Much has been said about Arch Manning and the potential impact he can have in the SEC in his first year as a full starter with the Texas Longhorns. Manning is widely considered the favorite to win the 2025 Heisman Trophy. However, many have raised objections to an inexperienced player being considered the top contender.
Those who oppose Manning’s valuation by the bookies have highlighted that he shouldn’t even be considered the top signal-caller in his conference. They pointed out that players like Florida’s DJ Lagway and LSU’s Garrett Nussmeier have more experience than the Texas man and have already proved their worth in the SEC.
Jake Crain seems to be part of this camp. On Wednesday, he said on the “Crain and Company” podcast (14:15):
“I just think putting Arch (Manning) above DJ Lagway is malpractice. It’s malpractice.”
Others like On3’s J.D. PicKell have also put Lagway as their returning SEC quarterback going into the 2025 season. After taking over an injured Graham Mertz midway through the 2024 season, DJ Lagway started seven games for the Florida Gators and led them to an overall record of 6-1.
In total, he recorded 1915 passing yards, with 12 touchdown passes and nine interceptions in the 2024 campaign. His 57.9 QBR was 69th among signal-callers in the country. In contrast, Arch Manning started only two games in 2024 (during a Quinn Ewers injury) and recorded 939 yards, with nine touchdown passes, and two interceptions. His QBR was 87.5.
What are Arch Manning and DJ Lagway’s odds to win the Heisman?
According to BetMGM, Manning is the favorite to win the coveted trophy this season. The bookies are giving him odds of +600, and his closest rival is LSU’s quarterback Garrett Nussmeier with odds of +850. Jeremiah Smith, Cade Klubnik (tied at No. 3), and Drew Allar complete the top four.
Lagway is being considered more of a dark horse for the trophy, with odds of +1800. That makes him the player with the fifth-best odds to win the award, a position in which he’s tied with Dante Moore, LaNorris Sellers, and Julian Sayin.
This, however, doesn’t mean that Lagway cannot win. Last year, the frontrunner to win the award months before the season was Alabama’s Jalen Milroe, who didn’t feature among the favorites once the season started.
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