How Drake Lindsey’s 2026 Heisman odds reflect expectations for next season

Lindsey has a chance to be a breakout star in college football next season.

Dec 26, 2025; Phoenix, AZ, USA; Minnesota Golden Gophers quarterback Drake Lindsey (5) against the New Mexico Lobos during the Rate Bowl at Chase Field. Mandatory Credit: Mark J. Rebilas-Imagn Images | Mark J. Rebilas-Imagn Images

FanDuel Sportsbook has released betting odds for the 2026 Heisman Trophy, and Gophers quarterback Drake Lindsey is listed at +22500. That means if you placed a $100 wager on Lindsey to win the award, a winning bet would net you $22,500 dollars.

For those wondering, on FanDuel Sportsbook, you can bet on Gophers QB Drake Lindsey to win the 2026 Heisman trophy at +22500 odds.

That is an implied probability of 0.44%.

He's the 58th player listed. pic.twitter.com/bLxOMxQwn2

— Tony Liebert (@TonyLiebert) January 13, 2026

Will Lindsey win the Heisman Trophy next season? He probably won't even be close. His current +22500 odds give him an implied probability of 0.44%. His place on the market is notable because he's the 59th player listed. There was no Minnesota player listed at any point last season, and you could make an argument that their QB position is the most stable it has been since 2020.

The projected Big Ten starting quarterbacks who are higher are Ohio State's Julian Sayin, Indiana's Josh Hoover, who's transferring in from TCU, Oregon's Dante Moore, USC's Jayden Maiava, Bryce Underwood from Michigan, Demond Williams Jr. from Washington, UCLA's Nico Iamaleava, Penn State's Rocco Becht, Nebraska's Anthony Colandrea, Colton Joseph from Wisconsin, Maryland's Malik Washington, Illinois QB Katin Houser and Northwestern's Aidan Chiles. That puts Lindsey at No. 14 among conference QBs heading into the 2026 season.

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At first glance, it's a bit surprising to see players like Chiles, Houser and Joseph higher than Lindsey, despite never proving themselves as a consistent option at the Power Conference level. He completed 63.2% of his passes last season for 2,382 passing yards, 22 total touchdowns and six interceptions. He should have higher expectations in 2026 than three transfers in completely new systems.

Fernando Mendoza's preseason odds were around +6000 before winning the Heisman Trophy in 2025, and Travis Hunter's were as high as +5000 before winning the award in 2024. Players currently around those odds for the 2026 award would include Becht, Iamaleava or Florida QB Aaron Philo, who was originally committed to Minnesota coming out of high school.

Do I think Lindsey will win next season's Heisman Trophy? No, but he's the team's first returning starter at the quarterback position since Tanner Morgan came back for his final season in 2023. It's fair to think he'll have the highest expectations at the positions since the 2020 season after Morgan's breakout 2019 campaign.

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