As he was expected to do all week long, Travis Hunter took home the 2024 Heisman Trophy on Saturday night. After his win, the two-way Colorado star received a heap of praise from the public, including former recipients Cam Newton and Mark Ingram II.

Both Newton and Ingram supported Hunter on X, formerly Twitter, immediately after he was announced as the winner. Hunter beat out Boise State's Ashton Jeanty in one of the closest voting results in recent history. Both men accompanied their tweets with pictures they took with Hunter and the trophy.

“EARNED DAT!!” Ingram tweeted. “IMMORTALIZED!! @travishunterjr.”

“Family business [Cowboy emoji],” Newton tweeted roughly one hour after Ingram's post.

Behind Jeanty, Oregon's Dillon Gabriel finished in third with Miami's Cam Ward as the fourth finalist. While Gabriel and Ward were both in New York for the ceremony, many were aware that the competition was a two-man race between Hunter and Jeanty.

Newton and Ingram, as former winners, can vote in all future Heisman Trophy races. Judging by their reactions, they likely voted for Hunter, if they did at all. Previous winners are not required to vote. Ingram won the award in 2009 with Alabama while Newton claimed it the following season with Auburn.

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Travis Hunter makes history with Heisman win

Colorado Buffaloes wide receiver Travis Hunter (12) reacts after touchdown reception in the first quarter against the Cincinnati Bearcats at Folsom Field.
Ron Chenoy-Imagn Images

By winning the 2024 Heisman Trophy, Travis Hunter made history in several forms. He became the first Colorado player to receive the award since running back Rashaan Salaam took the trophy home in 1994. He also became the first defensive player to win since Michigan's Charles Woodson broke the barrier in 1997. Until Saturday night, Woodson was the only defensive player to ever win the award.

Of course, Hunter played significantly more offensive snaps than Woodson did, but he still was the Buffaloes' every-down top cornerback all season long. His gaudy snap count was the driving force behind his Heisman campaign. Hunter was not the best receiver in the country, nor was he the best cornerback, but the fact that he did both at the same time is something no player has done before.

By merely appearing in New York, he was the first defensive player to be a finalist since Michigan's Aidan Hutchinson finished as a runner-up to Bryce Young in 2021. Before Hunter, the previous two defensive players to be honored as finalists were from Michigan, as hybrid linebacker Jabrill Peppers achieved the feat in 2016.

Winning the Heisman Trophy will likely boost Hunter's draft stock which already had him as a top prospect. Though most scouts believe he will need to pick a side in the NFL, Hunter claims he will play both cornerback and receiver at the same rate he did in college.