Sports
The enigmatic life and complex legacy of Pinky Deras, America’s greatest Little Leaguer
DETROIT — The cedar chest had been there his whole life. Down in the basement, near the water heater and next to the storage racks filled with all the knick-knacks a person accrues over seven-plus decades. Adam Deras knew the chest was full of Dad’s old stuff, but he had never seen it opened.
Now Art “Pinky” Deras was gone, so Adam and his much older brother, Kevin, cleaned out the house. They came to the old weathered chest. Soon the glorified wooden box was open, and Adam peered inside. He saw a few small trophies, some posters, a scrapbook and a few old signs. There was a brown paper bag, and inside, a red batting helmet from the ’50s or ’60s. Under the brim of the helmet, his father’s initials were inscribed: AD. Inside the crown, there was still a piece of hair.
Adam’s father was once a Little League superstar, widely considered the greatest ever. Deras made it to Double A in the St. Louis Cardinals system and then, beaten down and burned out, he walked away. For many years, he wanted nothing to do with baseball. People whispered about how he had thrown out most of the mementos from his career: bats and balls, photos and trophies.
“I’m sure what they said was true,” Adam says now, “because there was nothing really there.”
That fact may seem odd, but it would come as no surprise to anyone who knew him. Art was humble and reserved. Never talked about his younger days unless directly asked, and even then you’d be lucky to get more than a couple sentences in response.
After his baseball career reached its premature end — he once told the Detroit Free Press he simply never showed up to Cardinals camp, and never heard from the team again — Art settled into a 29-year career with the police department in the Detroit suburb of Warren. At his funeral in 2022, the family made a display with photos from his Little League days, and mourners recounted his legendary statistics: 108 innings pitched and an astonishing 298 strikeouts, an 18-0 record with 16 shutouts and 10 no-hitters for a 1959 team that won the Little League World Series.
Longtime coworkers were stunned. “I partnered with your dad for almost 20 years,” one person told Kevin, “and I had no idea.”
His accomplishments fell out of focus over time, but the ghost of unmet potential always lurked in the background of Art’s life. In 1974, Art was only 27 years old when the Free Press ran a story with the headline: What ever happened to baseball phenom Pinky Deras?
In the article, Art mused about the pressures of pro ball and the weight of all the expectations he carried. Then he said this: “At least when my two-year-old son, Kevin, grows up I can tell him I played catch with Stan Musial.”
Fifty years later, at a sports bar in another Detroit suburb, Kevin is discussing his father’s life and legacy. He hears the question: Did your dad ever tell you about playing catch with Stan Musial?
He laughs and says no.
Like with so many things, he wishes now he could go back and ask.
No one ever figured out exactly why he went by Pinky. They just knew his grandmother called him that one day, and for whatever reason, the nickname stuck.
What they did know was he was the greatest thing they had ever seen. At 12 years old, Deras was already nearing 6 feet tall, bigger and stronger than everyone on the field. He happened to be more talented, too.
“What I used to compare it to was facing Nolan Ryan from 48 feet, then having to pitch to Mickey Mantle,” said Tom Paciorek, a Detroit native who went on to play 18 seasons in the major leagues.
Deras was a dominant force on the team representing the little Detroit enclave of Hamtramck. That team captured the heart of the area, and its title went down as one of the crowning moments in the community’s history. In the celebratory aftermath, Dodge paid for the tweens to travel across the country, where they appeared on the Lawrence Welk show in primetime.
Two years later, Deras was teammates with Paciorek, and the pair helped lead a Pony League team to another championship on the national stage. The city still commemorates the achievements with signage at its border. There is a street named Pinky Deras Way near the hallowed ground of Hamtramck Stadium. The sign’s subtext reads: “The greatest little leaguer there ever was.”
As the Little League World Series gets underway this week in Williamsport, Pa., and as Deras’ beloved Detroit Tigers prepare to play the New York Yankees Sunday in the MLB Little League Classic, the absurdity of Deras’s youth statistics come into greater focus. Deras is remembered the way he is because many of his records will never be broken, especially with today’s pitch-count restrictions for young players. On two occasions, he threw six-inning perfect games in which he struck out all 18 batters. They clocked him at 71 mph off the Little League mound, the equivalent of a 100 mph fastball from the major-league distance. At the plate, he hit .641 and smashed 33 home runs. He hit a grand slam in the Little League World Series semifinal, then threw a three-hitter in a 12-0 championship win against a team from West Auburn, Calif.
“I have the Little League playoffs on right now,” Paciorek said recently from his home in Georgia. “Unfortunately, there’s no Pinky Deras in there. If there was, you would know.”
Deras’ dominance did not end with Pony ball. As the years went on, other kids grew and began to catch up to Deras’ physical profile. His growth plateaued at 6-foot-2. Most still did not come close to matching his talent.
