Ewers, Beck & Milroe Open as Favorites
Odds as of January 5th at FanDuel Sportsbook. Make sure to check out the unique odds boost offered at the Bet365 app for the National Championship.
Familiar Faces Among Heisman Favorites
The three opening co-favorites in the 2024 Heisman odds are all returning starting quarterbacks who led their teams to impressive seasons in 2023-24. Quinn Ewers and Jalen Milroe led Texas and Alabama, respectively into the CFP, while Carson Beck guided UGA to a 13-1 campaign.
Out of the three co-favorites, we’d give Ewers a slight edge in this race. The sophomore raised his completion percentage from 58% to 69% in 2023 and will welcome two five-star receiver weapons in Johntay Cook or Ryan Wingo. He must overcome, however, losing his top target in Xavier Worthy (NFL Draft).
UGA’s Carson Beck and Bama’s Jalen Milroe will also be in the Heisman conversation for most of 2023-24. Beck will lose his top tight end in Brock Bowers, but will gain a couple of solid transfer receivers from Miami and Vanderbilt.
Milroe, on the other hand, will need to improve vastly on his passing numbers to have a legit shot at winning the Heisman. He only threw for 2,834 yards in 2023, but his top target Isaiah Bond is returning, plus incoming five-star freshman Ryan Williams is projected to be one of the next Alabama greats.
Gabriel, Howard Among Initruging Transfer Contenders
With more and more players entering the transfer portal to seek new opportunities, it comes as no surprise that several recent high-profile transfers are among the top contenders in the 2024 Heisman odds. Oregon’s Dillon Gabriel (+1000) and Ohio State’s Will Howard (+1500) are both top-five Heisman favorites in the early futures.
Gabirle, formerly at Oklahoma, is potentially worth an early wager, especially considering the success Bo Nix had in Euguene this past season. Gabirle finished top-10 in NCAAF passing yards this season while also rushing for nearly 400 yards and 12 TDs. Oregon’s leading receivers Tez Johnson and Trasheson Holdon are both returning in 2024.
Will Howard, meanwhile, transfers to Ohio State after throwing for thrown for 48 touchdowns and 5,786 yards in 27 career games at Kansas State. The fifth-year senior went 12-5 as Kansas State’s starter in 2022 and 2023 and led the Wildcats to a Big 12 title game win over TCU in 2022.
Every Ohio State quarterback is a preseason Heisman contender due to how dominant the Buckeyes are on offense every season. OSU superstar WR Marvin Harrison Jr. is likely to declare for the NFL Draft however, while Julian Fleming has also transferred out. The Buckeyes do have the top prospect in the 2024 class with incoming WR freshman Jeremiah Smith.
Early 2024 Heisman Winner Prediction
Ewers is a fairly safe choice in the opening 2024 Heisman odds, but keep in mind the Longhorns are transitioning to the SEC, where the defenses will be much more challenging than the Big 12. Still, Ewers’ odds are expected to shorten during the offseason.
Our best value play is going to be Dillon Gabriel at Oregon. Nix game arguably one game away from winning the trophy following his transfer from Auburn, and Gabriel possesses the arm talent to at least follow Nix as an Oregon QB finalist for the award.
Gabriel, who has thrown for over 3,00 yards in four different seasons, will have no shortage of weapons in Eugene with Tez Johnson, Traeshon Holden, Gary Bryant Jr., Jurrion Dickey and Kyler Kasper among others. As long as he stays healthy, we see Gabriel staying in the thick of the Heisman race all season.
