Although seeing a Group of Five star actually winning the Heisman Trophy seems a bit absurd, we nearly had that happen a year ago... While Colorado Buffaloes Mr. Everything Travis Hunter ended up winning college football's highest honor, my first-place vote for the 2024 Heisman Trophy would have gone to Boise State Broncos running back Ashton Jeanty. I thought he was that great of a playmaker.
While the label of the Group of Five is a relatively new moniker, there have been star players who have thrived at this level who have been Heisman Trophy finalists before. I remember Northern Illinois quarterback Jordan Lynch being a finalist in the early-to-mid-2010s. Gino Torretta should not have won the 1992 Heisman in retrospect. It should have gone to Marshall Faulk out of San Diego State.
So what I am going to do today is outline a handful of star performers in the Group of Five that I think have a decent shot of potentially cracking the Heisman Trophy ceremony. It usually comes out of nowhere, but there will be a team or two competing at this level that will have our undivided attention as the season winds down and the College Football Playoff is among us. Someone has to make it in...
Here are my best bets to contend for the Heisman out of the Group of Five. Odds are from FanDuel.
Boise State Broncos
Quarterback Maddux Madsen (+30000)
The best bet right now to potentially win the Heisman Trophy out of the Group of Five would have to be Boise State Broncos quarterback Maddux Madsen. Part of the Broncos' turnaround under Spencer Danielson can be attributed to the confident play we have seen out of Madsen. He may not be the most physically impressive guy, but he plays with a ton of grit and poise that helps his team win big.
FanDuel has Madsen listed at +30000 odds to win the Heisman Trophy. It may not happen for him, but I look for him to grow even more into his role, especially in an offense that will now be without Ashton Jeanty. For the sake of argument, Boise State feels like the favorite to win the Group of Five again and make the College Football Playoff until proven otherwise. For now, Madsen is the guy I trust the most.
Given that he is only a redshirt junior, we may see an even better candidacy out of Madsen next fall.
James Madison Dukes
Running back George Pettaway (NR)
Shockingly, we have never seen a Sun Belt team win the Group of Five before, despite regularly being one of the better conferences competing at that level. Not to say this will be the year, but I like the James Madison Dukes' chances of being the first to make the playoff out of the Sun Belt more than most. The player to keep an eye on with regards to JMU this season is running back George Pettaway.
The former North Carolina running back transferred to James Madison after two seasons in Chapel Hill. He sat behind Omarion Hampton on Mack Brown's team. In his first season with the Dukes last year, Pettaway nearly rushed for 1,000 yards. He is a capable receiver out of the backfield. If JMU has a season like we know they are capable of, he could be at the front of the line to get to New York.
Even if it does not happen this fall, Pettaway will have one more year of eligibility for the 2026 season.
Memphis Tigers
Running back Greg Desrosiers Jr. (NR)
A real sleeper candidate to be had in the Group of Five is Memphis Tigers running back Greg Desrosiers Jr. The former UMass transfer came to Memphis last year, helping the Tigers be one of the better teams in the Group of Five. Memphis has won the Group of Five before not that long ago. I would argue a team that is capable of winning The American has a real shot at making the playoff.
Desrosiers needs more touches than he is getting, but being back on the team is huge for him. I would argue that Ryan Silverfield has a tremendous opportunity to get an even bigger slice of the pie as an ascending head-coaching candidate. Memphis is one of the handful of programs in the Group of Five that I think could compete at the Power Four. If Desrosiers shines, then he can help in that regard.
Team success could help accentuate individual success out of the backfield regarding Desrosiers.
Miami RedHawks
Quarterback Dequan Finn (NR)
Call me crazy, but I am still a big believer in Dequan Finn as a college football quarterback. He may have had his struggles and eventual failures at Baylor, but the dude could absolutely ball when he was starring for the Toledo Rockets. Now that he is back in the MAC, look for Finn to do more of the same with the Miami RedHawks. For a minute there, I had Miami as my early pick to win the Group of Five.
My thought is if Finn could dominate the league on a similarly talented team at Toledo, he should be able to do the same at Miami. I could go either way with Jason Candle as a head coach, but Chuck Martin is one of my favorite head coaches at the Group of Five level. He should be destined for better things than coaching the RedHawks. I would not rule out Miami winning the Group of Five this season.
While we may have already seen the best ball out of Finn, I am eager to see what he does at Miami.
Navy Midshipmen
Quarterback Blake Horvath (+40000)
Keep an eye on Blake Horvath this season at Navy. The Midshipmen nearly won the American and the Group of Five last year. It may have been more so Boise State and Tulane's year than theirs, but Navy plays an interesting brand of football that I think can make headway at its level. Of course, its annual battles with Army and Notre Dame can put an unnecessary extra spotlight on the Midshipmen.
