Kevin Jennings Heisman Predictions: Exploring SMU QB’s chances for CFB’s most prestigious individual award

SMU Mustangs quarterback Kevin Jennings did not come into the 2024 season as a starter, sharing the role with Rhett Lashlee. However, Jennings was announced as the team's staring quarterback early in the season.

This was the right move from the Mustangs as Jennings led the team to the ACC Championship game. Despite not winning the championship, they made the College Football Playoff for the first time in their history.

Jennings will hope to replicate last year's success this season as well. If he succeeds, there is a chance that he would end up winning the Heisman Trophy. Before the season starts, let's have a look at his chances.

Kevin Jennings 2025 Heisman Odds: Where he stands now

At the time of writing (May 31), Kevin Jennings is still seen as an underdog to win the Heisman Trophy. The bookmakers give him odds of +5000 to win.

This is similar to the odds given to players like USC Trojans quarterback Miller Moss and Notre Dame running back Jeremiyah Love.

Jennings has the best odds from the SMU roster, however, which may suggest that the Mustangs will struggle to return to the CFP and the ACC championship game this year.

SMU’ s Heisman History: Can Kevin Jennings join the list?

If Kevin Jennings wins the Heisman Trophy this year, he would be the second player in the history of the SMU Mustangs to win the award.

Doak Walker won it in 1948. He was able to turn this program around, turning SMU into a strong team that America fell in love with in the post-war world. Doak's contributions as a halfback and as a kicker gave him the Heisman Trophy, and his success forced the Mustangs to move from playing games on their campus to the Cotton Bowl.

This is why the Cotton Bowl is referred to as "The House that Doak built".

Doak Walker's name is still relevant today, and the award for the best running back in college football is also known as the Doak Walker award.

Kevin Jennings' top competitors

Kevin Jennings has a slim chance of winning the Heisman Trophy. This year's trophy is likely to be dominated by quarterbacks, with Jennings currently not strong enough to be in the running.

Texas Longhorns quarterback Arch Manning is the favorite to win this year. However, the likes of Garrett Nussmeier (LSU Tigers) and Cade Klubnik (Clemson Tigers) closely follow.

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 Satagni Sikder