As a senior at Hamtramck High School, he hit .478 and was drawing the attention of scouts near and far. He played football and had a scholarship offer from Michigan State. In baseball, the hometown Detroit Tigers were interested, as were the Cardinals. The legendary Branch Rickey, by then in his 80s and confined to a wheelchair, arrived in Detroit, ventured to a field and emerged from a black limousine to see Deras play. The Cardinals eventually offered Deras an $80,000 signing bonus, big money for the time, and viewed him as a third baseman.
In Rickey’s papers, now housed at the Library of Congress, there are two scouting reports filed on Deras. The first, dated June 5, 1964, hints at his potential.
“I see nothing (sic) whatever wrong with his form,” Rickey wrote. “His head goes toward the pitch with every swing. He should be a good hitter, and his form supports his record for power.”
The second is dated July 14, 1964, soon after Deras began his pro career, and hints at what was to come.
“In the game tonight he looked like he had a case of cramps — came out of his shell late,” Rickey wrote. “Showed no power. I believe he will become a good hitter, a power hitter, someday. Surely he will come to be a bit (more) relaxed. I hope that management will not advise about his batting or change him in any respect until, per chance he gives up.”
By the numbers, Art Deras’ professional baseball career amounted to this: A .243 career batting average and 32 home runs over five seasons in the minor leagues. He spent all of 1966 and 1967 in Double-A Arkansas, before a demotion to Class A the following year.
“I couldn’t understand why he never made it in the major leagues,” Paciorek said. “I said that. ‘If Arty can’t play in the big leagues, there’s no way I can.’”
Done with baseball, Deras served in the National Guard for a few years, then headed home to the Detroit area. He applied for a job at the police force and settled into a quiet life. He got married and had two children. Kevin was the first. A few years later came a girl, Deb.
In the years after his baseball career ended, Deras had a fractured relationship with the sport. He battled depression and wanted nothing to do with the game.
“People come up to me even now and ask why I quit,” Deras said in 1983. “I just tell them it was because of personal reasons. … By the time I was 21, I had already had a full 14-year career — playing every day, two amateur championships, a room full of trophies. I should have been reaching my prime and I was exhausted. Looking back on it, I guess it was just a problem of getting too much too soon.”
Eventually, baseball’s idyllic rhythms drew him back. He played rec softball and began watching the Tigers every night. He even ventured to Tiger Stadium to see Pacoriek play when the White Sox were in town.
Kevin has faint memories of going to a reunion for the Little League team one year in Hamtramck, but even then he didn’t quite ascertain how big of a deal it was. Kevin also played baseball growing up. His father didn’t push him into the sport, he says, but he didn’t hold him back from it, either. As for the subject of Art’s own Little League career? It just wasn’t a topic that came up very often.
Truth was, Art could be closed off to a fault. Kevin and Deb both speak highly of their father, but Kevin acknowledges a certain emotional distance. He pieced together more about his father’s career over the years, and one year before his birthday, he called the Little League Museum in Williamsport, Pa. He told them his father had played on a championship team, and he was hoping to acquire some film to give his dad a special gift.
“Did you say ‘Deras?’” a worker asked over the phone.
“Yeah, my dad was Art Deras,” Kevin replied.
“Like Art ‘Pinky’ Deras?”
“Yeah.”
“Hold please.”
Kevin split the costs to help the museum convert old 8mm reel tape to DVD. He presented the rediscovered film to his father, including the ninth inning of the championship game and the ensuing celebration, when eight kids mobbed their bigger teammate as he walked off the mound.
“It was really hard to judge his reaction,” Kevin said. “You could tell he appreciated it. He was intrigued watching it. But it may have brought back some bad memories.”
Jane Chupailo was a waitress at a Ram’s Horn restaurant off Dequindre Street, and occasionally the police officers who came in would point to Art Deras and ask her: Do you know who that is?
“No,” she might say. “I just knew he had nice biceps.”
Art was 12 years her senior, divorced with two children of his own. One day he swung by her house anyway, and soon they were dating. It wasn’t until sometime later her father pulled her aside.
“Jane,” he said. “Do you know who that is?”
Deras during his career as a police officer.
Jane had a big family that loved sports, and from time to time, she would hear Art discuss his career with her father or brother. But it wasn’t until Kevin got another call from the Little League Museum that all the pieces started falling into place.
Two filmmakers, Brian Kruger and Buddy Moorehouse, had inquired about a project they were interested in. Museum director Lance Van Auken gave them another idea: Do something on Pinky Deras. The project turned into the 2010 documentary “The Legend of Pinky Deras.”
The Art who appears in the film is quiet and speaks in a matter-of-fact tone, but Jane says the project energized him. As for everyone else, including son Kevin, it wasn’t until the documentary that they finally realized the full extent of his legend. By then Kevin was approaching 40.
“It took that amount of time,” he said, “to realize how exceptional he was.”
Deb, the daughter from Art’s first marriage, married a man who enjoyed baseball, and they eventually moved out to Arizona. They had three boys who took an interest. Visits back to Michigan soon meant questions, and slowly Deb began learning more about all her father had accomplished. Her youngest son now plays baseball at Paradise Valley Community College in Arizona, and this summer, he ordered a custom glove with the words Pinky Deras inscribed on the glove’s smallest finger.
