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2024 Heisman Trophy Betting Preview: Live Odds, Favorites, and Best Long Shots on the Board

Nicholas Berault
Written by Nicholas Berault
January 12, 2024
2024 Heisman Trophy Betting Preview Live Odds, Favorites, and Best Long Shots on the Board

College football's conclusion in early January signifies the turning of a page for programs across the country as they prepare to hit the recruiting trail, focus on the spring transfer portal market, welcome early freshmen enrollees to campus, and formulate their winter and spring practice plans.

For the fans of the game who aren't diving into message boards, liking recruits' tweets, or reading early practice reports, the sportsbooks have done everyone a favor and released odds for over 100 players who will compete for the 2024 Heisman Trophy.

We've dug into recent trends, followed player movements in the portal, and formed some early best bets outlined in this piece.

Live Odds to Win 2024 Heisman Trophy

The Michigan Wolverines were crowned college football national champions just a few days ago! Even though the 2024 college football season is still several months away, several online sportsbooks have betting odds out for the Heisman Trophy. The main question on everyone's mind is, Can Jalen Milroe of Alabama take home the hardware without Nick Saban at the helm for the Crimson Tide?

Curious about what the 2024 Heisman Trophy odds are for the upcoming college football season? Check out the live odds, favorites, long shots, and best bets right here!

Current Odds to Win 2024 Heisman Trophy

Latest Odds from Caesars SportsBook

Jalen Milroe +900
Quinn Ewers +1000
Carson Beck +1000
Dillon Gabriel +1000
Noah Fifita +1400
Jaxson Dart +1500
Garrett Nussmeier +1500
Will Howard +1600
Nico Iamaleava +1800
J.J. McCarthy +2000
Riley Leonard +2200
Brady Cook +2200
Jackson Arnold +2500
Miller Moss +2500
D.J. Uiagalelei +2800
Cade Klubnik +2800
Jayden Maiava +3000
Jalon Daniels +3000
Conner Weigman +3000
Shedeur Sanders +3500
Will Rogers +4000
Kaidon Salter +4000
Drew Allar +4000
Ollie Gordon II +4000
Avery Johnson +4000

Recapping the 2023 Heisman

This season continued a trend that began in 2000 with Florida State's Chris Weinke winning the Heisman. During those 24 seasons, 20 quarterbacks have lifted the trophy after receiving the most votes from the electorate.

LSU's Jayden Daniels became the latest QB to add the iconic award to his resume with an impressive season in Baton Rouge. Although the Tigers lost three times, Daniels was never truly able to be contained during any one week. He racked up over 3,800 passing yards and more than 1,100 rushing yards while accounting for 50 touchdowns to beat out Washington quarterback Michael Penix Jr. by the slimmest margin of voting points since Kyler Murray won in 2018.

Daniels was listed at +1500 odds to begin the 2023 season. He became the second player in the last two years and the fifth since 2017 to win the Heisman after transferring from the school where he began his college career.

2024 Betting Favorites

Quarterbacks are well-represented again on the odds list heading into the 2024 season. Last season, there were 12 QBs with the same or better odds than the first non-quarterback on the odds sheet, Blake Corum. That number has grown to 23 in 2024.

Alabama's Jalen Milroe is the favorite at +900. The redshirt sophomore withstood a rocky start to his season to lead the Tide to an SEC title while accounting for 35 touchdowns and posting the 13th-best QBR in the FBS. He'll be without coach Nick Saban and likely some more teammates following Saban's retirement announcement on January 10.

Texas QB Quinn Ewers and the newly arrived Dillon Gabriel at Oregon follow Milroe closely and have slight edges on Georgia's Carson Beck and Arizona signal-caller Noah Fifita, according to the oddsmakers' best guess. Gabriel, now with his third program following stints at UCF and Oklahoma, is likely to finish his college career in the top two of passing yards all-time.

