- Rueben Bain Jr. is the midseason Heisman: The Miami edge defender has been the most outstanding player in college football this season.
- Julian Sayin is the top quarterback: Ohio State’s redshirt freshman wins the Davey O’Brien Award.
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Estimated Reading Time: 7 minutes
We’ve officially reached the midway point of the 2025 college football season.
Even though we still have half of the year remaining, it’s time to recognize the top players from the first half of the year. Here’s how we’d give out every major award in college football at this point.
Heisman Trophy/Maxwell Award (Best Player)
Winner: EDGE Rueben Bain Jr., Miami (FL)
If the Heisman Trophy is truly for “the most outstanding player in college football,” that’s Rueben Bain Jr. right now. His 95.2 overall PFF grade is the highest among all players in the country, and he leads all FBS edge defenders in PFF run-defense grade while placing fifth in PFF pass-rush grade. Miami is one of the best teams in the country because of its dominance in the trenches, and Bain is the biggest reason for that excellence.
Chuck Bednarik Award/Bronko Nagurski Trophy (Best Defensive Player)
Winner: EDGE Rueben Bain Jr., Miami (FL)
See above.
Davey O’Brien Award (Best Quarterback)
Winner: QB Julian Sayin, Ohio State
There were plenty of worthy quarterbacks to choose from here, but I’ll give the nod to the quarterback on the best team in the country right now. Sayin leads the nation with a 91.0 PFF passing grade this season. The redshirt freshman is also the most accurate quarterback in college football, pacing the FBS with an 84.2% adjusted completion rate and a 78.4% completion rate.
Doak Walker Award (Best Running Back)
Winner: RB Ahmad Hardy, Missouri
Hardy leads all FBS running backs with a 91.2 PFF rushing grade this season. The true sophomore also tops the Power Four with 783 rushing yards and 49 forced missed tackles, while his 606 yards after contact are the most in the FBS.
Biletnikoff Award (Best Receiver)
Winner: WR Makai Lemon, USC
Lemon has the highest PFF grade (92.0) among all receivers in the country right now. He also leads the Power Four with 682 receiving yards while placing second in the nation with 332 yards after the catch and 15 forced missed tackles.
John Mackey Award (Best Tight End)
Winner: TE Michael Trigg, Baylor
Trigg paces all FBS tight ends with 439 receiving yards and is second with eight forced missed tackles. The redshirt senior is also the third-most valuable tight end in the country, according to PFF’s Wins Above Average metric.
Outland Trophy (Best Interior Lineman)
Winner: T Brian Parker II, Duke
Parker’s 93.5 PFF grade this season is three points higher than any other offensive lineman in college football. Likewise, his 94.0 PFF run-blocking grade is over four points higher than any other FBS offensive lineman, and the redshirt junior still hasn’t given up a sack or hit on 229 pass-blocking snaps this year.
Rotary Lombardi Award (Best Lineman)
Winner: EDGE Rueben Bain Jr., Miami (FL)
See above.
Rimington Award (Best Center)
Winner: C Logan Jones, Iowa
Jones’ 83.7 PFF grade is over three points better than any other center in the country. His 78.6 PFF run-blocking grade is also the highest in the nation, while his 85.7 PFF pass-blocking grade is fifth. Jones has only surrendered two pressures across 171 pass-blocking snaps this season.
Ted Hendricks Award (Best Defensive End)
Winner: EDGE Rueben Bain Jr., Miami (FL)
See above.
Butkus Award (Best Linebacker)
Winner: LB Jacob Rodriguez, Texas Tech
Rodriguez’s 91.6 PFF grade is the highest of any linebacker in college football by over two points. His 93.9 PFF run-defense grade is the best in the nation as well, while his 89.7 PFF coverage grade is fourth. Rodriguez is the only linebacker in the top 15 of both metrics. His two interceptions are also tied for the most in the country among linebackers.
