The Heisman award is the most prestigious award in college football, given to who is determined to be the best player of that season. In the past the Heisman race was always dominated by the quarterback position; for the last 20 years there were only four times a quarterback was not selected as favorite to win the Heisman. As the college football season came to an end the race for the Heisman is now over with University of Colorado cornerback and wide receiver, Travis Hunter, receiving the award on December 14. He also collected two other awards, the Biletnikoff award and the Bednarik award.
The University of Colorado is led by head coach and hall of famer Deion Sanders who is also a former Heisman trophy winner during his time at Florida state in 1988. Coming out of high school Travis Hunter was the number-one ranked recruit in the country and he committed to FCS school Jackson State where coach Sanders started his coaching career. Hunter is a rare two-way player who plays both sides of the ball, playing cornerback and wide receiver. Hunter has never had a down game and has stayed consistent having received the Biletnikoff Award for the best receiver after having a 1152 yard season with 14 touchdowns on offense. On defense Hunter has played outstanding as a cornerback, gaining four interceptions and winning the Bednarik Award for being the best defensive player in college football. The two-way player, while useful, is very rare; most players can not manage it as it takes a toll on their health, something that has not yet affected Hunter even with his lean frame.
Hunter led the Colorado Buffaloes to a 9-3 record. Hunter is the first player ever to win both the Biletnikoff and Bednarik awards which cements him in college football history as the best two-way player of all time adding to his already amazing resume. He is projected to be a top-five pick entering the draft this year.
It was an emotional ceremony when during Hunter’s speech as he said in tears, “I want to say something to my father. He’s not here and wasn’t able to make it but I know you’re watching on TV. Dad, I love you. For all the stuff you went through man. Now look at your oldest son. I did it for you, man.” Travis Hunter also thanked his Coach Deion Sanders and his quarterback Sheduar Sanders.
The close runner up was running back junior Ashton Jeanty who was the favorite to win the award until week seven where his performance, while still impressive, dropped off. Before week seven Jeanty was on great pace to beat the single-season rushing yards record held by NFL hall of famer Barry Sanders. Jeanty had a phenomenal season and received the Maxwell Award for the most outstanding player and the Doak Walker Award for the best running back of the season after having the most rushing yards and rushing touchdowns this season, 2497 yards and 29 touchdowns. Jeanty, who was thinking of transferring at the start of the season, decided to stay and carried the team with his explosive play and ability to absorb contact and fight continuously for yards, accumulating 1882 yards after first contact. Jeanty responded to Hunter’s victory saying, “I really felt like I should’ve walked away with the award, but kudos to Travis for winning.” Jeanty is projected to be a mid-first rounder in the upcoming NFL Draft.
Third-place finalist Dillon Gabriel was a senior quarterback playing for the Oregon Ducks in his sixth year of college football. He has started at quarterback ever since he was a freshman when he committed to The University Of Central Florida. Gabriel transferred to Oregon in 2023 and took the starting spot and fit right into Oregon team, who are notorious for their elite passing play. Gabriel and the Ducks played their first season in the Big Ten, a more difficult division than their previous division, the Pac 12. The Ducks dominated their new division in spectacular fashion becoming the only undefeated team in college football this year and becoming the number-one ranked team in the country with a bye week in the playoffs. Gabriel passed for 3558 passing yards acquired the second-best quarterback rating at 86.5 behind Cam Ward. Gabriel turned 24 on December 28 and is one of the older players in college football due to COVID-19 complications and transferring. He is projected to go in the late second to the early third round.
Fourth place finalist quarterback Cam Ward was the star player of the Miami Hurricanes. After a good season at Washington State he transferred to Miami where he immediately stood out and earned the starting spot. Ward had an amazing season and never left the Heisman race. He showed excellent talent with his arm strength and ability to read defenses and adjust before the play. Ward led his team to a 10-2 record but came just short of the playoffs. Without a doubt it was a great improvement from last season when the Hurricanes ended the season with a 7-6 record. Ward has passed for the second most yards this year with 4,123 yards and has thrown the most touchdowns with 36 on the year whilst also accumulating the highest quarterback rating at 88.0. Ward has shown the college football world that he can take over a team and perform at the highest level and always battle and put up numbers. He is projected to be a top-five pick entering the draft.
