Can lightning strike three times?
The 2024 college football season ended 24 hours ago so of course we’re gonna start looking ahead to 2025 and according to the oddsmakers LSU quarterback Garrett Nussmeier is poised to have a big year.
Heisman trophy odds for the 2025 season opened up and Nuss is at or near the top of many of the major sportsbooks. FanDuel in particular has Nussmeier as the odds on favorite for the Heisman, and at the time of this writing is listed as a +900 favorite.
Nuss had the second-best passing season in LSU history, throwing for 4,052 yards in 2024. He also completed 64 percent of his passes and 29 touchdowns versus 12 interceptions. Nussmeier was top-10 nationally in both yards (fifth) and tied for eighth in touchdowns.
Nussmeier being so high is a good sign that he’ll be in the Heisman conversation this upcoming season. The Heisman is as much of a popularity contest as it is based on pure merit nowadays and Nuss being arguably the best returning quarterback in the country means he’ll have plenty of eyes on him from the get-go.
Nussmeier is, of course, heading into his second season as a starter and between the experience he gained in 2024 and the work LSU’s done in the transfer portal—specifically adding Barion Brown and Nic Anderson at wide receiver—Nuss should have just as good of a season, if not better, than the one he just had. Overall team success doesn’t seem to be as big of a requirement these days either as the last three Heisman trophy winners did not make the College Football Playoff; but just to be safe let’s hope that Nuss pilots LSU to a CFP berth to get some extra love from the voters.
Other notable betting favorites for the 2025 Heisman include Texas’s Arch Manning (+950) Clemson’s Cade Klubnik (+1100), Penn State’s Drew Allar (+1100), and Ohio State’s Jeremiah Smith (+1700).