Adam was the youngest, 30 years younger than his half-brother. The dynamic was unusual. But Jane called Adam her miracle baby, finally conceived at age 40 after three surgeries and three attempts at in-vitro fertilization.
Though Art and Jane divorced when Adam was in fifth grade, they remained on good terms. Art spoiled his son and let him do anything. Perhaps the only thing that ever made him hesitant was baseball. Adam played the sport growing up and says his father was supportive, but Jane says it was her brother who first signed him up.
“I thought Art was gonna hit the roof,” Jane said. “He was so angry.”
Jane called Art’s baseball career “his Berlin Wall.” A line she simply wouldn’t cross.
“Some people … I don’t even know how to explain it,” she said. “You have things you’ll talk about, but there’s things you keep in your heart.”
The children each have slightly different theories on why he didn’t divulge more.
Maybe it was simply his personality, a quiet man who never sought to talk about himself.
“He was happy with the fame he got,” Deb said. “He didn’t care about moving on. It just wasn’t meant to be. … He never regretted it.”
Maybe it was deeper than that. The pain of not making it further as a professional, of not quite meeting all the expectations of greatness others had bestowed upon him.
“It’s a hard thing when people expect something out of you and you can’t produce,” Adam said. “He had some issues with that.”
Or perhaps it went even further, memories of a robbed youth he buried in hopes of forging a new identity.
“Why he decided not to talk about it, I think it was a little bit of the letdown,” Kevin said. “Didn’t want to relive it because of the could-woulda-shouldas. He probably had some regrets. Maybe after leaving, if he decided to go back, maybe he didn’t think people would take him back.”
By the time Adam grew up and moved out, he called his father every morning at 5 a.m.
Adam worked mornings, and Art was religious about his routines. He would rise and drink coffee in a dark house every day at 4 a.m. At night he would sit down with a bowl of vanilla ice cream and watch the Tigers.
By the end he was reclusive. The once-great athlete had stopped exercising after a back injury many years before. He grew inactive and health issues followed. If Art didn’t answer Adam’s early morning phone calls, something was wrong. He had battled heart problems for years. One day after an episode he checked into the hospital, and a couple of nights later, on June 5, 2022, the kids learned he died in his sleep at age 75.
In the days after, they all heard stories they never knew before. Old friends and teammates reached out. The best stories always involved Art’s days playing baseball. There was happiness in stories like that, but there could be a certain sadness, too.
“There were so many unanswered questions,” Kevin said. “So many questions not asked. And some of those questions I tried to ask and never really got a lot of response on. That’s part of it. I guess I missed out on some closure. … My regret is not getting into enough detail and trying to drill deep as far as his mindset and the pressure.”
Many of those answers will remain forever elusive. But if those closest to him looked hard enough, there were sometimes the smallest hints at the feelings Pinky Deras kept locked inside.
Every year around the time of the Little League World Series, he would take his usual seat on the couch and tune in. More than once, after a kid made an amazing play or after a new team got crowned as champions, Jane would look over. And if she timed it right, she would catch Art Deras, the greatest Little Leaguer to ever play, with tears welling in his eyes.
(Illustration: Dan Goldfarb / The Athletic. All images courtesy of Adam Deras)
The Indiana Fever expected a tough match up in their first game back after the WNBA returned this week following an extended break for the 2024 Paris Olympics.
And that’s exactly what they got when they stepped on the court to face the Phoenix Mercury on Friday night.
Caitlin Clark, #22 of the Indiana Fever, reacts in the second half against the Phoenix Mercury at Gainbridge Fieldhouse on August 16, 2024, in Indianapolis, Indiana. (Justin Casterline/Getty Images)
“You knew they were going to come in here with a lot of confidence, with three people that have won gold medals,” Caitlin Clark said after the Fever’s 98-89 victory at home.
“You know their confidence is really high, and I thought we came out and really set the tone.”
Matching the confidence level was the physicality on the floor.
Two scuffles broke out during the game, including a shoving match that erupted in the third quarter between Indiana’s Kelsey Mitchell and Natasha Cloud of the Mercury.
Kelsey Mitchell of the Indiana Fever takes a shot over Natasha Cloud, #0 of the Phoenix Mercury, during the second half at Gainbridge Fieldhouse on August 16, 2024, in Indianapolis, Indiana. (Justin Casterline/Getty Images)
CAITLIN CLARK DAZZLES IN FIRST GAME FROM EXTENDED OLYMPIC BREAK
Mitchell appeared to go down by the three-point line after contact from Cloud, and immediately turned around to shove her opponent. The two briefly got into a back-and-forth before being separated by players and coaches, resulting in double technical fouls.
“You got to get a little gritty and dirty, obviously,” Mitchell told reporters of the game’s physicality. “I had a moment myself with T. Cloud and hats off to her for being a competitor, but I think it kind of helped us. The grit and the game and those third quarters and when team’s make runs is how you win a game in the WNBA. You’ve gotta be gritty.”
