Geoff Schwartz
FOX Sports Betting Analyst
The 2025 college football season could be the year of the quarterbacks.
The preseason Heisman odds and 2026 NFL mock drafts are full of signal-callers. And truthfully, you can pick any one of these quarterbacks and have a decent shot of winning your ticket.
The way I like to wager on the Heisman is by looking at the longer shots first. Those are the players who will see their number move quickly if they start fast. You’re getting a number on them now rather than later. And you can also target a favorite after he has a down week early in the season to get a better number.
Let’s look at some of the players I think have a chance at winning the Heisman.
Dante Moore, QB, Oregon
Heisman odds: +1800
Dan Lanning has been at Oregon three seasons, and Will Stein has been his offensive coordinator the last two seasons.
Those two years have produced back-to-back Heisman finalists at the quarterback position.
Bo Nix finished third in Heisman voting in 2023 and quarterback Dillon Gabriel finished third last season. In 2025, the presumed starter will be Dante Moore — a former five-star and the highest-rated quarterback in the 2023 recruiting class. He committed to Oregon and then flipped to UCLA, where he played some as a true freshman. He then transferred to Oregon in the winter of 2024 and served as Gabriel’s backup last season.
Moore used 2024 to regroup mentally after a tough year at UCLA. He started multiple road games against 10-win teams and was part of a QB rotation that limited his ability to grow. After sitting last season behind Gabriel and playing on the scout team with some outstanding young talent, he’s ready to showcase his arm in this offense.
Moore has a cannon of an arm and Oregon has the weapons. The Ducks have the offensive line and play-calling to take advantage of Moore’s special talents.
Get on this number now before he starts scoring touchdowns for the Ducks.
Texas & Ohio State in Joel Klatt’s post-Spring top five teams
Jeremiah Smith, WR, Ohio State
Heisman odds: +1400
The Heisman tends to be a quarterback award, unless there’s a special talent at a skill position.
Think Travis Hunter last season, DeVonta Smith in 2020, Derrick Henry in 2015 or Mark Ingram in 2009.
Jeremiah Smith is that special talent at the receiver position for Ohio State. He’s a unicorn. He’s one of one in the sport. He’s 6-foot-3 and thick. But that doesn’t stop him from running by his opponents. In this sport, you cannot guard him with just one defender.
As a true freshman last season, he had over 70 catches and nearly 1,400 yards. He didn’t have more and that’s because Ohio State’s receiver room is deep and because the Buckeyes got leads early in games.
With some of that receiving talent having gone to the NFL, Smith will become the No. 1 target in this Ohio State offense.
Part of winning the Heisman is also having those Heisman-worthy plays — those extra-special, highlight-reel touchdowns or wild, eye-opening catches. Smith will have those all season. And even when the Buckeyes aren’t playing high-profile games, those contests might still be televised. From a visibility perspective, that matters.
I don’t think you’re getting a better price before the season than now for Smith.
Caleb Downs, Arch Manning in Klatt’s way-too-early top prospects in 2026 NFL Draft
John Mateer, QB, Oklahoma
Heisman odds: +3500
Despite my beloved Pac-12 conference disbanding before the 2024 season, I still pay attention to all 12 of the schools.
John Mateer quarterbacked the Washington State Cougars last season, and he’s an electric player with the ball. He completed 65% of his passes for just under 3,200 yards, with 29 passing touchdowns and just seven interceptions. He also rushed for over 800 yards on only 178 carries (as we know, sack yardage is included in these numbers). He added 15 rushing touchdowns to total 44 overall touchdowns last season.
These numbers are with Washington State skill players, and now he’s upgrading to Oklahoma. To be fair, his competition will be far superior, but he’s following a path similar to former Cougar Cam Ward, one that included playing at Washington State for multiple seasons and then leveling up to a different Power Four school.
We saw how the level of play jumped for Cam Ward last season. I expect the same from Mateer.
Geoff Schwartz is an NFL analyst for FOX Sports. He played eight seasons in the NFL for five different teams. He started at right tackle for the University of Oregon for three seasons and was a second-team All-Pac-12 selection his senior year. Follow him on Twitter @GeoffSchwartz.
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