded 865 receiving yards and eight touchdowns, as Alabama just missed out on the College Football Playoff.

If Williams can become the leading player in what is potentially a weaker Alabama offense than normal, and the Tide can make a deep run into the playoffs, then Ryan Williams should be in the conversation for the Heisman Trophy.

2. Marcel Reed (Texas A&M Aggies)

There is a good chance that three out of the four players chosen for the Heisman Trophy shortlist will be quarterbacks. Marcel Reed, the quarterback for the Texas A&M Aggies, has the ability to shock the college football world and make this list.

In the limited number of games he played for the Aggies last season, he was able to show what he can do on the field. He threw for 1,864 yards and 15 touchdowns in 10 games.

If Reed can improve on his shape from last season and get the Aggies into the playoffs, then there is a possibility that a nomination may be in his future.

3. Jake Retzlaff (BYU Cougars)

A player who, in some people's eyes, has been underestimated is BYU quarterback Jake Retzlaff. In 2024, Retzlaff made the Cougars one of the best teams in the Big 12 conference and was very close to playing in the conference championship game. He threw for 2,947 yards and 20 touchdowns last season.

If he can improve on these numbers and BYU makes the CFP, then Retzlaff could be the fourth quarterback in the shortlist.

About the author

Ben Tredinnick is a journalist who covers college football and college basketball at Sportskeeda who is currently studying for a masters in Data Science. His degree in Psychology has helped him gain an in-depth understanding of the minds of coaches.

Ben has been involved in sports writing since 2022 and covered the NFL previously. His strengths include providing in-depth profiles of athletes and coaches, with a particular focus on development, and looking at which teams could be in the hunt for today's college stars.

Ben enjoys following college sports more than the NBA or NFL because there is more variation in terms of playstyles. The tournaments are often more competitive than the major leagues, and due to the constant turnover of players, there are rarely any "superteams" in college sports.

He prioritizes research, looks at multiple sources and publications to make sure he gets the full picture of the story before writing. He tries not to write from a one-sided perspective to allow the reader to be able to make their mind up on their own.

A Texas Longhorns fan, as well as a massive New York Giants fan, some of his favorite college players of all time are Arch Manning, Tim Tebow and Reggie Bush.

When he is not working, Ben enjoys watching films (especially Godzilla) and spending time with his cat.

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Edited by Nicolaas Ackermann