Kelsey Mitchell of the Indiana Fever and Natasha Cloud of the Phoenix Mercury get into an altercation during the second half at Gainbridge Fieldhouse on August 16, 2024, in Indianapolis, Indiana. (Justin Casterline/Getty Images)
Cloud also spoke about the incident post-game.
“I have nothing but love for her . . . that’s just the competitiveness of the game.”
Another minor scuffle between Brittney Griner and Aliyah Boston also unfolded, but no technical fouls were given out.
The Fever play next against the Seattle Storm on Sunday.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
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Sixth in a series of stories profiling top high school football players by position. Today, Khary Wilder, Gardena Serra defensive lineman.
Khary Wilder, 6 feet 4 and 250 pounds with arms as thick as tree trunks, is a 16-year-old junior defensive lineman at Gardena Serra High. He had 14 sacks last season and at least one in every Mission League game. If anyone can be identified as a future star, it’s him.
Walking around Serra’s campus, the talent level is so high in different sports that it makes students realize you never can rest on your latest accomplishment because there’s always someone ready to follow. It’s both inspiring and challenging.
“I’ve heard about Serra since I was in fifth grade,” Wilder said. “I used to go to their eighth-grade camps. They have a long legacy of producing NFL talent.”
From Robert Woods to Marqise Lee to Adoree’ Jackson to Rasheem Green, coach Scott Altenberg knows when he sees a good player. And Wilder fits the profile of another Cavaliers standout in the making.
“He’s super talented and a great athlete, “ Altenberg said. “He’s been playing for us since he was 14 and has gotten a lot stronger.”
As effective as Wilder was last season as a sophomore, he’s now stronger, bigger, faster and more agile. He has returned to playing basketball and thinks rebounding and recording a sack are similar.
“You’re attacking every rebound and every loose ball,” he said. “Getting a sack is the same thing, having the same energy and intensity.”
Wilder comes from a family in which education is a must. His father is an assistant principal at Crenshaw High and his mother is an elementary school teacher. Any grade he gets, his father knows about it thanks to technology and apps.
“Since I was young, I can remember always having good grades and a good report card and they being proud of me,” he said.
His father, Khary Sr., is 305 pounds and used to play football at Gardena High. The two Kharys would battle it out in basketball and other sports, but Wilder said of his father, “He doesn’t want to play me now.”
Outgoing, respectful and jovial, Wilder has been called a “sponge” by Serra coaches because he always listens and wants to learn. He contributed as a freshman and made steady progress last season.
“At the start of the season, the first two games, I started slow,” he said. ”I wasn’t where I wanted to be because I put in a lot of work in the offseason. As the season progressed, I worked hard at practice, listened to what the coaches were saying, watched film and it got easier.”
It culminated with a four-sack performance against Los Alamitos in the Southern Section Division 2 playoffs. It was a hint of the impact Wilder can make on defense when Serra moves him around and lets him improvise to take advantage of his athleticism.
A tribute at Gardena Serra’s football stadium to some great athletes of the past.
(Eric Sondheimer / Los Angeles Times)
When you enter the football field at Serra, there’s a display of “Cavalier Legends,” with five former athletes featured. That easily could expand to 10 or more, but it serves as inspiration for those hoping to make their mark in Serra lore.
“Seeing all the legends, I want to be on that list too,” Wilder said. “I want to be on that pedestal and maybe in 20 years when my kids come by Serra and I can tell them I was considered a Serra legend.”
Sunday: Samu Moala, Leuzinger linebacker.
Defensive linemen to watch
Anthony Jones; Crean Lutheran; 6-5; 240; Jr.; Keeps getting stronger, faster
Dutch Horisk; St. John Bosco; 6-2; 230; Jr.; Every season he keeps improving
Hayden Lowe; Oaks Christian; 6-3; 250; Sr.; USC commit is defensive end with strong motor
Jireh Moe; Orange Lutheran; 6-1; 290; Sr.; First-team All-Trinity League
Chinedu Onyeagoro; King/Drew; 6-4; 230; Sr.; Southern Methodist commit has 40 sacks last two seasons
Mays Pese; Bishop Diego; 6-2; 275; Sr.; Arizona commit plays like a beast in the trenches
Scott Taylor; Loyola; 6-4; 235; Sr.; UCLA commit is terrific athlete
Richard Wesley; Sierra Canyon; 6-4; 240; So.; A superstar in the making
Khary Wilder; Gardena Serra; 6-4; 250; Jr.; Is proven sack master
Jaden Williams; Mission Viejo; 6-4; 235; Sr.; San Diego State commit had 18 sacks
The Athletic’s Heisman draft is back, with a new crop of challengers undertaking the tricky task of projecting this year’s most outstanding player. With all four of 2023’s finalists off to the NFL as top-12 draft picks, this year’s field looks as wide open as the race for the newly expanded College Football Playoff. Will a blue-blood program’s leading man take home the hardware, or will a breakout star no one sees coming steal the show?
