LaNorris Sellers, Carson Beck vault into Heisman conversation

Field Level Media
01 Sep 2025, 22:49 GMT+10

(Photo credit: Dale Zanine-Imagn Images)

South Carolina's LaNorris Sellers and Miami's Carson Beck vaulted toward the top of the Heisman Trophy favorites following impressive performances by both quarterbacks in their teams' season-opening wins on Sunday.

Sellers, who opened at +1800 at BetMGM and was +1600 before Week 0, now has the second-shortest odds at +700 after leading the No. 13 Gamecocks to a 24-11 win over Virginia Tech. He is behind only Garrett Nussmeier, who is the new favorite at +650 following No. 9 LSU's victory at No. 4 Clemson on Saturday night.

Meanwhile, Beck is now tied for third at +1200 along with Georgia's Gunner Stockton after No. 10 Miami edged No. 6 Notre Dame 27-24 on Sunday night. The former Georgia quarterback returned from the UCL injury that ended his 2024-25 season to throw a pair of touchdown passes in his Miami debut.

Beck has the third shortest odds at DraftKings, where he was +1200 on Monday behind Nussmeier at +800 and Sellers at +900. Clemson's Cade Klubnik is next at +1400.

Where the two books agree is on the top non-quarterback in the current Heisman picture. Ohio State wide receiver Jeremiah Smith is +1500 at both, which places him in a tie for the fifth-shortest odds at DraftKings and alone with the sixth-shortest odds at BetMGM behind Oklahoma quarterback John Mateer (+1300).

Arch Manning, the preseason Heisman favorite at many sportsbooks, plummeted to +1600 at both BetMGM and DraftKings. Manning opened at +900 at BetMGM, just behind Nussmeier at +850, but had pulled ahead as the +600 favorite by the time Week 0 arrived.

That preseason hype came crashing down in a very uneven performance in No. 1 Texas' season-opening loss to Ohio State. It could prove a big win for the book, as Manning currently leads the way by a large margin with 12.6 percent of the total Heisman tickets and 16.7 percent of all money wagered at BetMGM backing Manning to win.

Nussmeier has drawn 10.8 percent of the money and Sellers 10.0, while Beck has been backed by 6.5 percent.

Manning is BetMGM's second biggest liability in the Heisman market, behind only Notre Dame running back Jeremiyah Love. The top running back in the country in the eyes of some analysts, Love was not featured as heavily against Miami as most expected, finishing with 33 yards on 10 carries and adding 26 yards on four receptions. Despite the modest performance, Love's Heisman odds shortened from +4000 to +2500.

The book's third biggest liability is Sellers, followed by Nussmeier and Smith, who saw his odds lengthen a bit from +1300 after catching six passes for 43 yards against Texas.

HEISMAN TROPHY ODDS*

Garrett Nussmeier, QB, LSU (+650)

LaNorris Sellers, QB, South Carolina (+700)

Carson Beck, QB, Miami (+1200)

Gunner Stockton, QB, Georgia (+!200)

John Mateer, QB, Oklahoma (+1300)

Jeremiah Smith, WR, Ohio State (+1500)

Arch Manning, QB, Texas (+1600)

Cade Klubnik, QB, Clemson (+1600)

Drew Allar, QB, Penn State (+1600)

Sam Leavitt, QB, Arizona State (+1600)

Dante Moore, QB, Oregon (+2000)