Ryan Wingo Heisman predictions: Exploring Texas WR's chances at the most coveted individual prize in college football

Texas wide receiver Ryan Wingo is coming off a solid freshman season. He had 29 receptions for 472 yards and two TDs, establishing himself as a dynamic receiving threat for the Longhorns. Heading into the 2025 season, he is expected to improve with Arch Manning taking over as the starting QB.

However, it would be a shock if Wingo were to win the Heisman Trophy. The one thing going for him is that the three Texas players who were ahead of him in receiving yards, Matthew Golden, Gunnar Helm and Isaiah Bond, will not be back. Here is a look at Wingo's Heisman odds next season.

Ryan Wingo 2025 Heisman odds: Where he stands now

As things stand in late May, Wingo is nowhere close to being a favorite for the Heisman Trophy. He has +40,000 odds to win the award on FanDuel, making him a massive underdog.

How Ryan Wingo compares to past Heisman-winning WRs

Typically, the Heisman Trophy is an award dominated by QBs, so that already puts Wingo on the back foot. However, last season, Colorado two-way star Travis Hunter won the award as a wide receiver and cornerback. Before that, the most recent wide receiver to win the award was Alabama's DeVonta Smith in 2020.

Since Hunter won as a two-way player, Smith is a better comparison for Wingo. Heading into his Heisman Trophy-winning campaign, Smith was coming off a season where he made 68 receptions for 1256 yards and 14 TDs. So, Wingo is not in a similar position heading into this season.

Texas' Heisman history: Can Ryan Wingo join the list?

Texas has had two Heisman winners throughout its history. Most recently, running back Ricky Williams won the award in 1998. Before that, running back Earl Campbell won it in 1977. It is unlikely that Wingo breaks the Heisman drought for the Longhorns this season.

Ryan Wingo's top competitors for the 2025 Heisman Trophy

If Ryan Wingo is going to win the Heisman Trophy, he is going to need to have a huge step forward statistically to pass the other top contenders. The most likely wide receiver to win the award is Ohio State's Jeremiah Smith. However, based on the early odds, a QB appears much more likely to win. Here are the top five contenders, according to FanDuel:

QB Arch Manning (Texas) +700
QB Cade Klubnik (Clemson) +900
QB Garrett Nussmeier (LSU) +900
QB Julian Sayin (Ohio State) +1300
WR Jeremiah Smith (Ohio State) +1300

About the author

Alexander O'Reilly is a journalist at Sportskeeda from Kingston, Ontario with over seven years in the field at companies including SenShot, RVBlogger, Monarch Media, WordAgents, GSeC LLC, and IGC.

His favorite college team is Duke, and his favorite sporting memory was Duke winning March Madness in 2010. JJ Redick was Alex's favorite college player when he was young but more recently, Caleb Williams gets the nod. As the Chicago Bears are Alex's favorite NFL team, this was a perfect match.

Alex's proudest moment came when he was interviewed by a radio station in Ottawa on his opinion on recent moves by the Ottawa Senators, which gave him a confidence boost and the knowledge that he could succeed as a writer.

Aside from sports, Alex likes to spend his time playing games. He is also very passionate about running and strives to improve at the half and full marathon distances.

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Edited by Alexander O'Reilly