The race for the Heisman trophy has been a good one this season, and as we start to near the end of the regular season, things are really starting to heat up. The Heisman is awarded to the best player in college football, no matter the position, but it is often called a quarterback award as QBs typically end up winning. That might not end up being the case this year, however, as we have a couple other positions well represented right now, and one player near the top of the rankings is Colorado football cornerback/wide receiver Travis Hunter.
QBs do typically do win the Heisman, and there are some really good QBs in college football this year that are in contention to win the award. However, we are seeing some extremely elite play from other positions, and that is why we have a RB (Boise State's Ashton Jeanty) in the running and even a defensive player. It doesn't matter what position you play, but we rarely see defensive players win the Heisman trophy. Travis Hunter is good enough to do it.
Heading into the season, there really wasn't a clear favorite for the Heisman as the QB class this season isn't as strong as other years, but like always, a lot of new faces that weren't talked about before the season have emerged as contenders, and the race for the trophy is going to be exciting down the stretch. Heading into this past week of college football, most people considered Travis Hunter to be the favorite, but there are a few other guys behind him that are in the race as well.
The college football season has somehow already been going on for over two months, and players now have just a few more weeks to separate themselves from the rest of the contenders. The race to the finish line for the Heisman trophy is going to be exciting.
Travis Hunter has done it all this year
Travis Hunter is the best offensive player on his team and also the best defensive player on his team. Any time a player can make the case for being the best player at multiple positions in college football – yes, college football, not just Colorado – they obviously have to be in the discussion for the Heisman trophy.
What we are seeing from Hunter this year just doesn't happen in college football very often, and it has to be celebrated and recognized. There are definitely some QBs this year that are really good and deserve recognition, but we have QBs every year that have done the same thing. Hunter is a unique talent that deserves more credit.
So far on the season, Travis Hunter has hauled in 69 receptions for 856 yards and nine touchdowns. Hunter has more receptions, yards, and touchdowns than he did all of last year already, and Colorado still has four games to go.
Hunter also has 20 total tackles on the season, seven passes defended, one forced fumble and two interceptions. He is a force on both sides of the ball.
The Colorado football team still has a few regular season games left for Hunter to make his case for the Heisman, and right now, he has put himself in a terrific spot to come home with the trophy. He will obviously get a lot of opportunities to continue to make his case down the stretch as he is almost always on the field for the Buffaloes.
Travis Hunter is the favorite to win the Heisman, and with how he has been playing, let's assume that he will end up winning the award. Here is what his final stat line for the year will look like if that does happen:
Travis Hunter's final offensive stat line
We already noted that Travis Hunter has already put up better numbers offensively this season than he did last year, and that's been the case for a couple weeks now. The fact that he has three more games to build on these already impressive numbers is definitely important to consider in terms of the Heisman race.
Colorado has three more games this season as they will be hosting Utah, hitting the road to play Kansas, and hosting Oklahoma State. The Buffaloes will be favored in all of those games, and Hunter should be a big factor in all of them as he almost always is.
If Hunter goes on to win the Heisman this year, he will finish the regular season with 94 receptions for 1,125 yards and 12 touchdowns. Those are very impressive numbers, and the fact that he is an elite defender as well says it all.
Travis Hunter's final defensive stat line
Travis Hunter has a lot of plays still left to make on offense, and he will make his mark on defense as well.
Early in the season, Hunter quickly snagged a couple of interceptions and it looked like he was easily going to end with more picks this season than he did last year. He had three during the 2023 season, and he currently has two this year. However, these last three weeks are huge for the Heisman race, and Hunter will come up with some big plays on defense to solidify himself as this year's winner.
If Hunter goes on to win the Heisman this year, he will finish the regular season with 28 total tackles, nine passes defended, two forced fumbles and four interceptions.
The race to the finish line for the Heisman trophy is going to be exciting, and Travis Hunter seems to be in the lead right now. However, games at the end of the season are huge, and the Heisman hopefuls that perform the best when the lights are bright go on to win the award. We'll see if Hunter can pull it off and win college football's most prestigious award.
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