USA Today names South Carolina's LaNorris Sellers sleeper Heisman candidate for 2025
South Carolina quarterback LaNorris Sellers was named among USA Today’s Blake Toppmeyer’s five unlikely Heisman Trophy contenders for 2025 on Wednesday.
As of July 3, Sellers sits inside the top 10 of Heisman odds according to Circa Sports. His 19-1 odds rank him behind fellow SEC sophomore quarterback, Florida’s DJ Lagway (17-1).
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Sellers comes off a freshman season that earned him FWAA Offensive Freshman of the Year and SEC Freshman of the Year honors. In the 2024-25 campaign, he threw for 2534 yards on 196 completions in 299 attempts. He also rushed for 674 yards on the ground.
Sellers’ 18 passing and seven rushing touchdowns also earned him second-team All-SEC honors by Phil Steele.
Sellers received multiple player of the week honors in the final half of his redshirt freshman campaign. His 244 yards passing, 106 yards rushing and two touchdowns in an upset win over then-No. 10 Texas A&M earned Sellers the Manning “Star of Stars” award, SEC Freshman of the Week, and Davey O’Brien co-National Quarterback of the Week. He then earned SEC Freshman of the Week again the following week against Vanderbilt. The week after Vanderbilt, he won SEC Offensive Player of the Week against Missouri.
In the final six games of the 2024 regular season, Sellers averaged 217.6 yards passing, more than 50 yards higher than his opening six games (161.3).
“Few quarterbacks outclassed Sellers by the end of last season,” USA Today’s Blake Toppmeyer wrote. “Ask Missouri about Sellers’ passing ability. Ask Clemson about his running ability. Dual-threat quarterbacks make for good Heisman contenders, and Sellers fits that billing.”
The Gamecock star enters his sophomore campaign with high expectations. Athlon Sports recently named Sellers to its third-team All-SEC and fourth-team All-America teams ahead of the 2025 season. The rising redshirt sophomore also ranks No. 8 in On3’s Top 100 Players for the 2025 College Football season.
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Sellers also ranks highly in the virtual world, being a top 5 overall quarterback in EA Sports’ upcoming College Football 26.
High praise aside, Toppmeyer addressed concerns in Sellers’ fumbles during his freshman season. Sellers put the ball on the ground 11 times in his first season under center, the most of any quarterback. He also threw seven interceptions.
“He’s an efficient passer, but he must reduce his turnovers after a redshirt freshman season filled with fumbles,” Toppmeyer wrote. “A neat story helps a Heisman campaign.”
Toppmeyer closed his thoughts by saying Seller’s Heisman hopes depend on South Carolina producing the same success as in 2024. South Carolina finished last year’s regular season just outside the College Football playoff at 9-3. After a loss in the Cheez-It Citrus Bowl, the Gamecocks exited 2024-25 at No. 15 in the country.
Sellers gets to begin his Heisman campaign when the Gamecocks head to Atlanta, GA for the 2025 Aflac Kickoff Game. South Carolina faces off against the Virginia Tech Hokies under the lights at Mercedes-Benz Stadium on Aug. 31, 2025.