Jim Thorpe Award (Best Defensive Back)
Winner: CB Mansoor Delane, LSU
Delane has been the most valuable defensive back in college football this season, according to PFF’s Wins Above Average metric. The Virginia Tech transfer’s 90.3 PFF grade is the best among Power Four cornerbacks, and he’s only allowed 27.3% of his targets to be caught (4th in the FBS). Opposing quarterbacks have just a 22.7 passer rating when targeting Delane. For reference, spiking the ball every play nets a 39.6 rating.
Paul Hornung Award (Most Versatile Player)
Winner: WR Hank Beatty, Illinois
Beatty has been one of the best receivers and punt returners in the country this season. His 86.6 PFF grade is fourth among all wideouts in the country, as are his 617 receiving yards. Beatty’s 328 yards after the catch are third in the nation as well. Meanwhile, the senior’s 170 punt return yards are seventh among all players in the FBS, and he’s one of 13 players who’s returned a punt for a touchdown.
Lou Groza Award (Best Placekicker)
Winner: Kansei Matsuzawa, Hawaii
Matsuzawa’s 94.0 kicking grade is two points better than any other kicker in the country. “The Tokyo Toe” has not missed any of his 19 field goal attempts or any of his 19 extra points this year. That includes eight field goals of 40-plus yards, tied for the most in the FBS.
Ray Guy Award (Best Punter)
Winner: Billy Gowers, Hawaii
Hawaii has both the best kicker and best punter in the country right now. Gowers leads the FBS with a 92.0 punting grade, as half of his 26 punts have been downed inside the 20-yard line.
Johnny “The Jet” Rodgers Award (Best Return Specialist)
Winner: CB Vicari Swain, South Carolina
Swain’s 85.7 return grade is the best in the nation right now. He already has brought back three punts for touchdowns, the most in the country. For reference, that’s already the highest total since the 2017 season and tied for 18th all time.
Shaun Alexander Freshman of the Year Award (Best Freshman)
Winner: QB Malik Washington, Maryland
After only winning four games last season, Maryland has already matched that total with a 4-2 record so far. Much of that can be attributed to its freshman quarterback phenom. Washington’s 82.1 PFF passing grade is 21st among all quarterbacks in the nation, while his 10 big-time throws are also a top-30 mark.
Burlsworth Trophy (Best Player Who Started His Career As A Walk-On)
Winner: S Michael Taaffe, Texas
Taaffe is once again playing at an elite level after breaking out last season. The redshirt senior has been the most valuable safety in America this year, according to PFF’s Wins Above Average metric. He boasts the fifth-best PFF coverage grade and third-best PFF run-defense grade among all safeties in the country. No other safety is in the top 10 of both metrics.
Joe Moore Award (Best Offensive Line)
Winner: Iowa
Death, taxes and Iowa putting forth an elite offensive line. The Hawkeyes possess a 91.3 offensive line grade, nearly nine points higher than any other front five in the country. Their 90.4 PFF run-blocking grade is the best in the nation, while their 89.0 PFF pass-blocking grade is third.
Coach of the Year Award
Winner: Curt Cignetti, Indiana
Last year, we gave this award to Cignetti for turning Indiana from a Big Ten bottom-dweller to a College Football Playoff team in just one season. But, it still felt like the Hoosiers weren’t ready to compete at the top of the sport just yet. That’s changed this year, as Indiana is a perfect 6-0 on the season with a recent road win over third-ranked Oregon. Indiana is the new No. 3 team in the country, its highest ranking in program history.
Frank Broyles Award (Best Assistant Coach)
Winner: DC Matt Patricia, Ohio State
Patricia had his work cut out for him in his first season as Ohio State’s defensive coordinator. The Buckeyes saw eight starters from last season’s defense get selected in the 2025 NFL Draft — and the reigning national champs simply reloaded. Ohio State has only given up 6.8 points per game this season, the best mark in the country. The Buckeyes have faced teams like Texas, Illinois and Washington so far, and all three are in PFF’s current top 25. The Buckeyes also slot third in the nation with only 3.9 yards given up per play.
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