Truth be told, Horvath seems to be built for it. He was a fringe Heisman Trophy contender last season. It is why he was listed by FanDuel at having +40000 odds to win it this season. While it was from an era long ago, former Navy stars have won the Heisman Trophy. Then again, who has vivid memories of watching Roger Staubach star for them in the 1960s? Regardless, Horvath has some notoriety.
I may like Boise State's Maddux Madsen more, but Horvath could have a serious Heisman run in him.
Oregon State Beavers
Quarterback Maalik Murphy (+40000)
How do we want to classify Oregon State? They are not Power Four, but are Power Five. For the sake of argument, since they will play a Mountain West-heavy schedule again this season, they are probably more Group of Five than the Beavers want to ever admit. That being said, they might have a good one at quarterback in former Duke and Texas transfer Maalik Murphy. How did he end up here?
People tend to forget that he was Quinn Ewers' primary backup at Texas over Arch Manning in 2023. He transferred to Duke, where he certainly had his moments playing for Manny Diaz. Perhaps the allure of Darian Mensah in the transfer portal was too good for Diaz to pass up? In a way, I feel Murphy is overqualified to start at Oregon State. He will have to prove me right, but I think he could be special.
The fact Trent Bray was able to get Murphy in the portal to go play for his alma mater's team is huge.
San Diego State Aztecs
Edge rusher Trey White (NR)
Yes, I have a defensive star on this list. That is because San Diego State Aztecs edge rusher Trey White might be the most physically gifted player at the Group of Five level. As I have mentioned with Memphis and alluded to with Boise State, San Diego State feels like a program that could play up with the big boys in the Power Four if given the right opportunity. It is because the Aztecs will land talent.
White was an all-conference performer last year and on the Bednarik Award watch list heading into the second half of the season. San Diego State still needs to find itself under second-year head coach Sean Lewis. He may favor the offensive side of the ball, but White may be a force over on defense. If he puts up gargantuan stats, it might be impossible to overlook what White really is.
He may be more likely to be a first-round pick than a Heisman Trophy winner, but he has my intrigue.
Tulane Green Wave
Quarterback Brendan Sullivan (NR)
It all could be coming up aces for Tulane Green Wave quarterback Brendan Sullivan. You may remember him starting games for Iowa last season, but he hit the transfer portal after spring practice. It became apparent that South Dakota State transfer Mark Gronowski may be that good. Sullivan went to Tulane to replace the suspended TJ Finley at quarterback. Here is why I am so high on this.
Sullivan has Power Four starting experience in the Big Ten and is going to play for my favorite head coach in the Group of Five in Jon Sumrall. The fact that Tulane was able to retain Sumrall after last season is incredible. The upward trajectory he has as a head coach is simply undeniable. For how good the Greenies may be this fall, I think I could be huge for Sullivan's rise to prominence with the Green Wave.
He may have big shoes to fill with Darian Mensah transferring to Duke, but Sullivan is not a slouch.
UNLV Rebels
Running back Jai'Den Thomas (NR)
Underrecruited out of Atlanta, Jai'Den Thomas is about to make a huge name for himself playing for Dan Mullen at UNLV. While it eventually hit the fan for him at Florida, Mullen knows offense. His teams usually let the run open up the pass. Whether it is Anthony Colandrea or Alex Orji, I know that Thomas is going to get the rock for the Rebels. Look for him to potentially lead the Mountain West in rushing.
Truth be told, this may be Thomas' last year at UNLV. If he performs out of his mind, he may hit the portal to link up with an SEC team closer to home. If he is the second coming of Ashton Jeanty, he may have NFL options after the end of next season. Regardless, UNLV is a program very much on the rise. Marcus Arroyo resuscitated it. Barry Odom made it so menacing. Maybe Mullen takes it further?
UNLV finished second to Boise State in the Mountain West last year, nearly made it into the playoff.
Western Michigan Broncos
Running back Jalen Buckley (NR)
There is something about the Western Michigan Broncos that has my intrigue. I guess it might be head coach Lance Taylor having a good pulse on this program. For my money, a team only goes as far as its ground game can take them in the MAC. The Broncos seem to have a good one in Jalen Buckley. Throughout his WMU career, Buckley is already a 1,000-yard rusher with more to prove.
Not to say that Western Michigan is my pick to win the MAC this year, but the Broncos are the only team in that conference's history to win the Group of Five. That came nearly a decade ago when P.J. Fleck was coaching the likes of Corey Davis. With the Mountain West expected to pull back, it may be a great time for the MAC. This league is loaded with offensive talent, and Buckley is certainly part of it.
If he can get his second 1,000-yard season and be the reason WMU wins, then Buckley has a chance.