The format of this annual preseason exercise remain the same: We arranged writers in a randomized snake draft order and gave them four rounds to take their pick of this season’s Heisman candidates. In December, the writer whose four picks have totaled the most points earns 12 months of bragging rights.
Our scoring system:
- Heisman Trophy winner: 15 points
- Second-place finish: 9 points
- Third place: 8 points
- Fourth place: 7 points
- Fifth place: 6 points
- Sixth place: 5 points
- Seventh place: 4 points
- Eighth place: 3 points
- Ninth place: 2 points
- 10th place: 1 point
- Invited to New York City: +5 bonus
- Midseason Heisman leader: +5 bonus
Here was the randomized order of our snake draft: 1. Justin Williams; 2. David Ubben; 3. Seth Emerson; 4. Stewart Mandel (last year’s champion, on the strength of his first-round pick Jayden Daniels and his second-round pick Bo Nix); 5. Sam Khan Jr.; 6. Scott Dochterman; 7. Chris Vannini; 8. Manny Navarro; 9. Bruce Feldman.
| Writer | Round 1 | Round 2 | Round 3 | Round 4 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
|
Williams |
Carson Beck |
Jackson Arnold |
DJ Uiagalelei |
Ashton Jeanty |
|
Ubben |
Dillon Gabriel |
Garrett Nussmeier |
Miller Moss |
Kaidon Salter |
|
Emerson |
Luther Burden |
Emeka Egbuka |
Brady Cook |
James Pearce |
|
Mandel |
Jalen Milroe |
Shedeur Sanders |
TreVeyon Henderson |
Tez Johnson |
|
Khan |
Quinn Ewers |
Ollie Gordon |
Conner Weigman |
Donovan Edwards |
|
Dochterman |
Nico Iamaleava |
Quinshon Judkins |
Cam Rising |
Abdul Carter |
|
Vannini |
Travis Hunter |
Avery Johnson |
Jalon Daniels |
Byron Brown |
|
Navarro |
Riley Leonard |
Will Howard |
Noah Fifita |
Kyron Drones |
|
Feldman |
Jaxson Dart |
Cam Ward |
Jeremiah Smith |
Dylan Raiola |
Round 1, Pick 1: QB Carson Beck, Georgia
Beck feels like the safest possible choice. He’s a returning starting quarterback for the preseason No. 1 team, he’s college football’s leading returning passer in terms of total yards (3,941) and he set Georgia’s single-season school record for completion percentage (72.4 percent) in 2023. He’s also the top QB prospect in the admittedly weak 2025 NFL Draft class and has a wealth of talent around him. This kid is going to put up numbers. Despite a tough schedule, the Bulldogs are a sure bet for the 12-team Playoff, and barring injury, Beck has a very clear path to being at least a Heisman finalist. — Williams
Oregon offensive coordinator Will Stein turned Bo Nix into a Heisman candidate and first-round pick after three uneven years at Auburn. Stein should have even more to work with in Gabriel, who has been far more productive over five years at two different programs, throwing 55 touchdowns in his two seasons at Oklahoma. Gabriel has two elite targets in Tez Johnson and Evan Stewart and should have one of the highest floors of any player in America. — Ubben
Round 1, Pick 3: WR Luther Burden, Missouri
A receiver as the third overall pick? Well, I could’ve gone chalk and picked Quinn Ewers, but I decided not to be boring. And Burden is anything but boring. A five-star recruit who could’ve gone anywhere, he opted to stay home at Missouri, put up huge numbers when moved to the slot as a sophomore (86 catches, 1,212 yards, nine touchdowns) and should top those this year. He’s the best non-quarterback in the country — unless that’s the guy I took with my second pick. — Emerson
Round 1, Pick 4: QB Jalen Milroe, Alabama
How on earth did you guys let Milroe fall to me at No. 4? He was a top-six vote-getter last year, and the five guys ahead of him are all in the NFL. And that was during an up-and-down first season as starter that saw him benched in September. I expect Milroe to make a big leap this season and put up bigger numbers playing in Kalen DeBoer’s offense. As long as Alabama makes the Playoff, he’ll be in great shape. — Mandel
Round 1, Pick 5: QB Quinn Ewers, Texas
Getting Ewers at No. 5 feels like good value. If Texas wins the SEC or comes close, its veteran QB will be a big reason. The Longhorns’ entire collection of starting skill position talent is new, so the third-year starter will be leaned upon to lead. If he steps up to the challenge, he should garner at least an invitation to New York City. — Khan
Round 1, Pick 6: QB Nico Iamaleava, Tennessee
Iamaleava could not have faced a more difficult test in his first career start, and he passed it in superb fashion. Against a tenacious Iowa defense in the Citrus Bowl, Iamaleava completed 12 of 19 passes for 151 yards and a touchdown and ran for three scores. The Hawkeyes rang up six sacks, but Iamaleava was poised and executed the Vols’ game plan in a 35-0 win. He has prototypical size (6-6, 215) and every other skill required of an elite quarterback. He just needs experience — and some big-time SEC victories. — Dochterman
Round 1, Pick 7: WR/DB Travis Hunter, Colorado