SEC quarterbacks Jaxson Dart from Ole Miss, expected LSU starter Garrett Nussmeier and Tennessee's rising QB prospect Nico Iamaleava join Ohio State's Will Howard at better than +2000 odds with the season still over eight months away. Dart, Nussmeier, and Iamaleava all shined in their bowl games to kickstart the offseason buzz as the ball dropped in 2024.

J.J. McCarthy still has a decision to make on whether he'll return to college after leading Michigan to a national title. If he decides to stay, he can be bet at around +2000 to win next year's Heisman. The two-year starter won 28 of 29 career games during the Wolverines' resurgent period.

The pack between 20-1 and 30-1 includes past and present Clemson starters D.J. Uiagalelei and Cade Klubnick, first-time starters Miller Moss at USC and Jackson Arnold of Oklahoma, Notre Dame's prized transfer Riley Leonard from Duke, and returning senior Brady Cook, who has Missouri fans excited for a potential playoff berth in 2024.

The final group of players with odds shorter than 40-1 include Texas A&M's Conner Weigman, who will return this year following a season-ending foot injury suffered in September, and quarterbacks from renewed Big 12 foes Kansas and Colorado. Jalon Daniels, the Jayhawks' starter who also missed the bulk of 2023 with injuries, will face Buffaloes' QB Shedeur Sanders head-to-head in Lawrence this fall.

2024 Long Shots

According to the Sporting News, four Heisman winners since 2009 have not had preseason odds listed. Those players, including Mark Ingram, Cam Newton, Johnny Manziel, and Jameis Winston, were all overlooked heading into the season that would cement their legacy in the college game.

Except for Lamar Jackson (+10000), DeVonta Smith (+10000), and Joe Burrow (+20000), the rest of the winners since 2011 had odds shorter than +3000. This trend tells us that it's wise to focus on players with better odds but not exclude the long shots from your preseason wagering.

Every Heisman betting card should include at least one long shot. What's the harm in sprinkling on a player who recently transferred or whose team could explode the following season to win 10+ games on the back of that star?

Will Rogers, who transferred from Mississippi State, will assume the quarterback role at Washington after all the success experienced by Penix. K-State's Avery Johnson led the Wildcats to victory in the PopTarts Bowl and will permanently take the reins of that offense in 2024. Former Arkansas starter K.J. Jefferson is now with UCF after hitting the portal.

From the non-quarterback category, there are some strong options in this middle range. Oklahoma State's Ollie Gordon has the shortest odds at +4000 and returns to Stillwater after an NCAA-leading 1,732 rushing yards in 2023. His 21 touchdowns trailed only Michigan's Blake Corum among FBS runners.

Running back Quinshon Judkins announced his transfer commitment to Ohio State on the night Michigan won the championship. He posted more than 2,700 rushing yards and 31 rushing TDs in two seasons at Ole Miss and will be the face of the talented Buckeye backfield from Day 1.

Fellow transfer Trevor Etienne will be the #1 running back on Georgia's 2024 depth chart after transferring on the heels of his sophomore season at Florida. Both players can be wagered at +5000 to win this year's Heisman.

Missouri's Luther Burden and Colorado's Travis Hunter are former five-star recruits who've lived up to their high school hype in college. Both are currently available between +7500 and +8000 after breakout seasons in 2023.

Maalik Murphy, the former Texas quarterback, joined coach Manny Diaz at Duke via the portal and could be the next Heisman winner with preseason odds of +10000. Murphy's 92.9 high school recruiting rating, according to 247 Sports, would make him among the top-five commits in program history.

2024 Best Bets

Faithful readers know that it's always college football season around these parts. We have no problem adding bets to our 2024 portfolio whenever we see value. We've added the following wagers to our accounts:

Carson Beck (+1000) (Caesars)

Beck was somewhat overlooked during a season in which he ranked third in the FBS in passing yards, fourth in completion percentage, and sixth in yards per pass attempt. He'll have the backing of a motivated, talented Georgia team to propel him to what the Dawgs hope is their third title in four years. If Beck can raise his performance while leading his team to a conference title and playoff berth, he'll be in a great position to be a Heisman finalist.

