For at least half the season, the 2024 Heisman Trophy winner has been obvious. He is not that physically imposing or particularly flashy -- until you see him play. Travis Hunter, Colorado's Swiss Army knife, can do it all.
The superstar wide receiver/cornerback/special teams player has averaged 119 plays per game in his two years with the Buffaloes. Twice he played more than 160 snaps in a game.
Hunter is a true ironman chasing history in what figures to be a landslide Heisman win on Saturday. Michigan's Charles Woodson and Georgia's Champ Bailey are the best recent comparions, but quite frankly, they don't match up to the attributes Hunter brings to the table.
Woodson won the 1997 Heisman as a shutdown defender while returning kicks and dabbling on offense. Georgia's Bailey caught 59 passes in his career. Hunter caught 92 passes this season.
Ten years ago, the Heisman Trust decided to threaten voters if they wrote about their ballot during the week of the ceremony. The thinking was to preserve the "suspense" of the Heisman show.
There hasn't been much suspense in Heisman voting, however. Eight of the top 14 first-place vote totals in history have occurred since 2006. That includes three of the top four first-place vote getters: Joe Burrow (second all-time, 2019), Troy Smith (third, 2006) and Marcus Mariota (fourth, 2014).
In the interest of transparency, I relinquished my ballot a few years ago. As such, here's who would be on my 2024 Heisman ballot if I still had one to submit.
1. Travis Hunter, CB/WR, Colorado
Hunter's routine is legendary. School, practice, dinner with fiancé, video games, football games, recover. No alcohol, no sodas, just ball. "At the beginning of the season, it took me until Tuesday to recover. During the end [of the season], I felt like I could play the next day." The question now is how the NFL is going to treat Hunter. In a league that values specialties, it seems almost a waste not to use Hunter on both sides of the ball. His coach, Deion Sanders, played both ways (at times).
2. Ashton Jeanty, RB, Boise State
Boise's superman needs 132 yards to break Barry Sanders' single-season rushing record (2,497 total at this point). Jeanty will have played at least three more games than Sanders in getting it, but that doesn't diminish the achievement. The son of a Navy officer was lightly recruited out Frisco, Texas, after beginning his career playing in Italy. Perhaps Jeanty's best achievement is leading the Broncos to a first-round bye in the College Football Playoff. For the first time, one of the original BCS busters will play for a national championship. Depending on how you view Ty Detmer's win in 1990, Jeanty would be the first Heisman winner from a Group of Five school in history. (BYU played in the WAC back then, which was considered a major I-A conference at the time.)
3. Dillion Gabriel, QB, Oregon
After throwing for four touchdowns Saturday vs. Penn State, Gabriel is two touchdown passes away from Keenum's career mark. Gabriel has already broken Keenum's total touchdown record and is 795 yards away from the career passing mark. Gabriel was the difference in Oregon transitioning from a Pac-12 power to a national power amid its move to the Big Ten. The left-hander has inherited the traits of Kenny Stabler, Tim Tebow and Michael Vick -- all of whom are famous lefties. In a six-year career that has spanned three schools and the portal era, Gabriel has not only taken advantage of the system but thrived in it. The College Football Playoff will not only be his stage but also Oregon's, which goes in as the No. 1 seed.
