An Early Look at 2024 Heisman Trophy Odds

The start of the 2024 college football season is roughly six weeks away. There will be no shot at a repeat Heisman Trophy winner as LSU QB Jayden Daniels is now a Washington Commander in the NFL. When the 2024 Heisman odds were released in January, Alabama QB Jalen Milroe was installed as the favorite at +825. The market has since changed.

Milroe, who will now fit into new head coach Kalen DeBoer’s high-powered offense, made huge strides in his second year as the Crimson Tide’s starter in 2023. The market has adjusted and Milroe is still in the mix, but he has been replaced at the top of the betting board. Here’s an early look at the 2024 Heisman Trophy race.

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Beck is the Heisman Favorite

Georgia QB Carson Beck opened as a +875 contender to win the 2024 Heisman Trophy. After leading Georgia to a 13-1 record last season but falling short of a College Football Playoff berth, Beck is back with an eye on a third national title in four seasons. Beck is also the early favorite to be the first overall pick in the 2025 NFL draft.

With the Bulldogs atop the early preseason CFB polls, Beck has moved into the driver’s seat as the Heisman Trophy favorite at +800 at EveryGame sportsbook. At 6-foot-4, Beck has the strong arm that allowed him to complete 72.4 percent of his passes for 3,941 yards and 24 touchdowns last season. Typically, Heisman Trophy winners will come from teams at the top of the rankings. Georgia being ranked No. 1 heading into the 2024 season makes him the frontrunner.

The Realistic Contenders

When the Heisman market opened in January, Texas QB Quinn Ewers was listed even with Beck at +875 at most top sportsbooks. Ewers, who led Texas to the CFP last season, returns to lead head coach Steve Sarkisian’s high-octane offense in 2024. Ewers is now alone in the No. 2 spot on the betting board at +900. 

Most polls have the Longhorns in the top-5 of the preseason rankings. Texas will be among the favorites to win the SEC and a favorite to make the new 12-team playoff. If Ewers can get his team through its first season in the SEC, he’ll have as good a shot as any at winning college football’s most coveted award.

The same can be said for new Oregon QB Dillon Gabriel. It’s almost hard to believe that in 2021 Gabriel was the starting quarterback at UCF. He transferred to Oklahoma where he threw for over 6,800 yards and 55 TDs in two seasons. Gabriel will play his final collegiate season at Oregon, which lost Bo Nix to the NFL.

The Ducks are known for high-powered offenses. Nix threw for 4,508 yards and 45 touchdowns last year at Oregon. Gabriel threw for 3,660 yards and 30 scores at Oklahoma. Like Texas, Oregon will play in a new conference – the Big Ten – and is among the favorites to win it and participate in the CFP.

In the Mix

Milroe dropped on the betting board with the announcement of head coach Nick Saban’s retirement. Saban’s retirement triggered an exodus of Crimson Tide players out of Tuscaloosa. Several of those that left were weapons for Milroe in the Alabama offense. Still, Milroe is in the thick of the Heisman race. He’s currently given +1400 odds to win at BETUS sportsbook.

Ole Miss QB Jaxson Dart, who threw for 3,364 yards and 23 TDs last year, is back to run head coach Lane Kiffin’s prolific offense. The Rebels went 11-2 – the only losses were Alabama and Georgia – last season and Dart will have them primed to make a run at the CFP. Dart is just ahead of Milroe on the betting board at +1200.

Longshot Winners

Last season, Daniels was listed at +2000 before going on to win the 2023 Heisman Trophy. In fact, Kyler Murray (2018), Joe Burrow (2019), and DeVonta Smith (2020) were all pretty big longshots or off the board at the beginning of their Heisman-winning seasons. 

Who could it be in 2024? Two names come to mind early. Both Will Howard of Ohio State and Nico Iamaleava of Tennessee are listed at +1600. They aren’t huge longshots, but both will have a shot at competing for the Heisman. 

Ohio State is ranked No. 2 or 3 in most preseason polls and figures to be the favorite to win the Big Ten and earn a CFP berth. Will Howard, who started at Kansas State last season, is a big (6-5, 240) dual threat quarterback who should thrive in new offensive coordinator Chip Kelly’s offense. 

Iamaleava (6-6, 200) served as Joe Milton’s backup at Tennessee for most of last season before starting the Citrus Bowl. He scored four touchdowns and led Tennessee to a 35-0 win. Iamaleava was the Citrus Bowl MVP. Like Howard, Iamaleava will play in an offense that will offer him the chance to put up big numbers.

Who Wins the 2024 Heisman Trophy

As you prepare to bet the Heisman Trophy futures market, keep in mind the types of players that win the award. Since 2000, 20 of the 24 winners have been quarterbacks. The only non-quarterbacks among the top-25 players on the Heisman betting board are Oklahoma State RB Ollie Gordon and Colorado WR/DB Travis Hunter.

Of the four non-QB Heisman winners since 2000, three – Reggie Bush, Mark Ingram, and Derrick Henry – were running backs. Gordon led the nation in rushing last season with 1,732 yards and he scored 21 touchdowns. He’s listed at +7500.

Hunter, who plays both ways for head coach Deion Sanders at Colorado, is an intriguing prospect. He put up some great numbers early in the Buffaloes 2023 season but an injury derailed his Heisman chances. So far in 2024, Hunter, who’s listed at +6500 at SportsBetting.ag, is drawing about 15 percent of the handle in the Heisman betting race. 

My pick is Carson Beck at +875. If he stays healthy he is going to put up fantastic numbers and the Bulldogs are going to cruise. My upset underdog longshot pick is the one mentioned right above this paragraph. Travis Hunter is a 2-way phenom and if Colorado can string together a winning record and this young man puts up dazzling numbers, he may very well take home the hardware. The voters would love to give it to a 2-way player again.