The Heisman Trophy, college football’s most coveted individual prize, was given to Travis Hunter of Colorado, who became the first recipient in over 20 years to play important roles on both offense and defense.
Hunter was the overwhelming favorite to win and one of four Heisman finalists on Saturday. Boise State running back Ashton Jeanty, Miami quarterback Cam Ward, and Oregon quarterback Dillon Gabriel were also finalists. 928 voters—including members of the media, former Heisman winners, and one fan—decide who gets the prize.
Hunter’s two-way brilliance is uncommon; no Heisman winner has played both sides of the ball since Charles Woodson of Michigan in 1997. It was no gimmick to Hunter. This season, Hunter was named a finalist for the Heisman Award and the accolades for the best defense and receiver in college football.
Hunter finished eighth in the NCAA Football Bowl Subdivision with 11 pass breakups as a cornerback. In addition, he has 15 passes defended, four interceptions, and a game-winning forced fumble recovery.
Hunter led the Big 12 Conference and ranked fifth in the nation with 92 receptions as a wide receiver. Hunter finished sixth in the NCAA with 1,152 receiving yards and second with 14 touchdowns. With 21 receptions of 20 yards or more, the most in the FBS, no receiver was a more reliable big-play threat.
Hunter started his college career by defying expectations. He has stated that he will enter the NFL draft after Colorado’s season.
He defied programs from the sport’s most influential conferences to play for then-coach Deion Sanders at Jackson State, a historically Black university, after becoming the country’s top high school recruit in 2022. Hunter accompanied his coach, who had defied expectations throughout his own career by playing in both the NFL and Major League Baseball, to Boulder when Colorado hired Sanders in December 2022.
After running back Rashaan Salaam in 1994, Hunter became Colorado’s second Heisman winner.
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