The uber-talented Hunter played more snaps than any player in the FBS last season despite missing three-and-a-half games, and he earned first-team All-America honors with 721 receiving yards and five touchdowns on offense and three interceptions on defense. Hopefully Colorado doesn’t have to use him as much, for the sake of his physical health, but he’s going to be a key player on both sides of the ball again, and he enters 2024 with more hype and expectation. If Colorado can at least reach a bowl game, Hunter will be a big reason for the improvement, and the Heisman hype will follow. — Vannini
Once Hunter (who I think will win this year’s Heisman) went off the board, I decided my best bet was a dual-threat quarterback who has transferred to a prominent program — that genre of player has taken home the award in three of the last five years. Leonard isn’t the accurate passer Sam Hartman was for most of his career, but he’s tough as hell and armed with better receivers than Hartman had last year in South Bend. If the Irish get past Texas A&M in the opener they’ll likely be favored in every game the rest of the way. Leonard’s last game before Heisman ballots are due is at USC, which means people will be watching. — Navarro
Round 1, Pick 9: QB Jaxson Dart, Ole Miss
I was very surprised Dart was still available. He’s the headliner for a legit CFP contender. I think he will pile up gaudy stats in the first half of the season playing for an aggressive head coach in Lane Kiffin who would love to have a Heisman contender to sell to future recruits. After the season’s midpoint, Dart has a bunch of marquee games (at LSU, at Oklahoma, home against Georgia). He has NFL tools and some good skill talent around him. — Feldman
Round 2, Pick 1 (No. 10 overall): QB Cam Ward, Miami
I think Manny will really regret taking Leonard over Ward, especially with the news this month that Notre Dame starting left tackle Charles Jagusah is lost for the year. I’m expecting Ward to put a spark back into the Canes. He’s what they’ve been missing as a playmaker and a leader, and this will be the best O-line he’s played behind in college. — Feldman
When you land the quarterback of the preseason No. 2 team with the second pick in the second round, that’s good Heisman draft value. Howard’s numbers against eight FBS teams with winning records last season with Kansas State weren’t special, but Chip Kelly is his offensive coordinator now, and Howard has oodles of weapons around him. If Ohio State wins at Oregon and finishes the regular season unbeaten, I can’t imagine a scenario where Howard isn’t at least a Heisman finalist. — Navarro
Round 2, Pick 3 (No. 12 overall): QB Avery Johnson, Kansas State
Johnson had to come one pick after Will Howard, didn’t he? People around Kansas State believe they kept the better quarterback, and Johnson is ready to shine as he takes over the starting job. The dual-threat former top-100 recruit is wicked fast, as seen by his 10.1 yards per carry in the Pop-Tarts Bowl. He’ll need to improve his accuracy and completion rate as a sophomore, but he didn’t throw an interception in 66 passes last year. In a wide-open Big 12, Kansas State has as good a shot as anybody, and if the Wildcats are in the mix for a conference title, Johnson could be in the Heisman conversation. Or maybe this is a year or two early. — Vannini
Round 2, Pick 4 (No. 13 overall): RB Quinshon Judkins, Ohio State
Is this too early for a running back? Derrick Henry was the last Heisman winner at the position, in 2015. Judkins is going to feast for Ohio State, which has the best 1-2 punch at running back since maybe Arkansas’ Felix Jones and Darren McFadden. Judkins was dinged up a bit last year at Ole Miss, but the talent is unquestionable. The only question is, will he get enough carries with TreVeyon Henderson around? — Dochterman
Round 2, Pick 5 (No. 14 overall): RB Ollie Gordon, Oklahoma State
Gordon led the FBS in rushing yards last season (1,732) and finished second in rushing TDs (21), and the Cowboys were thrilled to get him back for another season. If he can take Oklahoma State back to the Big 12 championship game, he should get Heisman consideration. — Khan
Round 2, Pick 6 (No. 15 overall): QB Shedeur Sanders, Colorado
One of the keys to winning a Heisman is name recognition, and boy does this guy have it, between his lofty NFL Draft stock and umpteen NIL deals. Love or hate his dad, Shedeur is a special talent who completed 69.3 percent of his passes for 3,230 yards, 27 touchdowns and three interceptions last season. And that was despite having the worst pass protection in the country. He’ll need better blockers this fall, and most importantly, the Buffs need to do considerably better than 4-8. — Mandel
Round 2, Pick 7 (No. 16 overall): WR Emeka Egbuka, Ohio State
After taking Burden in the first round, why not double down at receiver? Egbuka missed three games in 2023 and was limited in others, but two years ago when he was fully healthy Egbuka put up 1,151 receiving yards. The Buckeyes have another loaded group of pass catchers, even with Marvin Harrison Jr. off to the NFL, but Egbuka is set up to explode this fall in one of the nation’s best offenses. — Emerson
Round 2, Pick 8 (No. 17 overall): QB Garrett Nussmeier, LSU
