From Diane LeeDecember 13, 7:19 p.m. UTC • 6 mins

I still remember when I had my first Heisman moment. It was November 19, 2005 and I had just finished my youth football season in Spring Valley, California. One of my teammates had an Xbox and a dad who cooked one meeeaaannnn Gumbo – so we spent most of our Saturday nights in his living room, huddled together in front of the TV. This special night started with one Drive crazy But soon our attention was caught by the biggest TV show at the time – hometown legend Reggie Bush, who gained over 500 yards against our own mini versions of the USC star – we dream of taking out defenders once we’re in high school .

Nearly 20 years after Bush suddenly stopped and switched the ball at the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum, two-way phenom Travis Hunter inspires similar feelings in this generation. College football isn’t so much about Heisman moments anymore, but Hunter’s splash plays at cornerback and wide receiver penetrated our algorithm in a way that made it clear we were watching something truly special. A heavy favorite to win the Heisman, Hunter heads to New York City having already won college football’s best player (Walter Camp), best defensive back (Chuck Bednarik) and best receiver (Fred Biletnikoff) won.

Hunter’s season was an example of legend building, both because of his excellence and the accolades he has already received. Hunter may have been overexposed by the intense spotlight that comes with playing for Deion Sanders. Instead, his playing was a charm in itself; Hunter, not his coach, was the reason Colorado was exciting to watch this season. We can tell the story of Hunter’s season independently of the #COACHPRIME ecosystem, and Hunter’s production will only become more impressive as we reminisce in the years to come. Hunter’s Iron Man snap count — 672 snaps on offense and 713 on defense, according to Pro Football Focus — and his weekly endurance playing both ways are remarkable, and his raw stats are both impressive and somehow still inadequate to capture his impact on the field: 1,152 receiving yards, 4 interceptions, 11 passes defensed, with 15 total touchdowns (14 as a receiver and one rushing score).

This entire Heisman race is special because it has impacted the sport and forced the general public to align with a non-power brand – Colorado is a big deal because of Prime, but hardly a heavyweight contender, and probably will Ashton, the Heisman Jeanty runner-up, plays in the Mountain West. If Hunter wins, he would be the first defensive player to take home the award since Charles Woodson in 1997.

But before Hunter makes more history, let’s take a look at a handful of plays that tell the story of his historic season – the kind of plays that kids across the country want to emulate, like my friends and I did with Bush nearly 20 years ago have .

Play 1: A catch you only see in video games

As a receiver, Travis Hunter tracks the ball like DeSean Jackson and DeVonta Smith and finds ways to get into position to catch the ball despite being thinner – even when defenders are draped over him. According to PFF, Hunter caught 11 of his 16 contested targets, the type of performance you’d expect from a big outside receiver. That touchdown grab in the corner of the end zone against Oklahoma State showcases Hunter’s rare ability as a ball-winner and makes it clear that he is creating offense for quarterback Shedeur Sanders and Colorado, not the other way around.

There will be debate over the next few months about whether Hunter is better suited to play receiver or defensive back in the NFL, but it’s hard to imagine NFL coaches seeing a budding pro making plays like that and not for him want their quarterbacks available at all times.

Play 2: A catch you won’t even see in video games

If this happened to me in a game EA Sports College Football 25I cannot guarantee that my controller will still be functional after this. Hunter is a rough route runner (as evidenced by his being let loose at the line of scrimmage), but his hands are too special for that to matter most of the time. That play came in the season opener against North Dakota State, and the Bison showed they could hang with any player on CU’s top-tier roster…except Hunter. It’s hard to cover a back-shoulder throw much better than the Bison defender did here, but Hunter makes the catch with his arms extended wide from his body as he twists to keep his feet in play. I don’t know what kind of magic it takes to pull off such plays, but I’m equally scared and equally fascinated.

Piece 3: An expert playmaker

Stop here. Listen to me carefully: What Travis Hunter does on that interception is not only scary, it’s the kind of play that makes football coaches have separate rules for one player compared to the rest of the roster. Hunter is just so physically gifted that he can do things within the defensive system that other players can’t. Every part of this play by the UCF offense is designed to manipulate Hunter in coverage and put the cornerback in a position where he theoretically can’t be right. In Cover 2, Hunter must cause the receiver’s release, sink beneath the receiver running vertically up the sideline, and then gather to cover the checkdown pass and be in position to make the tackle. For 99 percent of defensive backs, simply making a tackle would be an excellent outcome. However, Hunter has a different set of fast-twitch muscle fibers and manages to jump and intercept the ball perfectly.

When players display both elite physical and mental attributes in this way, it presents a challenge for a defensive coordinator as he evaluates his plan. Any Normal Corner was yelled at in practice for even trying to do what Hunter did against UCF. And yet, this will likely be the game that Colorado’s defensive coaches en route to coaching courses this spring will adopt as an example of good technical development in Cover 2 – even though we know that no coach can guarantee that result with another player, because of Hunter’s unique combination of talent and intelligence.

Piece 4: Playmaking Savant, Part 2

You know what you call Travis Hunter with two defenders? Wide open.

Everything about this game against Utah is a disaster for Colorado’s offense before Hunter takes to the skies. Sanders holds onto the ball forever and an unblocked rusher rushes toward him. Sanders throws the ball up to Hunter and lets it hang in the air long enough for the deep safety and bottom corner to get into position to either line up and intercept the pass or deliver a big hit to Hunter. It’s impressive that Hunter was able to adjust to the ball and show enough body control to even get in the air and fight for the ball. The fact that he managed to come down with the ball after it was hanging in the air is the type of play you’d expect from some of the NFL’s best ball-winners, like Ja’Marr Chase, Mike Evans, etc Star Stefon Diggs.

It’s hard to fathom how routinely Hunter made plays like this in 2024, and every dance and Heisman pose in the end zone is justified. My apologies to Jeanty, who holds a special place in my linebacker heart after having as dominant a season as a running back in years. That award belongs to Hunter and it’s no surprise he’s an overwhelming favorite.

It’s time for college football to crown a new legend in the game’s pantheon, and I look forward to watching Hunter’s impact on generations to come, just as we did in the driveways of Spring Valley decades ago .

Diane Lee

Diante Lee joined The Ringer in 2024 as an NFL writer and podcaster. Previously, he was a staff writer at The Athletic, covering the NFL and college football. He is currently a high school coach in his hometown of San Diego.