Travis Hunter’s historic season ended in style with the Heisman Trophy.

Colorado’s star defensive back and wide receiver was named the 2024 Heisman winner on Saturday night ahead of Boise State RB Ashton Jeanty, Oregon QB Dillon Gabriel and Miami QB Cam Ward.

Hunter received 552 of 901 first-place votes, followed by Jeanty with 309, Gabriel with 24 and Ward with six. The overall vote was much closer than expected, with Hunter edging out Jeanty with a total score of 2,231 to 2,017.

This is the narrowest margin for the award since 2009when Mark Ingram edged out Toby Gerhart in another race where quarterbacks weren’t in the top two.

In his acceptance speech, Hunter profusely thanked God, his parents, his girlfriend, his teammates, his coaches, his teachers and, of course, Colorado fan Lil Wayne.

What Hunter did in 2024 was unprecedented in modern college football history. He was a constant presence for Colorado on both offense and defense and was excellent on both ends.

Hunter grabbed 92 catches for 1,152 yards and 14 touchdowns while also pushing for another score on offense. On defense, Hunter had four interceptions, 11 passes defended and made over 30 tackles. His stats also could have been better, but he missed significant portions of two games with a shoulder injury.

The junior is the first player since Alabama WR DeVonta Smith in 2020 to win the Heisman without playing quarterback and just the fifth non-quarterback since the turn of the century to win the award. The other previous non-QB winners in the 2000s are Smith, Alabama RB Derrick Henry (2015), Alabama RB Mark Ingram (2009) and USC RB Reggie Bush (2005).

Hunter the Human – Highlight Reel

Since arriving in Colorado in 2023, Hunter has made countless ridiculous plays for the Buffaloes. In September, he made a game-saving play in overtime against Baylor. After Colorado miraculously sent the game to OT with a Hail Mary, Hunter forced a fumble at the goal line to give Colorado the win.

A week later, he made a fantastic break on the ball for a jumping interception against UCF.

In November, Hunter made this absurd four-down catch between two defenders against Utah to set up a Will Sheppard touchdown on the next play.

Hunter had at least nine catches in six of Colorado’s 12 games this season and scored a touchdown in eight of them. When Jeanty set the single-season rushing record late in the season, Hunter scored five touchdowns in Colorado’s final two games.

He had eight catches for 125 yards and two scores in a loss to Kansas, followed by ten catches for 116 yards and three scores in a blowout win over Oklahoma State to close the season. In case there was any doubt about who the Heisman would be on Black Friday, Hunter erased it with a touchdown and an interception in the first quarter of the game.

How Hunter’s season compares to previous two-way players

Hunter isn’t the first player in modern college football to play both cornerback and wide receiver. But he is the one who did it best.

In addition to 1997 Heisman winner Charles Woodson, Georgia’s Champ Bailey and Ohio’s Chris Gamble both played positions for their power conference schools. And only Bailey has put up anywhere near the stats that Hunter has put up. Bailey had 47 catches for 744 yards and five touchdowns in 1998, as well as 16 carries for 84 yards. He did this while also returning kicks for the Bulldogs and serving as a shutdown corner. Bailey had three interceptions this season and finished seventh in Heisman voting behind winner Ricky Williams and five quarterbacks.

A few years later, Gamble made a name for himself as an offensive and defensive threat. When Ohio State won the national title at the end of the 2022 season, Gamble had 31 catches for 499 yards and snagged four interceptions on defense. He also added 46 kickoff and punt returns, although he only scored two total touchdowns.

Woodson won the Heisman 27 years ago, playing primarily on the defensive side of the ball. During his Heisman-winning season, he had 11 catches for 231 yards and two scores.

Hunter’s unique path

Hunter’s recruitment was the most unique of the 2022 recruiting cycle. According to Rivals, the Georgia native was a unanimous five-star player and the No. 1 recruit in the country. He was listed as an athlete due to his ability to play both receiver and cornerback at a high level and received scholarship offers from Blue Blood programs across the country.

Instead, Hunter chose to play at the second level of college football in the FCS. Hunter signed with Jackson State and coach Deion Sanders as the Pro Football Hall of Famer began his third season with the school and the Tigers went 11-2 in 2021.

Jackson State went undefeated in the 2022 regular season, with both Hunter and Shedeur Sanders starring. At the end of the regular season, the elder Sanders was named coach at Colorado and both Hunter and Shedeur (along with safety Shilo Sanders) followed him to Boulder.

Hunter would have had an intriguing Heisman case in 2023 had he attended all of Colorado’s games. Hunter missed three games after suffering a ruptured liver from a hit by a Colorado State player. In nine games in 2023, Hunter had 57 catches for 721 yards along with 30 tackles and three interceptions. However, Colorado went 4-8 and lost all but one of its games in conference play after a 3-0 start to the season.

This year, the Buffs have made significant progress on both sides of the ball. Colorado bounced back from a loss to Nebraska in Week 2 to win three straight games before losing to Kansas State in October. The Buffaloes then won five of their last six games to secure first place in the Big 12, but lost on a four-way tiebreaker due to their loss to Kansas in Week 13.

Hunter has made it clear that he is headed to the NFL after the season and is likely a top-five draft pick, even if he ends up playing only one position as a professional. However, fans will likely get another chance to see him play in college. Colorado plays BYU in the Alamo Bowl on Dec. 28 and Deion Sanders has said both Hunter and Shedeur will play in the game.