Calling Travis Hunter winning Heisman Trophy over Ashton Jeanty ‘undeserved’ is unfair
Despite having a historic season, Ashton Jeanty losing to Travis Hunter in the Heisman race should not be surprising to fans.
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Ashton Jeanty and Travis Hunter (Images via Open Source)
The race for the Heisman Trophy has not been this heated in a while. Despite Cam Ward, Dillon Gabriel, Ashton Jeanty, and Travis Hunter being nominated for the coveted award, the last two names were considered the only realistic candidates. It was a toe-to-toe matchup between them and now, Travis Hunter won the award.
The Colorado Buffaloes dual-position star winning the award has received more blowback than praise. This is because a large number of fans believe that Travis Hunter won the Heisman Trophy because of the media campaign that gave him more coverage than Boise State’s Ashton Jeanty.
In addition to this, Hunter has been campaigning to win the award. From appearing on podcasts and making his argument to win it, the notion is that he spoke his way to the prize. Now add the coverage the Buffaloes got due to Deion Sanders and Shedeur Sanders throughout the season, this resulted in Hunter being in the limelight for the better part of the year.
However, the part that fans are missing out on is that Travis Hunter has achieved more than what was perceived to be possible. He not only played well as a wide receiver but also as a defensive back.
The numbers cannot explain Travis Hunter’s Heisman win over Ashton Jeanty
Fans say Jeanty was snubbed because his numbers are better than Hunter’s. There is no argument there. The running back is Boise State’s offense. If you take that man off the team, then the team does not stand a chance to make the playoffs, let alone end up with a winning record this season. Unsurprisingly, he won the Fan Vote as he is on track to beat Barry Sanders’ single-season rushing record of 2,628 yards.
While Ashton Jeanty is about to beat an existing record, Travis Hunter has set new records that never existed before. Never before in college football has a player who played on defense and offense excelled at both. Yes, he does not lead either of the categories as per the numbers but he ranks amongst the top in cornerbacks and wideouts.
Travis Hunter’s 92 receptions, 14 touchdowns, and 1,152 yards are the second-most by a Heisman recipient since DeVonta Smith in 2020. He is the first defensive back that has finished in the top 5 of the Heisman voting since Tyrann Mathieu. He ranks second in the nation in terms of receiving touchdowns and leads the country with 21 receiving plays for 20 yards or more.
Nationally, Hunter is the sixth-ranked wideout. He has had three touchdowns on one instance, 10 or more catches in a game on three different occasions, and 100 or more yards on seven occasions. Hunter has achieved a feat that Charles Woodson last accomplished in 1997.
Only a handful of players have been able to successfully play on both sides of the ball. This is not to take away from Jeanty’s accomplishments but while the running back played one position phenomenally, Hunter played two positions well.
The Colorado Buffaloes schedule swayed the odds in Hunter’s favor
Another factor that benefitted Hunter is the fact that the Colorado Buffaloes have played just one ranked opponent whereas Ashton Jeanty and the Boise State Broncos have faced the likes of Oregon, UNLV, and Washington State.
Travis Hunter on the other hand faced the Kansas State Wildcats, the only ranked opponent on their schedule and was held to 26 yards on 3 receptions. Take other factors into account too such as playing time.
Ashton Jeanty has been fed the ball 344 times this season and when the Broncos have taken an early lead in the game with 4 or more scores, he is benched for the remainder of the game. Despite playing just one half, he still ends up with 150 or more yards and 2 touchdowns. Now compare that to Hunter, who does not sit games out. Even if Colorado has a dominant lead, he stays on the field which allows him to gain more stats.
My final Heisman argument:
— Herd Bros (@TheHerdBros) November 29, 2024
Ashton Jeanty is the best RB in the nation. Ashton Jeanty after contact is the 2nd best RB in the nation.
Travis Hunter might not be the best WR on his team & his QB is a Top 5 pick. He is not a finalist for best CB.
Debate should end here, but…
This thread by The Herd Bros on X is a great comparison of Jeanty and Hunter, and substantiates the reason the latter won the award even though the former was more deserving of it. The media coverage helped Hunter and the fact that he was awarded the Chuck Bednarik Award for Defensive Player of the Year and the Fred Biletnikoff Award for Receiver of the Year furthered his cause to win the Heisman.
The Conclusion: It’s complicated
Ultimately, despite a historic season by Jeanty, the Heisman is an award given to the best players who have outshined their peers which is why Travis Hunter winning it should not be criticized.
The running back did everything right, he even attended the photoshoot along with the other nominees dressed in his college colors. However, it was just not his year. The possibility of a running back having a season as great as Jeanty soon is low, however, a player having a similar year to that of Travis Hunter is lower.
Keeping in this in mind, there should not be an asterisk next to the Colorado player’s name as the winner of the Heisman Trophy. He is worthy and deserving of the honor.
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Sumedh Joshi
(2196 Articles Published)