Paul Finebaum ditches SEC QB from 2025 Heisman contenders list and it's not Florida's DJ Lagway

College football analyst and insider Paul Finebaum stopped one SEC quarterback as a Heisman contender.

The SEC has several impact quarterbacks who are in the running for the Heisman. The names include Arch Manning and Garrett Nussmeier.

But, some darkhorses include DJ Lagway and Marcel Reed of Texas A&M. However, according to Finebaum, he doesn't view Reed as a legit Heisman contender.

"I didn't see enough from Marcel last year overall, yeah, in individual moments like the LSU game, some of the earlier games in the season, he was sensational," Finebaum said on his show, via Athlon Sports. "'Can he do that consistently?' Is my question."

Reed went 147-for-240 for 1,864 yards, 15 touchdowns, and 6 interceptions. He was a freshman quarterback who had mixed results, but Finebaum isn't sure that he will take the next step.

Reed has the 16th-best odds of winning the Heisman at +1600, which implies a 5.9%.

DJ Lagway, meanwhile, is tied for the eighth-best odds of winning the Heisman at +2000.

Currently, the top 10 in Heisman odds are as follows:

Arch Manning, Texas, QB, +700
Garrett Nussmeier, LSU, QB +900
Cade Klubnik, Clemson, QB, +1000
Jeremiah Smith, WR, Texas State, +1200
Julian Sayian, QB, Ohio State, +1500
Drew Allar, QB, Penn State, +1600
LaNorris Sellers, QB, South Carolina, +1800
Dante Moore, QB, Oregon, +2000
DJ Lagway, QB, Florida, +2000
Carson Beck, QB, Miami, +2500

Gators coach heaps praise on DJ Lagway

DJ Lagway enters 2025 with high expectations after a very successful rookie season.

Lagway is a dual-threat quarterback and entering 2025, Gators QB coach Ryan O'Hara has a ton of praise for his starting QB.

"His leadership, I think, is going to the next level," O'Hara said, via 247Sports. "He's becoming more vocal this year, you know, because he kind of transitioned into that role when he became a full-time starter last year.

"But now he's not afraid to get on guys, whether it's good and bad, and he's having those conversations in between racks with people. You know, he's coaching them up, and he's really taking the next step in terms of his leadership and just his own quarterback development. I think he's been really good."

Lagway did deal with injuries last season, so the goal for Florida is to keep him healthy.

Lagway and Florida open their 2025 college football season on Aug. 30 against LIU.

About the author

Cole is an NHL, NFL and College Sports reporter at Sportskeeda with over 7 years of experience writing for publications like CBC, USA Today, SMG, BJPENN, Sherdog and SB Nation.

An NHL fan his whole life, Cole played rep hockey in Canada from age 5 until 17 and grew up rooting for Martin St. Louis and the Tampa Bay Lightning. His all-time favorite players are Vincent Lecavalier and Steven Stamkos, while Jon Cooper is his favorite coach of all time.

Cole attended Sheridan College and received his journalism degree in 2019. After decades of watching and reporting, he considers his knowledge of sports as his primary strength. He ensures that the same story has been reported by at least two reputed reporters before creating it.

Cole enjoys playing golf and spending time with friends and family when not reporting breaking stories. His favorite sports moment is from the 2010 Olympics, when Sidney Crosby scored the golden goal in overtime to beat Team USA for the gold medal.

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Edited by Cole Shelton