The Heisman Trophy is the most coveted award in college football, annually given to the top player in the sport. This past season saw Colorado Buffaloes two-way star Travis Hunter earn the honor after a phenomenal 2024 campaign.
But enough about him. What is in store next fall for the prestigious prize?
The sports media wasted no time looking ahead to 2025 for the next Heisman Trophy contender. Among them was USA TODAY Sports writer Austin Curtright, who penned his favorites for the award earlier this week.
Included among the 11 players listed was Florida Gators quarterback [autotag]DJ Lagway[/autotag], who is in the midst of a stellar true freshman campaign that has been anything but smooth sailing. However, with just a bowl game remaining, he did plenty to build his cred.
“Florida freshman quarterback DJ Lagway showed flashes of brilliance for the Gators after taking over the starting job after Graham Mertz suffered a season-ending injury,” Curtright begins.
“Lagway’s play was crucial for the Gators reaching seven wins, leading them to ranked victories against LSU and Mississippi in back-to-back weeks,” he continues.
“His stats have been solid entering Florida’s bowl game. He has completed 93 of 157 passes for 1,610 yards with 11 touchdowns to seven interceptions and will hope to build on a season of flashes as a sophomore.”
2025 Heisman Trophy contenders
Along with Lagway, quarterbacks Cade Klubnik (Clemson Tigers), Nico Iamaleava (Tennessee Volunteers), Arch Manning (Texas Longhorns), Garrett Nussmeier (LSU Tigers), Drew Allar (Penn State Nittany Lions), John Mateer (Washington State Cougars) and LaNorris Sellers (South Carolina Gamecocks) also made the cut.
Running back Jeremiyah Love (Notre Dame Fighting Irish) was also included along with wide receivers Jeremiah Smith (Ohio State Buckeyes) and Ryan Williams (Alabama Crimson Tide).
Other Heisman predictions for Lagway
CBS Sports writer Blake Brockermeyer also included Lagway in his list of 14 players who have a strong possibility of winning the 2025 Heisman Trophy.
“Lagway has been as advertised as the top-ranked QB in the 2024 class and just earned 247Sports True Freshman All-America Team honors,” Brockermeyer wrote.
“He’s trending towards being a very high pick in two seasons if he continues to develop but until then he’s got the chance to be the face of a Florida turnaround and one of the best QBs in the country. The big-framed dual-threat QB has plenty of big-name teams on the docket next year to deliver a Heisman moment or two.”
Athlon Sports’ Steven Lassand also included Florida’s signal-caller in his way-too-early outlook on the prestigious award.
“Lagway’s move into the starting lineup was instrumental in Florida’s late-season improvement that included big-time wins over LSU, Ole Miss, and Florida State and also likely saved coach Billy Napier’s job after a 3-3 start,” Lassan notes. “The sophomore-to-be has enormous upside and talent that will only get better with more snaps in ’25.”
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