With spring practices just around the corner, it’s already time to start getting excited about college football again, which means getting excited about the game’s biggest stars, which means getting excited about the Heisman Trophy, college football’s top honor. Last season’s winner, standout two-way player Travis Hunter, is headed to the NFL, which means we’re guaranteed to have a new winner in 2025.
Here are the top three players you should be watching heading into the season.
Jeremiah Smith
Jeremiah Smith might be the most dominant player returning to college football. Smith completely wrecked games at the college level as a true freshman, creating nightmare matchups for just about any defense that the Ohio State Buckeyes ran into. Smith was so dominant that he led the Buckeyes to the National Championship despite clearly not having the best quarterback in the playoff field with Kansas State transfer Will Howard.
Smith finished the season with a staggering stat line of 1,315 yards receiving and 15 touchdowns, and there’s no reason to think he won’t be even more impressive.
Arch Manning
There was no way we could leave the prodigal son off the list. Manning comes from as elite a pedigree as there gets. Manning only started a handful of games in place of the injured Quinn Ewers, but each start was electric. Manning showed the nation that he was lethal both as a passer and a runner, taking the top off of defenses in whichever way he saw fit.
Now, Manning will have the keys as the Texas Longhorns stater for the full season, and there’s no reason to think he won’t dominate in his first full season at the helm.
Bryce Underwood
It’s very rare for a true freshman to take home the Heisman Trophy, but if anyone is capable of it, it’s Michigan Wolverines freshman Bryce Underwood. Underwood is so talented that Michigan’s NIL collectives shelled out a reported $10 million to flip him from LSU, with potential earnings up to $12 million.
It’s not hard to see why the Wolverines were willing to spend such a staggering amount on securing Underwood’s commitment. The five-star recruit is listed at 6 ft 4 in and 208 lbs and has received comparisons to former Heisman Trophy winner and NFL MVP Cam Newton. As lofty as those expectations are, there’s no reason to think Underwood can’t live up to them.
There are going to be tons of electric football players in the 2025 college football season, but these are three you’re going to want to watch very closely as the season unfolds.
