By now, you’ve seen college football’s early 2024 Heisman favorites, a group of elite quarterbacks expected to star for national title contenders. Nothing changed from previous seasons with regards to the nation’s most prestigious award — there’s a list of frontrunners and for the most part, those names don’t change unless a dark horse emerges within the first few weeks and begins making a name for himself.
According to updated odds from FanDuel Sportsbook approaching March, a number of players come off impressive seasons for top-25 teams, or those just beyond, bring star power. But for some reason, they do not bring the same hype alongside the rest of the nation’s best.
And with the College Football Playoff expanding to 12, that could increase the numbers of legitimate candidates coming down the stretch, at least more than the previous era where the finalists were largely predictable by the start of the season’s final month.
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Here are 10 Heisman long-shots sitting from 500/1 to 120/1 who might be worth a second glance…
Byrum Brown, QB, USF
FanDuel Sportsbook Odds: 500/1
Only within the Group of Five ranks can a playmaker like Byrum Brown fly under the radar after accounting for 37 touchdowns and more than 4,000 yards of total offense last season. Remember Tennessee quarterback Hendon Hooker’s stellar senior season in Year 2 under Alex Golesh with the Vols? Brown’s development could surge in a similar fashion now that he knows this Golesh scheme like the back of his hand. USF’s daring schedule includes Alabama and Miami this season, so the spotlight opportunities are there.
Maalik Murphy, QB, Duke
FanDuel Sportsbook Odds: 250/1
Put it this way — if Maalik Murphy was this season’s starter at Texas, he would be one of the frontrunners to win the award given the Longhorns’ stance inside the top 5. Instead, Murphy chose guaranteed opportunity at another Power program over a position battle with Arch Manning for QB2 honors behind Quinn Ewers. Who could blame him? Murphy is a talented player with a vast skill set and he’ll get every chance to show it with the Blue Devils under first-year coach Manny Diaz after incumbent Riley Leonard left for Notre Dame.
Kaidon Salter, QB, Liberty
FanDuel Sportsbook Odds: 200/1
It’s hard to believe that a quarterback who set various records for an unbeaten, conference champion team last season prior to a Fiesta Bowl loss to Oregon isn’t in the Heisman’s top 50 players to open 2024’s odds. Most assumed Kaidon Salter would be a transfer portal casualty and likely Auburn-bound to join former Liberty coach Hugh Freeze this offseason, but he decided to remain with the Flames and try and lead this program to a College Football Playoff berth in Jamey Chadwell’s second campaign. Salter rushed for 1,089 yards and 12 scores as a third-sophomore, to go along with 2,876 yards through the air and 32 touchdowns.
Seth Henigan, QB, Memphis
FanDuel Sportsbook Odds: 150/1
Memphis quarterback Seth Henigan has one priority this fall and it’s not winning the Heisman. He wants to propel the Tigers to a conference championship in the AAC and in turn, get Memphis to the expanded playoff for the first time in program history. He led the AAC with 32 touchdown passes in 2023, throwing for a league-best 3,882 yards with a 68.8% accuracy clip. Like a few other high-end signal callers within the conference, Henigan has an outside shot to warrant Heisman buzz if his numbers are big and the rest of his team delivers, as expected.
Ollie Gordon, RB, Oklahoma State
FanDuel Sportsbook Odds: 150/1
The disrespect is real for the reigning Doak Walker winner, which is a more or less an indictment on the likelihood a running back ever wins another Heisman. Ollie Gordon led college football in rushing last season with 1,732 yards, might be the only player rated 99 overall in this summer’s College Football 25 video game and is the headliner of an expanded Big 12 that no longer includes Oklahoma or Texas. We’re surprised a player of Gordon’s caliber has odds this high entering the 2024 season.
Quinshon Judkins, RB, Ohio State
FanDuel Sportsbook Odds: 120/1
How can a player with 2,725 yards rushing and 31 touchdowns in 26 career games over two seasons be this far back of the Heisman pack playing for arguably the national champion co-favorite alongside Georgia? Again, this shows how much respect is given to running backs with respect to the nation’s most prestigious award — very little. Quinshon Judkins is the top transfer this cycle in the backfield and Ohio State was able to wrestle him away from Ole Miss. Some of his carries will get taken away by another Heisman-caliber longshot in teammate TreVeyon Henderson (also at 120/1), but Judkins should be an immediate star on a title-contending team and that means everything in an awards race.
Grayson McCall, QB, NC State
FanDuel Sportsbook Odds: 120/1
Given NC State’s rise in the ACC preseason championship discussion and what the Wolfpack were able to do elsewhere in the transfer portal after a nine-win season, it’s not far-fetched to believe Dave Doeren’s team could potentially crack the College Football Playoff for the first time in program history. During his time at Coastal Carolina, quarterback Grayson McCall completed 710-of-1,016 passes (70 percent) for 10,005 yards with 88 touchdowns and 14 interceptions, while also rushing 350 times for 1,113 yards and 18 scores. He was three-time Sun Belt Player of the Year, four-time first-team all-conference selection four times and the Sun Belt’s Freshman of the Year during the 2020 season.
Dylan Raiola, QB, Nebraska
FanDuel Sportsbook Odds: 100/1
The biggest threat to Nebraska’s five-star true freshman quarterback not being in the early-season Heisman mix is the fact he has a job to win first, according to Huskers coach Matt Rhule. There’s no guarantee Dylan Raiola is going to start when there’s an incumbent who five of his eight starts during Rhule’s first campaign. However, the expectation is Raiola will play when he’s ready and if that’s in the season opener. Nebraska’s coaching staff won’t be afraid to unleash him in front of a national audience.
Evan Stewart, WR, Oregon
FanDuel Sportsbook Odds: 100/1
Oregon signed one of the top-rated transfer portal pass-catchers with the addition of Evan Stewart, a former five-star with Texas A&M who arrives in Eugene this spring with 91 career catches for 1,163 yards and six touchdowns. The 6-foot, 175-pounder as a sophomore Stewart hauled in 38 receptions for 514 yards and four touchdowns, but those numbers are going to multiple with the Ducks considering OC Will Stein’s scheme and the arsenal at quarterback Oregon has signed in the post-Bo Nix era. Stewart will be a go-to option downfield and should see his share of single coverage with playmaker Tez Johnson returning in the slot.
Donovan Edwards, RB, Michigan
FanDuel Sportsbook Odds: 100/1
How dangerous is Donovan Edwards for the Wolverines in 2024? He’s hungry to return to 2022 form when he averaged a career-best 7.1 yards per carry and gouged Ohio State with five touchdowns. As noted by The Michigan Insider this spring when he announced his return, even with a 104-yard, two-touchdown showing in the national title game Edwards only ran for 492 yards on 4.2 yards per carry with five rushing touchdowns last season. He added 249 receiving yards, but still finished the season just 29th in the Big Ten in scrimmage yards per game — a drop-off from last season and far from where the preseason darkhorse Heisman candidate expected to be.