I bought as much Nussmeier stock as I could after seeing him let it rip against Georgia in relief of Jayden Daniels in the SEC championship game two years ago. He followed that up with 395 yards and three scores in last year’s bowl win over Wisconsin. Even though he’ll take the reins as a first-year starter with a new offensive coordinator in Joe Sloan and co-OC Cortez Hankton and without top wideouts Brian Thomas Jr. and Malik Nabers, the talent is obvious. If Nussmeier can put up numbers and carry LSU into the Playoff in Brian Kelly’s third year, he might find himself in New York. — Ubben
Round 2, Pick 9 (No. 18 overall): QB Jackson Arnold, Oklahoma
This is a pick based on pedigree: Arnold’s and Oklahoma’s. The former five-star recruit steps into a starting role after Gabriel’s transfer to Oregon. Arnold looked like a promising but unpolished true freshman in limited action last season, completing 44 of 69 pass attempts (63.8 percent) with four touchdowns and three picks. He does represent some significant change for the Sooners, who join the SEC this season and have a new offensive coordinator in Seth Littrell. It’s asking a lot of a sophomore and first-year starter in the SEC to be in Heisman contention. But if the Sooners manage to thrive this season, an Arnold emergence is the most likely scenario. — Williams
There’s precedent for Seminoles coach Mike Norvell turning transfer quarterbacks into Heisman candidates. Jordan Travis had more years in the system, but Uiagalelei has the experience and physical traits to pull off a leap like the one Travis made during his final two years in Tallahassee. Uiagalelei was solid but still streaky in his lone season at Oregon State. If Norvell can fully unlock the obvious talent and Uiagalelei can improve his efficiency, keeping a reloaded Seminoles squad in the Playoff hunt could earn him some Heisman buzz. — Williams
Round 3, Pick 2 (No. 20 overall): QB Miller Moss, USC
Caleb Williams is gone, but Lincoln Riley is still very much in Los Angeles, and so is all-purpose threat Zachariah Branch. The Trojans added Woody Marks from Mississippi State to beef up the run game that will support USC’s new starting QB, who threw six touchdowns in the bowl game after Williams began the draft process. Did you know Spencer Rattler is the only quarterback under Riley’s tutelage since the coach joined a power program to not throw for at least 30 touchdowns and 3,000 yards in every season as starter? — Ubben
Round 3, Pick 3 (No. 21 overall): QB Brady Cook, Missouri
Now I’ll double down on Missouri’s offense, after taking Burden in the first round. Cook may be the most underrated quarterback in the SEC. He threw for the fourth-most passing yards last year behind Beck, Daniels and Dart, and this year he still has Burden and Theo Wease. Missouri’s schedule is fortuitous enough — avoiding Georgia, Texas and Ole Miss — to see the Tigers going 11-1 and Cook getting the credit. — Emerson
Round 3, Pick 4 (No. 22 overall): RB TreVeyon Henderson, Ohio State
I realize I’m not even taking the first Ohio State running back in this draft, but Henderson and Quinshon Judkins could both run for a ton of yards in Chip Kelly’s offense. Of the two, Henderson is more explosive and likely to rack up a bunch of Heisman highlights. I’m under no delusion he’s going to actually win the Heisman, but he could be good for a top-10 finish. — Mandel
Round 3, Pick 5 (No. 23 overall): QB Conner Weigman, Texas A&M
The former five-star recruit has played just five games in his Texas A&M career. He closed out the 2022 season after injuries to the quarterbacks ahead of him on the depth chart and had a promising start to 2023 before an injury cut it short. If he can stay healthy and A&M’s front can pass protect — something it has done a poor job of in the last two seasons — Weigman has the potential to be one of the better quarterbacks in the SEC. Dane Brugler has him fourth among 2025 NFL Draft-eligible passers. If A&M can shape an uber-talented roster into a dark horse Playoff contender, it doesn’t seem out of the question for Weigman to get some Heisman buzz. — Khan
Round 3, Pick 6 (No. 24 overall): QB Cam Rising, Utah
This feels like a third-round steal. Rising led the Utes to consecutive Pac-12 titles in 2021 and ’22 but sat out last year after tearing knee ligaments in Utah’s second consecutive Rose Bowl appearance. Now, Utah shifts to the Big 12, and big numbers could await Rising and the Utes’ offense. — Dochterman
Round 3, Pick 7 (No. 25 overall): QB Jalon Daniels, Kansas
We know Daniels can be an electric player — he just needs to stay healthy. He has never played more than nine games in a season, including just three in 2023. Hopefully that changes this year, because he’s got a team around him that could make a run. The Jayhawks are a preseason Top 25 team, and if they take charge of a wide-open Big 12, Daniels will be a key factor. — Vannini
Round 3, Pick 8 (No. 26 overall): QB Noah Fifita, Arizona