Noah Fifita (+2000) (FanDuel)

Fifita got his first career start in late September against Washington and never looked back. He threw 26 touchdowns in nine games, averaging 325 yards per contest and leading the Wildcats to wins over Oregon State, UCLA, Utah, and Oklahoma. He'll have his favorite target, Tetairoa McMillan, back in 2024 as Arizona looks to build on its best finish in the polls since 2014.

Avery Johnson (+4000)

K-State fans got a glimpse of the future with Johnson's first career start in the PopTarts Bowl, resulting in a 28-19 Wildcats win in which the freshman accounted for three touchdowns and just shy of 250 total yards. Johnson and company have a home date against Fifita and Arizona on September 14, but otherwise they have a very manageable schedule in the new Big 12 without Texas and Oklahoma.

Maalik Murphy (+25000) (FanDuel)

Manny Diaz snagged the four-star QB in the portal shortly after being named Duke's head coach this offseason. He has the most upside among the players this far down the board, depending on what Diaz can do in his first year in Durham.

Past Heisman Trophy Winners

Want to impress all of your friends with your expansive amount of Heisman Trophy knowledge? This section can help you with that! We've done a ton of research to bring you this complete list of Heisman Trophy winners from 2000 to 2023.

Year Winner School
2000 Chris Weinke Florida State University
2001 Eric Crouch University of Nebraska
2002 Carson Palmer University of Southern California
2003 Jason White University of Oklahoma
2004 Matt Leinart University of Southern California
2005 Reggie Bush University of Southern California
2006 Troy Smith Ohio State University
2007 Tim Tebow University of Florida
2008 Sam Bradford University of Oklahoma
2009 Mark Ingram University of Alabama
2010 Cam Newton Auburn University
2011 Robert Griffin III Baylor University
2012 Johnny Manziel Texas A&M University
2013 Jameis Winston Florida State University
2014 Marcus Mariota University of Oregon
2015 Derrick Henry University of Alabama
2016 Lamar Jackson Louisville
2017 Baker Mayfield Oklahoma
2018 Kyler Murray Oklahoma
2019 Joe Burrow LSU
2020 DeVonta Smith University of Alabama
2021 Bryce Young University of Alabama
2022 Caleb Williams University of Southern California
2023 Jayden Daniels LSU

Heisman Trophy FAQ

The Heisman Trophy is arguably the most prestigious award in sports. Because of that, lots of folks have questions about this award and its illustrious history. The following FAQ section will provide people with lots of helpful information about the Heisman.

Our team has spent several hours of research time to compile the following questions and answers. If you have a question that isn't covered here, please reach out to us at [email protected] or on Twitter @EatWatchBet.

Has anyone ever won the Heisman Trophy twice?

Yes, Archie Griffin is the only player to win the Heisman Trophy twice. He accomplished this feat in 1974 and 1975 as a member of the Ohio State Buckeyes.

When was the first Heisman Trophy awarded?

The first Heisman Trophy was awarded in 1935 to Jay Berwanger, a running back who played for Chicago.

What team has had the most Heisman Trophy winners?

The University of Southern California (USC) has had the most Heisman Trophy winners with 7. The USC winners are Mike Garrett (1965), O.J. Simpson (1968), Charles White (1979), Marcus Allen (1981), Carson Palmer (2002), Matt Leinart (2004), and Reggie Bush (2005).

What position has won the most Heisman Trophies?

The quarterback position has won the most Heisman Trophies. Over the years, many quarterbacks have won the award, including Johnny Manziel, Tim Tebow, Cam Newton, and Baker Mayfield. Quarterbacks have won the award more frequently than any other position because of their leadership role on the field and their ability to make key decisions and impact the outcome of games.

Has a defensive player ever won the Heisman Trophy?

Yes, a defensive player has won the Heisman Trophy. The only defensive player to win the award is Charles Woodson, a cornerback from the University of Michigan, who won the award in 1997. Woodson was the first primarily defensive player to win the award, and his win was seen as a significant accomplishment for defensive players.

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