Andy Staples predicts the 2024 Heisman Trophy winner to be a heavy underdog

On3’s Andy Staples gave his 10 bold predictions for the 2024 college football season and one was a doozy about the Heisman Trophy. Staples claimed this year’s winner will start with +2000 or worse betting odds.

“The last three seasons, the person who has been in the top three, one of the people in the top three of the betting favorites for the Heisman Trophy going into the season … Somebody who’s been in the top three has won the award,” Staples said on his show. “We are due for an out of nowhere Heisman Trophy winner. The last one of those was DeVonta Smith … you’re not going to have a receiver as a favorite because let’s be real, that’s not who typically wins the award. The award typically goes to a quarterback on a good team. 

“This year, I feel like it’s going to be an even more succinct set of criteria. Quarterback on a team in playoff contention in the last two weeks of the season. So it doesn’t necessarily mean you have to make the playoff but you have to be in the hunt at the end of the season.” 

As far as who could win it as a long shot? Well, Staples said the Heisman winner could come out of the Big 12.

“Your favorites right now: Georgia’s Carson Beck, we talked about Quinn Ewers, we talked about Dillon Gabriel those are your favorites. Beck is +750, Ewers +900, Dillon Gabriel +1000 and then you’ve got the +1500 range. You got Jalen Milroe at Alabama, you got Jaxson Dart at Ole Miss … So those are guys that you probably feel like could be in the mix. Will Howard we mentioned before, he’s surrounded by a lot of talent at Ohio State. Great receiver room. Great backs. We’ll see about the offensive line but it should be better than last year. 

“But if you’re gonna take a 13-1 shot on Will Howard, why not take a 25-1 shot on the guy who forced Will Howard to transfer? Avery Johnson +2500 at Kansas State. If Avery Johnson leads Kansas State to a Big 12 title and is as good as we think he might be. Absolutely Avery Johnson would win the Heisman Trophy. Absolutely. This guy is lightning fast. Now we need to see his arm more. We’ve seen a small sample size of his arm. Couple beautiful throws he made last season but can he be more than a very scary running threat?”

A longshot to win the Heisman Trophy in 2024?

Staples stayed in that odds group for the Heisman Trophy but went even deeper when it came to longshots to win it.

“Also in that +2500 group, Conner Weigman at Texas A&M,” Staples said. “Now we’re not talking about Texas A&M as a playoff contender. And we don’t need to talk about that unless they just come out guns blazing and it turns out they’re awesome. But the last time we saw Conner Weigman kind of healthy, Texas A&M’s offense was getting better. It felt like things were starting to turn around … We didn’t get to see a full season with him. He’s got Collin Klein calling plays for him … Definitely a possibility. 

“Or if we’re talking about you know, we’ve mentioned Avery Johnson, who’s the reason Will Howard’s at Ohio State, how about the reason Dillon Gabriel’s at Oregon? Jackson Arnold is +3000 at Oklahoma. Oklahoma makes the playoffs, Jackson Arnold puts up crazy numbers, if Oklahoma is a 10 win team against the schedule they play, Jackson Arnold is going to have a great season.” 

Another longshot for the Heisman? Take a look in the Big 12 once again in the state of Kansas.

“Kansas quarterback Jalon Daniels, perhaps the most exciting quarterback in the country to watch. Just must-see TV but yes, the injury history is not great,” Staples said. “I’ll give you another one. +3500, Missouri quarterback Brady Cook. Said early in the show I’m not worried about Missouri’s offense.

“Brady Cook is throwing to perhaps the best receiver in the country and Luther Burden. Burden (is) +6500 If you really want to take a flyer, but Brady Cook … I think he’s gonna throw really well again this year. That’s one maybe that might be my darkest of the dark horses.”