Thanks to a solid ground game and effective game management from quarterback Quinn Ewers, Texas football defeated the ACC Champion Clemson Tigers to advance to the quarterfinals of the College Football Playoff on Dec. 21. Ewers made the throws he needed to and minimized mistakes while running backs Jaydon Blue and Quintrevion Wisner rushed for over 250 yards combined for Texas's overpowering rushing attack against Clemson's defense.
Texas football QB Arch Manning and Clemson's Cade Klubnik among the early Heisman odds favorites for the 2025 season
Head coach Steve Sarkisian and the Longhorns found success with explosive plays and running consistently behind an effective offensive line push to score 38 points and rush for a season-high 292 yards against Clemson's line.
Texas's offense consistently countered the momentum built by Austin native quarterback Cade Klubnik and the Clemson passing attack, who had a great return home performance. Klubnik was the first quarterback to throw for over 300 yards and three passing touchdowns against Texas's secondary this season.
While Clemson's rushing attack was pretty much nonexistent in this game, Klubnik was able to keep the chains moving against a Texas pass defense that ranked No. 1 in the SEC coming into the College Football Playoff.
Assuming Klubnik returns to school at Clemson for the 2025 season, he'll get some Heisman hype as a candidate next year.
After the first round of the College Football Playoff Klubnik has the best odds of any ACC player (+1600) of winning the Heisman Trophy for the 2025 season, per BetOnline.
Leading the odds for the 2025 Heisman Trophy way-too-early is Texas quarterback Arch Manning (+700). With Ewers expected to enter the NFL Draft next spring, Manning will be the QB1 for the Longhorns for 2025.
Colorado two-way star (DB/WR) Travis Hunter bucked the trend of quarterbacks winning the Heisman Trophy in recent decades. Before Hunter won the Heisman Trophy for 2024, eight of the previous nine winners of the award played quarterback.
Manning has seen action in multiple games for the Longhorns, including two starts while Ewers was dealing with an oblique strain injury in the regular season. He threw for 939 passing yards, nine passing touchdowns, and rushed for another four scores and 100 yards on the ground.
Behind Manning in the Heisman odds for 2025 are Oklahoma quarterback John Mateer (+800), Florida quarterback DJ Lagway (+900), and LSU quarterback Garrett Nussmeier (+1000).