College football is a storybook sport, an ongoing fairy tale full of various storylines and potential Cinderella stories unfolding every week like a hit streaming series.
Much like any good series, some storylines run throughout the season that keep us engaged and provide relevant topics for conversation. One such storyline that continues to surprise every season is the potential for a dark horse or under-the-radar Heisman candidate.
For the past few years, players like DeVonta Smith, Joe Burrow, and Jayden Daniels have come seemingly from obscurity to hold up one of the most recognizable trophies in the sport, and possibly in all sports. As such, the search is on to find which under-the-radar candidates fans should tune in to watch as they try to figure out which conference their favorite team relocated to.
Under-the-Radar Heisman Hopefuls at Quarterback
We’ve broken down the hopefuls into two categories, quarterbacks and non-quarterbacks, as a way to cover more ground. Quarterbacks make up the overwhelming majority of the favorites, such is the nature of the game. While there have been multiple QB1s to win the award, the occasional star does rise from the ranks to win the award as well. Here are the quarterbacks. Heisman odds come courtesy of FanDuel Sportsbook.
Cam Rising +3000
Cam Rising enters his seventh year as a college football player, and while he’s often overlooked because his career has spanned so many years, he’s a perfect example of a potential dark horse.
His stats aren’t immediately eye-popping considering Utah has been so heavily invested in the run game, but with a move to the Big 12 and a heavy emphasis on receiver help in the portal, Utah is going to throw the ball.
If Rising can continue to find Brant Kuithe and develop a reliable deep-ball threat, he should be a household name by October. The elephant in the room will be his health; if he can stay on the field, it could lead to a stay at the Heisman House.
KJ Jefferson +4000
KJ Jefferson has found new life at UCF where he will be a senior in 2024 after an up-and-down season at Arkansas in 2023. The 6’3″ and 247-pound Jefferson is a legitimate dual threat and a game-breaking weapon who holds Razorback records for completions (626), passing yards (7,911), passing TDs (67), total plays (1,481), and total TDs (88).
He was a three-time captain in Fayetteville, Ark., and joined a team in UCF that was missing the kind of superstar play Jefferson could provide. With new scenery in Orlando, Fla., and a program hungry to prove itself after one year in the Power Four with the Big 12, Jefferson is a perfectly cast redemption story. What’s more, Jefferson and Rising will face off in a potential Heisman matchup in the last game of the regular season in Orlando.
Miller Moss +3000
It’s rare to put a player who has only played in one game on a list of Heisman hopefuls, but Miller Moss’ emergence following Caleb Williams’ departure was that surprising. He threw for 372 yards and six TDs in his lone start of 2023, a Holiday Bowl win against Louisville that comes with the normal caveats of reading too much into bowl performances.
Moss is a redshirt junior and beat out the heralded Malachi Nelson last season and both Dylan Gebbia and UNLV transfer Jayden Maiava this fall to win the starting job. He’s got an arsenal of weapons around him, including explosive WR Zachariah Branch, but the biggest improvement may be along the offensive line, which will be tasked with keeping Moss well-protected.
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Add to the mix playing in the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum as the Trojans move to the Big Ten, and a non-conference schedule that includes LSU and Michigan, and it becomes easy to see how a fast start would help Moss gather momentum.
Noah Fifita +4000
Private jets aren’t the only thing that Noah Fifita can let fly, and he was incredibly proficient in managing Arizona’s offense as a redshirt freshman in 2023. In only nine starts, he completed 72.4% of his passes for 2,869 yards and 25 touchdowns with just six interceptions.
Fifita nearly swept the Freshman of the Year category, and we’ve seen special sophomores emerge to win the award before, so the pathway to New York is paved. Fifita has a new coach and a new conference to overcome, but his favorite target in Tetairoa McMillan is returning while the new conference is built for a player like Fifita to shine.
A date with the Utes on Sept. 28 should give us an idea of whether or not Fifita is a legitimate Heisman contender, and the preview the week before against Kansas State should be a dream for those who love a good quarterback duel. If he wins both of those games … Fifita may want to save some of those private miles for a trip to New York in December.
Non-Quarterback Under-the-Radar Heisman Hopefuls
Luther Burden III +6500
Luther Burden III enters his junior year having carried the burden of the offensive production for Missouri in 2023. Seems like every time the ball went in his direction, it came down in Burden’s hands. NFL scouts love his potential, as does returning starter Brady Cook at quarterback.
Burden is a nightmare any time there is open space on the field, as evidenced by the 86 receptions and 1,212 yards he managed in addition to nine touchdown receptions. He had six 100-yard receiving games in 2023, and the improvement Missouri showed last year should help get the attention nationally that he will need.
Circle Oct. 26 on the calendar for the potential breakout game as the Tigers will travel to Tuscaloosa, Ala., to take on the Crimson Tide; while a new coach is roaming the sidelines, the faithful of Alabama always make it difficult. If Burden can stem the Tide, it should be smooth sailing to New York afterward.
Tetairoa McMillan +15000
Tetairoa McMillan is the second part of a one-two punch of potential Heisman hopefuls for the Wildcats. He’s a massive target at 6’5″ and 209 pounds with an astounding catch radius that allows him to get balls others simply can’t.
He led the team with 1,402 yards receiving after Arizona lost its leading receiver in Dorian Singer to the portal in 2022. He was fifth in the Pac-12 in touchdown catches with 10 and will undoubtedly be looking to break the program record of 13 in 2024.
McMillan is a true long shot, but his chemistry with Fifita and consistency throughout his career after being the highest-rated recruit in program history gives him a legitimate pedigree. He’s also playing in the Big 12, a conference known for shootouts, which could lift his numbers much in the same way he could lift Heisman hardware in December.
Ashton Jeanty +15000
Ashton Jeanty is a party in the end zone waiting to happen and far outshines the blue turf as the best reason to tune in and watch Boise State in the fall. He’s speedy and explosive, with the kind of juice to run around, over, and through a defender.
He’s a bit undersized at 5’9″ and 215 pounds, but it didn’t seem to affect him at all when averaging 159 yards from scrimmage and accruing 1,916 all-purpose yards. His 19 total touchdowns should rise in 2024, especially as Maddux Madsen takes over the signal-calling duties.
Opposing defenses will have their hands full with Jeanty, or maybe empty is the better description, and he’ll have his chance to prove his potential as the Broncos travel to Oregon on Sept. 7. Make sure to check with your provider because Jeanty is must-watch TV in 2024 regardless.
Mason Graham (no odds available)
Look, the reality is the odds of a defensive lineman winning the Heisman are slim, and the odds of an interior defensive lineman taking it home are even slimmer — but allow us to dream for a minute.
Mason Graham is six feet, three inches, and 320 pounds of Hulk energy, and he was All-Big Ten and a second-team All-American as a sophomore. He totaled 35 tackles, 7.5 tackles for loss, and three sacks in addition to forcing a fumble on three quarterback hurries.
Graham was a monster in the College Football Playoff National Championship game, almost single-handedly wrecking a Washington unit that won the Joe Moore Award and sending Michael Penix Jr. to the NFL with a new set of nightmares. The game before, he stymied an Alabama offense that had begun to evolve into a juggernaut of its own, and Michigan fans would argue he was the tipping point in sending Nick Saban to retirement.
Graham will undoubtedly be targeted by double and triple teams all season long, and the Week 2 matchup against Texas followed by a loaded Big Ten schedule is going to be a substantial hurdle. But if Graham lights up the Horns during a noon kickoff in Ann Arbor, Mich., those slim odds get substantially thicker, much like the monster of Michigan already stands.
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