Texas' Arch Manning and Clemson's Cade Klubnik struggled while other quarterbacks boosted their Heisman Trophy stock after Week 1.
The first real Saturday of the 2025 college football season is in the books. We still have Notre Dame vs. Miami on Sunday night, a game that features some Heisman Trophy contenders in Irish running back Jeremiyah Love and Hurricanes quarterback Carson Beck.
But a jam-packed Saturday provided plenty of Heisman takeaways to chew on. Here’s what stood out to me, fortunately a Heisman Trophy voter for a third season, after Texas-Ohio State, LSU-Clemson, Alabama-Florida State and more.The overreactions to Manning’s first real start were visceral. But in fairness to anyone who dunked on Manning, the preseason Heisman favorite was bad for three quarters and looked nowhere near like a lock for New York. Ohio State’s defense did a masterful job, but Manning just wasn’t seeing the field. There were open receivers, and he was sticking on his first read to a fault. Less than encouraging start for the Arch era.Many, including me, thought this was a perfect situation for Simpson, stepping into Kalen DeBoer and Ryan Grubb’s system and throwing to Ryan Williams and Germie Bernard. But Simpson looked lost out there against Florida State. It was obvious on the Tide’s first series that they weren’t going to open it up with the former five-star QB. Like Manning, he has time to bounce back. But it’s not going to get any easier in the SEC for Simpson, who was +1800 to win the Heisman before the season.There’s a very real chance Klubnik throws for 3,500 yards, runs through the ACC and makes it to the Heisman ceremony. But it was another poor performance for the senior against upper-echelon competition: 19 of 38 for 230 yards and an INT. Not what you want to see if you have a preseason Klubnik Heisman ticket . LSU quarterback Garrett Nussmeier looks to pass in the first half of an NCAA college football game against Clemson Saturday, Aug. 30, 2025, in Clemson, S.C.He didn’t post gaudy stats, completing 28 of 38 passes for 230 yards and a touchdown. Well, he should have had another touchdown if the refs knew what a catch was. Nevertheless, Nussmeier made some big-time throws in a raucous road environment in a top-10 matchup. The Nuss Bus is off and running.It was against Illinois State, so no need to get ahead of ourselves. But Mateer, the Washington State transfer and darkhorse Heisman contender , balled out in his first game with the Sooners. Mateer threw for 392 yards and accounted for four total touchdowns. Mateer’s Week 2 matchup with Michigan will be a must-watch.Speaking of Oklahoma, Arnold flamed out in Norman and transferred after being blamed for a lot of the Sooners’ offensive woes. But the former five-star was cooking in his Auburn debut, rushing for 137 yards and two touchdowns. We’ll see if SEC defenses are as forgiving as Baylor’s. But Arnold, a 35/1 ticket days ago, was electric.The New Mexico transfer is still a longshot, but what a debut for Dampier, who slashed his Heisman odds in half . Dampier helped Utah smoke UCLA, 41-10. He completed 21 of 25 passes for 206 yards and two touchdowns and added 87 yards and another score with his legs. Utah is a Big 12 contender with Dampier — and if he continues to shine, keep an eye on his Heisman stock. If you purchase a product or register for an account through a link on our site, we may receive compensation.and agree that your clicks, interactions, and personal information may be collected, recorded, and/or stored by us and social media and other third-party partners in accordance with our
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