ATHENS — Gunner Stockton’s nearly flawless opening game performance didn’t move the needle for him in the Heisman Trophy odds.
Stockton dropped from ninth in the preseason odds into a tie for 16th among Heisman Trophy favorites, per FanDuel Sportsbook.
Stockton was 15-of-16 passing for 202 yards with three touchdowns, leading Georgia on touchdown drives on five consecutive series before coming out of the game midway through the second quarter of Georgia’s season-opening 63-3 win over Tennessee State.
The level of competition — an FCS opponent — and that fact the game was not televised likely had something to do with Stockton’s drop along with his relatively short stint in the game.
Georgia coach Kirby Smart and Stockton have both preached the importance of team over individual accolades, and keeping Stockton healthy for a long title run while providing valuable game repetitions for backups took priority over propping the Bulldogs’ QB with inflated stats against an overmatched opponent.
Stockton finished seventh in last year’s Heisman Trophy voting after leading Georgia to its second consecutive SEC Championship Game victory.
The Heisman Trophy vote is taken after the respective conference championship games, with voters selecting a first, second and third choice.
The Bulldogs are scheduled to face five quarterbacks in the regular season who currently have the same or better odds than Stockton in the Heisman Trophy race.
Stockton opened last year at +2000 (20-to-1) in the Heisman race before finishing ahead of 2025 preseason favorites Arch Manning, Garrett Nussmeier and Cade Klubnik, among others.
Texas helped get Manning off to a good start on Saturday by playing him into the third quarter, allowing him seven offensive series to build a 42-7 lead and a 20-of-27 passing, 305-yard, 4 TD, one-interception resume in a 59-7 win over Texas State.
Miami transfer quarterback Darian Mensah moved from third in the preseason odds (+1100) to first (+600) after the Hurricanes opened the season with a 45-6 win at Stanford on Friday.
Mensah, a transfer from Duke, was 27-of-30 for 401 yards and 5 touchdowns in the win over the Cardinal.
Notre Dame quarterback CJ Carr, the preseason favorite (+750) dropped to fifth after completing 19 of 29 passes for 239 yards and 2 touchdowns.
Ole Miss, which staged a Heisman Trophy campaign for quarterback Trinidad Chambliss and Kewan Lacy by renting out The Las Vegas Sphere’s massive LED screen and digital billboards in New York City’s Times Square, didn’t see much return on its estimated $600,000-$700,000 investment.
Chambliss maintained his +1200 odds from the preseason but dropped from fourth to sixth among favorites despite passing for 336 yards and three TDs, rushing for 60 yards and another TD, and leading the game-winning drive in the final moments of a 41-38 nationally-televised win over Louisville.
Here’s a look at the current Heisman Trophy odds, per the FanDuel Sportsbook:
QB Darian Mensah +600
QB Arch Manning +1000
WR Jeremiah Smith +1200
QB Julian Sayin +1200
QB CJ Carr +1200
QB Trinidad Chambliss +1200
WR Malachi Toney +1400
QB Sam Leavitt +1500
QB Dante Moore +1500
QB Jayden Maiava +2200
QB Josh Hoover +2200
QB John Mateer +3000
QB Keelon Russell +3000
QB Marcel Reed +3500
QB LaNorris Sellers +4000
QB Rocco Becht +5500
QB Aaron Philo +5500
QB Lincoln Kienholz +5500
QB Gunner Stockton +5500
QB Bear Bachmeier +5500
