Travis Hunter is vying to become Colorado’s second-ever Heisman Trophy winner, and he was officially named a finalist for the prestigious award Monday evening.
The two-way star assembled one of the best seasons in college football this year as he provided elite coverage at cornerback and pass-catching abilities at wide receiver for the Buffs. He becomes the first Buff to receive an invite to New York since Rashaan Salaam won the Heisman in 1994.
Hunter completed his junior season with 92 catches, 1,152 yards, 14 receiving touchdowns, 15 total touchdowns, four interceptions and 11 pass break-ups. His numbers this season shattered numerous CU records and his performance throughout the year was a spectacle worthy of being a finalist for the Heisman Trophy as well as Walter Camp, Maxwell, Bednarik, Hornung and Biletnikoff awards. Earlier this evening, he won the Lott Impact Trophy.
Former college football stars Charles Woodson and Champ Bailey were able to play both ways in college, but of those two, and a collection of others, none of them have emulated what Hunter has accomplished in 2024.
Hunter secured a handful of firsts in his second season at Colorado:
• First FBS player in the last quarter century with three touchdowns and an interception in a game and he has two of the four instances of multiple touchdowns and an interception since 1996 in the FBS.
• First FBS player in at least a quarter century with 10 receptions, 100 yards, 2 TDs and an interception (vs. Colorado State)
• First FBS player and just one of two FBS/NFL players with 50 receiving yards, a rushing touchdown and interception (vs. Utah), joining Champ Bailey who did it in the NFL.
• First known FBS player with 150 receiving yards and 4 pass breakups in the same game (both career highs vs. Cincinnati)
• First FBS player to be named Power 4/5 conference offensive and defensive player of the week in the same season.
Remarkable is a term that can be associated with Hunter’s phenomenal season. Each week, Hunter’s presence on the field was pivotal on both offense and defense. He missed the second halves games against Kansas State and Arizona, but Hunter rarely was on the sideline outside of that with 688 defensive and 672 offensive snaps this year. He is the only FBS player with at least 150 snaps on both offense and defense and the only Power 4 conference player with 30-plus snaps on both sides.
On offense, he set CU’s record for the most receiving touchdowns (14) and led the Power 4 in such scores. His 92 catches on the season ranks second in both Power 4 and CU history and his 1,152 yards that came from those catches ranks second in Power 4 and fifth in program history. To top it off, he ranks second in among Power 4 and FBS players in receptions per game (7.7), third in P4 and sixth in FBS in receiving yards per game (96.6) and second in FBS in receiving touchdowns.
Even though Hunter did not receive a selection for the Jim Thorpe award that honors the best defensive back in college football, Hunter’s execution on the defensive side of the ball this year has been impressive. Hunter did not allow a receiving touchdown until 10 games into the season against Utah.
He recorded an interception for every 10.3 targets, which is tied for the best in Power 4 and third best in FBS. With his four interceptions this year, he completed the season fifth in Power 4 and 15th in FBS in that category.
Quarterbacks and offensive coordinators often elected not to throw in Hunter’s direction throughout the season because of his ability to disrupt plays with interceptions or pass breakups. On defense, Hunter has been targeted 39 times, third fewest in the Power 4 and finished 12th in FBS with 11 defended passes this year.
Overall, he accounted for 53 first downs on offense and allowed just six on defense.
All of Hunter's marks have now placed him as a front runner to obtain the award for the best player in college football.
