This year’s Heisman Trophy race is coming down to the wire, with Colorado two-way star Travis Hunter and Boise State stud running back Ashton Jeanty as the frontrunners.
Hunter, a junior who plays for the Colorado Buffaloes, has put together one of the most dynamic seasons ever seen in college football. He is one of the best in the country at both cornerback and wide receiver.
Jeanty, a junior for the Boise State Broncos, does not play two positions, but he is still putting up one of the greatest statistical seasons at his position in college football history.
As a result, we have one of the tightest Heisman races we have seen in years, especially when considering the other candidates currently in the top five, according to ESPN: Cam Ward (Miami), Dillion Gabriel (Oregon), Kurtis Rourke (Indiana), all of whom are quarterbacks. While these players are some of the best in college football, a massive gap exists between them and the top two (Jeanty and Hunter).
Jeanty and Hunter are both amid historic seasons, not only for their careers but also for college football history.
According to The New York Times and The University of Colorado Athletics, there are approximately 180 total plays per college football game, and Hunter averages 115-120 plays per game. We have not seen these numbers since the 1996-97 season when Charles Woodson, who was also a two-way player at Michigan. Woodson won the Heisman Trophy that season.
On the other hand, Jeanty is approaching one of the best single-season performances ever seen in sports. Through six games, he has racked up 1,525 rushing yards and 20 touchdowns on 190 carries, which is a ridiculous 8.0 yards per carry. These numbers are hard to come by for many starting running backs throughout an entire season, and Jeanty has already done it and is only halfway through this season.
Ashton Jeanty’s unbelievable stats in Boise State’s opening win against Georgia Southern
(SportsCenter/X)
Also in play for Jeanty this season is Barry Sanders’ 1988 single-season NCAA rushing record. That season, Sanders rushed for 2,628 yards, 37 touchdowns, and an unfathomable 238.9 yards per game through their first six games. Jeanty is close to that mark, averaging 208 yards per game through the same amount of time. While this mark may seem impossible to beat, Jeanty has the advantage of having a potential Mountain West Conference Championship game and even a shot at the 12-team College Football Playoff, which would give him a maximum of 17 games to break the record that Sanders set in 11 games.
With Jeanty having nearly surpassed his rushing total from last year–on approximately 100 fewer carries–he has caught the attention of all football fans worldwide, helping him climb the Heisman ranks, much to the dismay of Travis Hunter.
Hunter expressed his discontent with Jeanty leading in the Heisman polls while appearing on the podcast “Outta Pocket with Robert Griffin III.” “[Jeanty] has, I think, 95 carries for 1,000 yards. If I had 95 catches, how many yards do you think I’d have? If I had 95 targets on defense, what do you think I’d have? If I had 95 catches on offense, what do you think I’d have?” He also doubled down on his versatility on both sides of the field. “We haven’t seen a player that plays both ways, and I’m gonna keep saying that.”
Travis Hunter on the 2024 Heisman Trophy race
(Bleacher Report)
Saint Paul’s senior Vincent Cruise was shocked when he heard Hunter’s comments. “I think his comments were delusional because a wide receiver would be lucky to get 95 targets in a season, so you can’t compare a receiver getting 95 targets in a season to a running back getting 95 carries in a season,” said Cruise.
On the other hand, Jeanty responded to Hunter’s comments in a recent video with popular YouTuber and UFL kicker “Deestroying”: “Kudos to Travis, he ballin’ for real… He’s doing some stuff we ain’t never seen nobody do. Personally, I don’t take no offense to [his comments]. He’s just speaking his opinion. For me, what I’ve been doing hasn’t been done in 36, 37 years, so that’s something special. If I keep that up and break a record that’s been around for 36 years, I feel like you can’t really compete with that,” said Jeanty.
It’s unique that Jeanty and Hunter are jockeying for favorable public perception by indirectly arguing with each other amid their Heisman campaigns.
Although Jeanty is having a historic season and is well on his way to being one of the best college running backs of all time, Hunter has made a serious case for the number-one spot recently. On Oct. 26, 2024, Hunter put on a show for Heisman voters, putting up 9 receptions for 153 yards and 2 touchdowns. He added 2 tackles and 4 pass breakups on defense, helping Colorado pick up a 34-23 win against Big 12 opponent Cincinnati. Adding to his unbelievable performance, Hunter only missed one snap of all offensive and defensive plays.
Travis Hunter lines up for a route during a game vs. Cincinnati
(Mark J. Rebilas/Athlon Sports)
Hunter’s season stats are even more impressive, as he ranks 10th in receptions (60), 17th in yards (757), and T-9th in touchdowns (8). He also ranks T-19th in pass deflections (7) and has 2 interceptions, per ESPN.
If this were almost any other season, Hunter would be the unanimous Heisman Trophy winner; however, with the season Jeanty has had, it will be hard for Hunter to overcome the odds.
In recent weeks, Jeanty’s numbers have somewhat fallen off, but he is still dominating every defense he faces. Not only has he been filling up the stat sheet, but he has also led his number 12 team to a 7-1 record, with their only loss being against the undefeated and number 1 ranked Oregon Ducks.
His stats are frankly jaw-dropping—and more impressive than Hunter’s when factoring in positional dominance—as Jeanty ranks first in just about all rushing categories, especially yards (1,525), yards per carry with at least 100 attempts (8.0), and touchdowns (20).
Ashton Jeanty rushing for a touchdown against Oregon (Cole Sullivan/Athlon Sports)
With these stats, Jeanty has put the team on his back and driven the Broncos to just about every one of their wins this season. Through eight games, he has put up approximately 200 yards less than Boise State quarterback Maddux Madsen, which is almost unheard of, especially for a potential College Football Playoff team.
While he has put up great stats all across the board, Hunter hasn’t helped his team to the extent that Jeanty has, and ultimately, that should be what the Heisman will come down to. As previously mentioned, Jeanty has been the main contributor to Boise State, and he has propelled the Broncos to the 12th-ranked team in the country, only losing to #3 Oregon by 3 points on the road. However, Hunter’s Buffaloes are only ranked 20th and lost to 5-4 ranked Nebraska, 10-28.
Saint Paul’s junior Luca Rodas focuses more on Hunter’s individual performance than team success. “I believe that Hunter’s versatility on both offense and defense has helped Colorado become relevant again, not to mention his freakish athleticism,” said Rodas.
While Hunter is undoubtedly one of the most talented players we have ever seen play college football, I believe his stats and his overall contribution to his team won’t be enough for him to be this year’s Heisman Trophy winner.
ESPN Bet sports book currently lists Jeanty as +450 to win the Heisman Trophy, while Hunter is slightly favored at +375. Quarterbacks Dillon Gabriel (Oregon) and Cam Ward (Miami) are also in the mix.
Even though Ashton Jeanty is not currently the projected Heisman winner, I predict the Boise State running back will benefit from a late-season surge and win the 2024 Heisman Trophy.
Published By: andrewjames2025
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