Four players received an invitation to Saturday’s Heisman Trophy ceremony in New York, and two were never in doubt.

Colorado two-way star Travis Hunter and Boise State RB Ashton Jeanty are widely expected to end up being the top two finishers in the voting, and both will have their moment in the spotlight before the award is handed out.

Joining Hunter and Jeanty are two quarterbacks: Dillon Gabriel of Oregon and Cam Ward of Miami. Both took winding paths to their final study destination, with Gabriel changing twice — three times if you include his temporary commitment to UCLA — and Ward started at FCS Incarnate Word before moving to Washington State and eventually South Beach.

The award is expected to go to Hunter and Jeanty, but up to seven players could make a compelling case for an invitation to New York. Here’s a look at the key snubs from Monday’s announcement of the Heisman Trophy finalists.

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Heisman Trophy snubbed in 2024

Cam Skattebo

Arizona State RB Cam Skattebo was not named a Heisman Trophy finalist on Monday despite a dominant performance in the Sun Devils’ win over Iowa State in the Big 12 championship game.

The case for Skattebo

Not one to be overshadowed by Ward, Skattebo brings his own FCS flair to the Heisman race, even though he won’t be at the ceremony on Saturday. A human wrecking ball, Skattebo started at the FCS level at Sacramento State before transferring to Arizona State instead of joining his former coach Troy Taylor at Stanford.

He was a great fit in Kenny Dillingham’s offense and posted 1,568 rushing yards, 506 receiving yards and total touchdowns that season. Skattebo’s production couldn’t keep up with Jeanty’s, but that’s a difficult benchmark. He was still one of three FBS players with at least 2,000 scrimmage yards and one of two with 2,000 total yards each and at least 20 touchdowns.

Skattebo was also the focal point of an Arizona State offense that impressively won a Big 12 title and secured a spot in the College Football Playoff. He performed well in crucial games, averaging 164.7 rushing yards per game with three touchdowns in each game in his last three contests.

It took some time for him to gain national recognition, but Skattebo’s performance in those critical moments gave him a strong case for being a Heisman Trophy finalist.

The case against Skattebo

With Jeanty taking over the running back position and Hunter undoubtedly an invite (and likely winner), it was a tough road for Skattebo to secure a finalist spot ahead of the quarterbacks.

It would be unfair to call the Heisman a quarterback award, but there is no world in which the position would not be represented at the ceremony. Gabriel led Oregon to a 13-0 season with strong numbers, while Ward accounted for 40 touchdowns and just seven interceptions.

Miami missing the playoffs arguably opened the door for Skattebo to pass Ward, but statistically it would have been difficult to deny either quarterback.

MORE: Boise State coach blasts Deion Sanders for Heisman bid

Shedeur Sanders

Colorado QB Shedeur Sanders was not invited to the Heisman Trophy ceremony despite his father asking him to join Hunter in New York.

The case for Sanders

Sanders didn’t receive much Heisman buzz as the season progressed, but he ultimately helped Colorado exceed preseason expectations by putting up numbers that matched Ward’s almost perfectly.

Sanders completed 74.2 percent of passes for 3,926 yards, 39 total touchdowns and eight interceptions, including a dominant stretch late in the season in which he totaled 18 touchdowns and two interceptions. He fell just short of Ward’s yardage total with a similar TD-to-INT ratio.

Had Colorado been playing for the Big 12 title, it might have been enough for Sanders to overtake Ward, and a compelling argument could be made that his candidacy was just as realistic as Ward’s even without the extra game.

The case against Sanders

Sanders had similar numbers to Ward, but given New York, it’s understandable that Ward has a slight advantage.

Sanders finished just behind Ward, had one fewer touchdown and one more interception. Both failed to make the College Football Playoff and played the same number of games, with Ward going 10-2 and Sanders going 9-3.

Sanders’ throw at the Heisman favorite could also work against him, considering Ward didn’t have a player of that caliber in his offense.

The NFL is waiting for both quarterbacks.

MORE: What position will Travis Hunter play in the NFL?

Tyler Warren

Penn State TE Tyler Warren made a strong case to become the rare Heisman finalist tight end, but ultimately faced stiff competition from the country’s stars.

The case for Warren

Warren’s raw numbers don’t jump out at you, but he had an outstanding all-around season at a position that doesn’t often get much recognition at the college level. The 6-6 tight end totaled 1,062 yards and six touchdowns through the air, as well as 191 yards and four touchdowns on the ground.

He was the only Power Four tight end with more than 900 receiving yards and was more than just one-dimensional. Warren took advantage of his strength and bullied defenders when used as a runner, and gained the trust of James Franklin as the season progressed.

Warren seemed to get better later in the year, averaging 119.5 scrimmage yards in his final four games, helping Penn State earn a spot in the College Football Playoff. Without Warren’s 224 yards against USC or 102 yards against Minnesota, both narrow wins for the Nittany Lions, it could be a much different story for Penn State.

The case against Warren

Warren’s performance wasn’t consistent enough early in the season to warrant inviting players at other positions over an exceptional few seasons. He didn’t total more than 50 receiving yards in six of his first eight games, and that was ultimately too big a deficit to make up even with his 224-yard explosion against USC.

Warren had a decent day in Penn State’s loss to Ohio State, totaling 47 yards through the air and another 47 yards on the ground, but a more dominant performance in the biggest regular-season game on the Nittany Lions’ schedule would have more than tipped the balance Excellent performances against mid-tier teams in the Big Ten.

Still, Warren’s season as a tight end was one of the best in recent memory, tied with Brock Bowers and Kyle Pitts.