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The original was posted on /r/cfb by /u/MercuryDances on 2025-09-15 18:01:31+00:00.
It’s still very early, but it feels like the shine has already come off of a lot of the preseason Heisman candidates. Arch isn’t that guy, at least not yet. DJ Lagway is sunk already, and Klubnik looks rough. Sellers hasn’t set the world on fire, nor has Drew Allar. Nussmeier has been fine, but not elite yet this season. Jeremiah Smith is still Jeremiah Smith, and could get there, but Ohio State’s offense has a lot of mouths to feed, and it’s historically been hard for a WR to win this award (though there is recent precedent).
John Mateer has looked perhaps the best of the big preseason candidates. He’s a ton of fun to watch, and might be the frontrunner right this instant, but has what looked in the Michigan game like a weaker supporting cast than some other contenders (though, then again, that can sometimes be a plus in Heisman discussions, as he’ll be doing more himself).
Among other veterans, what about Carson Beck, at the helm of what looks like the best Miami team in years? Or could it be a young guy who didn’t get the preseason Arch treatment, with Dante Moore and my new best friend Julian Sayin looking solid? Or maybe even Jaron-Keawe Sagapolutele at Cal?
My thoroughly biased take is that the actual best player in the country is none of the above; I’d love to see Caleb Downs get serious consideration. But it’s hard to imagine a guy who exclusively plays defense winning the thing, and a lot of what he does is hard to quantify.
Who would your pick be? Who am I missing, and who should we be talking about more?