Fifita’s QB rating in 2023 (165.92) is seventh-best among returning FBS quarterbacks. He tied Beck for the fourth-best completion percentage in college football last season (72.4). He returns one of the best receivers in the country in Tetairoa McMillan. Yes, the Wildcats are in a new conference and have a new coach. But if Arizona has another stellar season, Fifita and McMillan are going to get the majority of the credit and a lot of narrative love for not leaving the program via the transfer portal. That’s a strong way to earn a spot in the Heisman race. — Navarro
Round 3, Pick 9 (No. 27 overall): WR Jeremiah Smith, Ohio State
I was really hoping Weigman would still be here at the end of the third round, but I’m happy with Jeremiah Smith. I get that he’s a freshman and a receiver, but he’s a rare talent. People I trust at Ohio State are having a hard time containing their excitement about him and what they’ve seen from him since he arrived. I don’t know if a first-year wideout who doesn’t return kicks can win the Heisman today, but I do think he can get to the ceremony and finish in the top three or four if people are convinced he’s the most talented player on the best team. — Feldman
Round 4, Pick 1 (No. 28 overall): QB Dylan Raiola, Nebraska
I waffled on my last pick between Ashton Jeanty, Kyron Drones and Dylan Raiola. I opted for the Huskers’ freshman quarterback because I think Nebraska will be much improved this fall and Raiola has the ability to be a program-changer. — Feldman
Round 4, Pick 2 (No. 29 overall): QB Kyron Drones, Virginia Tech
It’s Year 3 for Brent Pry in Blacksburg, and Drones is perfectly positioned to be the frontman of a great comeback story after shining in Virginia Tech’s bowl win over Tulane. The Hokies are a dark horse to win the ACC and have a loaded receiver room. I’m very happy with this pick. — Navarro
Round 4, Pick 3 (No. 30 overall): QB Byrum Brown, USF
Brown has won the Heisman Trophy several times in my College Football 25 dynasties, so why not in real life? I know it’s highly unlikely a Group of 5 player will ever win the Heisman, but only two players in 2023 passed for at least 3,000 yards and ran for 800: Brown and Heisman winner Jayden Daniels. If Brown can take another big step forward in his second season under Bulls coach Alex Golesh and stand out in nonconference games against Alabama and Miami, who knows? — Vannini
Four defensive linemen have finished second in Heisman voting: Aidan Hutchinson in 2021, Hugh Green in 1980, Tom Brown in 1960 and Alex Karras in 1957. Can Carter join that category? It depends on whether he can become a Micah Parsons-like force this year, as some in Happy Valley think. The move from linebacker to defensive end should generate sacks, which will garner attention. But as with Ndamukong Suh in 2009, Carter will probably fall just short even if he is the nation’s most outstanding player. — Dochterman
Round 4, Pick 5 (No. 32 overall): RB Donovan Edwards, Michigan
Getting one of the EA Sports College Football 25 cover athletes this late in the draft feels like a steal. We’ve seen Edwards’ potential, from his 216-yard performance against Ohio State in 2022 to his starring role in the national championship game against Washington. But last year was turbulent for Edwards. Without Blake Corum and other veteran leaders from the Wolverines’ championship squad, Edwards will be looked to as a leader. Can this be the year he puts it all together? — Khan
Round 4, Pick 6 (No. 33 overall): WR Tez Johnson, Oregon
I figured I’d take a late-round flier on a guy who could win the Biletnkioff. Johnson caught 86 passes for 1,182 yards and 10 touchdowns last season while largely operating in the shadow of more-established star Troy Franklin. He figures to be the Ducks’ No. 1 guy this fall in what should be another explosive passing offense led by Gabriel. — Mandel
Round 4, Pick 7 (No. 34 overall): Edge James Pearce Jr., Tennessee
Someday the voters will wise up and choose the best player in the nation, even if he plays defense. Will this be the year? Of course not. But let’s be a cockeyed optimist anyway. Pearce begins should improve on his 9.5 sacks from last year and will also put together some viral highlights, the kind that get you Heisman buzz … right up until a couple of quarterbacks emerge. — Emerson
Liberty’s blowout Fiesta Bowl loss to Oregon may weigh down the respect the Flames can earn among many onlookers, but coach Jamey Chadwell is one of the most innovative offensive minds in the sport, and his team has an excellent chance to go 13-0 again and win the C-USA. Salter is an electrifying dual-threat quarterback who fuels that offense. Liberty will face questions about its schedule again, but it does travel to Appalachian State in nonconference play, where Salter can cement himself as the best player in the Group of Five. — Ubben
The reigning Mountain West Offensive Player of the Year finished in the top ten in rushing yards per game last season (112.3) and second in the country behind Gordon in total yards from scrimmage (1,916). The Broncos are one of the favorites to earn the Group of 5 Playoff spot out of the Mountain West, and Jeanty will have some marquee regular-season showcases against Oregon and the Pac-2. — Williams
(Top illustration photos: Christopher Creveling, John David Mercer / USA Today)
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