By Mike Fitzpatrick
Travis Hunter turned each play into prime time — on either side of the ball — and finally took dwelling the Heisman Trophy.
Now he’s bought a leg up on his movie star coach at Colorado.
The 2-way star received faculty soccer’s most prestigious award Saturday evening, punctuating a tireless efficiency all season by a dynamic participant with a singular mixture of abilities.
“I never thought I would be in this position,” stated a tearful Hunter, who grabbed the trophy exhausting with two palms and let free a cheerful roar. “It’s crazy.”
A giant-play extensive receiver and lockdown cornerback, Hunter dominated on either side of the ball for coach Deion Sanders and the Buffaloes, becoming a member of late working again Rashaan Salaam in 1994 as the one Heisman winners in class historical past.
Hunter obtained 552 first-place votes and a pair of,231 factors in a snug victory. Boise State working again Ashton Jeanty was the runner-up with 309 first-place votes and a pair of,017 factors, the closest margin since 2009.
Hunter garnered 80.14% of attainable factors, the Eleventh-highest in Heisman Trophy historical past, and joined Michigan cornerback Charles Woodson (1997) as the one full-time defensive gamers to say the prize. Woodson additionally made massive performs on offense, however didn’t play practically as a lot as Hunter on that facet of the ball.
Oregon quarterback Dillon Gabriel got here in third and Miami quarterback Cam Ward completed fourth in balloting for the ninetieth Heisman Trophy, offered yearly since 1935 to the nation’s most excellent participant. This 12 months’s ceremony was held at Jazz at Lincoln Middle in Manhattan, the place Sanders was in attendance.
It marked solely the fifth time this century a quarterback didn’t win. The final time no signal-caller positioned within the prime two was 2015, when working backs Derrick Henry of Alabama and Christian McCaffrey ran 1-2 in voting.
Hunter additionally received The Related Press participant of the 12 months award this week. He helped spark a formidable turnaround at Colorado, from 4-8 in 2023 when he missed 3 1/2 video games due to accidents to 9-3 this 12 months in Sanders’ second season. The Twentieth-ranked Buffaloes bought their first bowl bid in 4 years and can face No. 17 BYU (10-2) within the Alamo Bowl on Dec. 28.
Hunter has pledged to play, relatively than skip the sport to organize for the NFL draft and forestall any attainable harm as many prime prospects do. The 6-foot-1, 185-pound junior from Suwanee, Georgia, plans to go up his senior season in Boulder and is anticipated to be a top-five choose by the professionals — maybe even No. 1 total.
“He wants to be great at everything,” Sanders stated. “He wants to have a commitment to excellence in everything he does — including fishing.”
Showcasing his blazing pace and explosive playmaking, Hunter not often got here off the sphere this 12 months — making him an every-down throwback to generations passed by and the primary full-time, true two-way star in many years.
On offense, he had 92 catches for 1,152 yards and 14 touchdowns, plus a speeding rating. On protection, he made 4 interceptions, 32 tackles, broke up 11 passes and compelled a important fumble that secured an extra time victory towards Baylor.
With the Buffaloes profitable video games and difficult for a Massive 12 title, he soared from a long-shot underdog in Heisman futures final summer season to a heavy betting favourite this week.
All of the whereas, placing the Heisman pose with teammates to have fun massive performs because it turned increasingly clear Hunter was the person to beat.
He performed 688 defensive snaps and 672 extra on offense — the one Energy 4 convention participant with 30-plus snaps on either side of the ball, based on Colorado analysis.
It might appear an excessively exhausting workload for any participant today, each mentally and bodily, however not Hunter.
“I think I laid the ground for more people to come in and go two ways,” he stated Friday. “It starts with your mindset. If you believe you can do it, then you’ll be able to do it. And also, I do a lot of treatment. I keep up with my body. I get a lot of recovery.”
Rated the nation’s prime recruit within the 2022 class, Hunter surprised many when he dedicated to play for Sanders at Jackson State, an HBCU that competes within the lower-level FCS, with the promise of enjoying each offense and protection.
After one season, Hunter adopted Sanders to Colorado and was a consensus All-America choice as an all-purpose participant final 12 months regardless of sitting out three video games with a lacerated liver brought on by a late hit.
Hunter, who plans to get married in Might, is the primary Heisman winner to play within the FCS.
Deion Sanders, nicknamed Prime Time throughout his enjoying days — seemingly by himself — was a two-time All-America defensive again at Florida State and completed eighth in 1988 Heisman voting.
An electrifying kick returner, who additionally performed main league baseball by the way in which, Neon Deion went on to a Corridor of Fame profession as an NFL cornerback however largely simply dabbled on offense apart from a 36-catch season with the 1996 Dallas Cowboys.
Nothing fairly like Hunter, who now has Heisman bragging rights on Coach Prime ceaselessly.
