Travis Hunter should be the Heisman Trophy front-runner and if he continues to dominate like he’s done this season then he should win college football’s most prestigious award.
Picking a quarterback like usual would not be difficult and Miami’s Cam Ward and Ole Miss’ Jaxson Dart are worthy candidates. Both are having great seasons.
But if the Heisman is truly about awarding the best player in college football and not just the best quarterback on one of the best teams then Hunter is more than deserving.
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He’s the rarest thing we’ve seen since Charles Woodson – and an argument could be made that Hunter should have the Heisman even more locked up than when Woodson won it in 1997, the last time a defensive player got the biggest individual prize.
The top-ranked player in the 2022 recruiting class, Hunter has been a phenom for years.
The five-star who flipped from Florida State to Jackson State on signing day (the biggest shocker in Rivals' history) put his trust in coach Deion Sanders first at that program and now at Colorado.
Sanders was handed a gift beyond belief. Hunter is not only an athletic freak but he has such a locked-in mentality and focus on being great and a competitive drive that’s off the charts. What separates him most is that he doesn’t get tired.
What we’re seeing at Colorado where he plays offense and then defense and then wants to be in the game even more is what we’ve seen from Hunter from his days dominating at Suwanee (Ga.) Collins Hill.
In games, at camps, in 7-on-7 tournaments, Hunter bursts with energy and excitement. He loves the game and then his athleticism, instincts and playmaking ability take over. Sometimes coaches have to drag these kids from field to field to play in another tournament. Hunter was out there with bells on always ready to perform.
He’s doing the same now. According to a Fox stat, Hunter has played more snaps this season (532) than anyone else in college football, 169 more than the second-place player.
In 1997 when Woodson won the Heisman, he totaled just 12 catches for 238 yards and two touchdowns. He had 36 punt returns for 301 yards and one score. His best work was done in Michigan’s defense where he totaled 44 tackles and a whopping eight interceptions.
So far this season, Hunter leads the Buffaloes with 37 catches for 472 yards and five touchdowns averaging 118 receiving yards per game. He has only 14 tackles and he’s tied for the team lead with one interception but mainly because no one throws to his side. The five-star has it locked down. He also had a game-sealing forced fumble last week against Baylor.
Woodson was a player ahead of his time. But Hunter is far more dynamic in today’s game and deserves to be the next two-way player to win the Heisman.
History is not on Hunter’s side.
Seven of the last eight Heisman winners have been quarterbacks. Ward and Dart are leading the Las Vegas odds and then Alabama’s Jalen Milroe, Tennessee’s Nico Iamaleava, Oregon’s Dillon Gabriel, Texas’ Quinn Ewers and Georgia’s Carson Beck are higher than Hunter right now.
It’s been 27 years since Woodson won the award.
But we may have never seen a player like Hunter. That athleticism and playmaking ability, the Energizer bunny energy of never coming off the field. The impact he provides to Colorado’s offense and defense.
Hunter is the best player in college football. If that’s what the Heisman is for, then the former No. 1 prospect deserves to win it.
