Colorado’s Travis Hunter wins Heisman Trophy after historic season on each side of the ball

By doing two jobs — and doing them each in addition to another participant within the nation — Travis Hunter delivered on coach Deion Sanders’ hype and introduced the Heisman Trophy to Colorado for the primary time in 30 years.

The Buffaloes’ two-way famous person received faculty soccer’s most prestigious particular person participant of the yr award Saturday evening, outpointing Boise State operating again Ashton Jeanty to develop into CU’s second Heisman winner.

Hunter obtained 552 first-place votes and a couple of,231 factors to Jeanty’s 309 and a couple of,017. By level complete it was the closest Heisman vote since 2009, as Hunter and Jeanty hoarded all the highest two votes and left the opposite candidates within the mud.

Oregon quarterback Dillon Gabriel (24 first-place votes, 516 factors) completed third and Miami quarterback Cam Ward (6, 229) was fourth.

When Hunter, wearing a child blue go well with with white turtleneck beneath, was introduced because the winner, he dropped his head for a couple of seconds to let it sink in. He gave huge hugs to his fiance’ and mother, Ferrante Edmonds. Then an additional lengthy one for Coach Prime earlier than dapping up his quarterback, Colorado’s Shedeur Sanders, and rapper and buddy Lil’ Wayne.

Hunter belted out “Let’s go!” when he reached the stage, then clapped his arms earlier than composing himself to ship his acceptance speech.

“First I wish to say, thank God,” Hunter started. “Thank God, man. I by no means thought I’d be this place. It’s loopy. Your perception’ll take you a great distance. It’s truly loopy now. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you.”

Hunter joins the late Rashaan Salaam, who received the Heisman in 1994 with a 2,000-yard dashing season, as CU’s solely Heisman winners.

With Hunter and Jeanty on prime, the ninetieth Heisman handout was the primary since 2015 with no quarterbacks within the prime two of the voting. Three straight and 7 of the final eight Heisman winners had performed quarterback. Dating to 2000, 20 Heisman winners had been QBs.

It took two exceptional performances to interrupt the development.

Hunter has been each an unguardable receiver and a lock-down cornerback, validating Sanders’ choice to let the five-star recruit free on each side of the ball in a manner that makes the junior incomparable to any Heisman winner in over a half century.

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You’d have to return to the waning days of one-platoon soccer within the Nineteen Fifties and early ’60s to seek out Heisman winners making main contributions on offense and protection, reminiscent of Navy’s Joe Bellino (1960) and Syracuse’s Ernie Davis (1961).

Michigan’s Charles Woodson is the closest comp to Hunter amongst latest winners. Woodson was a star cornerback for the nationwide champion Wolverines and moon-lighted as a large receiver and return man.

Even Woodson, who received the Heisman in 1997, doesn’t consider himself as a two-way participant.

“They sprinkled me on the market (on offense) after they wanted a play. I didn’t do an entire lot of offense,” Woodson instructed The Athletic. “Travis truly performs each side of the ball. You can say he’s a two-way participant that performed protection, however I’m nonetheless the one defensive participant to win it.”

Hunter performed 688 defensive snaps and 672 on offense as Colorado jumped from 4 wins to 9 in Sanders’ second season as coach. And Hunter’s manufacturing at each positions was elite.

He heads into the postseason — and Hunter plans to play Colorado’s bowl sport — fifth within the nation in catches with 92, sixth in yards receiving at 1,152 and second in landing catches with 14. He additionally leads the workforce with 4 interceptions. Earlier this week, Hunter received the Bednarik Award because the nation’s finest defensive participant and the Biletnikoff, which matches to the highest receiver.

Sanders, the soccer Hall of Famer and two-sport professional throughout his taking part in days, by no means held again when it got here to touting Hunter for the Heisman, even over his gifted son Shedeur.

“Travis will get my vote. Travis is one of the best participant in faculty soccer,” Sanders stated in November. “Truly Shedeur is that man. He’s the catalyst, he makes all the pieces go and permits Travis to be Travis, however Travis Hunter is doing one thing we’ve by no means seen earlier than.”

Jeanty solely performed one place, however few in faculty soccer historical past have ever performed it higher. His choice to return to Boise State for a 3rd yr as a substitute of transferring to a Power 5 faculty modified the course of the season. Jeanty heads into the College Football Playoff needing 132 yards dashing to interrupt Barry Sanders’ hallowed file of two,628 in 1988. Sanders completed his Heisman-winning season with a surprising 2,850, together with his bowl efficiency, and did all of it in solely 12 video games.

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Still, Jeanty has blown previous his modern-day friends — and opposing defenses — this season. Jeanty leads the nation with 2,497 yards dashing and 30 touchdowns. He has 5 runs of at the least 70 yards this season. Only 5 different gamers have two.

Jeanty is the primary participant from outdoors the normal energy conferences to complete as excessive as second in Heisman voting since San Diego State operating again Marshall Faulk in 1992.

Jeanty would have been the primary operating again since Derrick Henry in 2015 to win the Heisman, however Hunter’s distinctive season was too good to beat.

Hunter’s path to the stage Saturday evening in midtown Manhattan was additionally distinctive.

One of the highest high-school recruits within the nation in 2022 popping out of Georgia, the Florida native flipped a verbal dedication to Florida State on signing day to go to Jackson State, the traditionally Black college in Mississippi the place Sanders started his faculty teaching profession.

No participant rated as extremely as Hunter had ever signed with an FCS program out of highschool.

“Coach Prime, Shedeur, y’all modified my life without end,” stated Hunter, who grew up in the identical space of South Florida as 2016 Heisman winner Lamar Jackson of Louisville, watching Jackson play in highschool video games.

Hunter was restricted to 9 video games due to accidents as a freshman, flashing star potential on each side of the ball.

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When Sanders left for Colorado, Hunter, who says his coach is sort of a father, adopted him to Boulder to assist rebuild a program coming off a 1-11 season.

Again, Hunter was restricted to 9 video games in 2023, this time after taking a late hit in opposition to Colorado State that left him with a lacerated liver. The accidents by no means deterred Sanders from taking part in Hunter as a lot as attainable, and this season there was no denying the outcomes.

Led by Hunter and Shedeur, Colorado contended for the Big 12 title till the ultimate weekend of the common season.

With the expanded playoff casting a wider internet on video games with postseason implications this season, Hunter made a robust closing assertion: 10 catches for 116 yards and three touchdowns, plus an interception in a 52-0 victory in opposition to Oklahoma State.

Hunter stated his Heisman second got here within the Baylor sport, when he pressured a game-ending fumble on the purpose line within the Buffs’ extra time victory.

The fifth via tenth Heisman vote getters had been Arizona State operating again Cam Skattebo, Army quarterback Bryson Daily, Penn State tight finish Tyler Warren, Shedeur Sanders, Indiana quarterback Kurtis Rourke and Syracuse quarterback Kyle McCord.

Hunter has yet another sport left, within the Alamo Bowl in opposition to BYU, earlier than it’s off to the NFL, the place he’s anticipated to be one of many first gamers taken in April’s draft. Already many are questioning which place he’ll play within the professionals.

Hunter’s historic season suggests why not each?

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(Photo: Andrew Wevers / Getty Images)