With the regular season officially over, the college football world briefly turned its attention to the most recognizable individual trophy in the sport. Saturday night, the Heisman voters finally had their voices heard as they welcomed their 89th different recipient of the award. The 2024 Heisman Trophy winner was Colorado defensive back/wide receiver Travis Hunter.
Hunters’ Statistics Confirm His Unique Status
Hunter was selected as the 2024 Big 12 Defensive Player of the Year. In addition, Hunter earned All-Big 12 first-team honors as both a defensive back and a wide receiver. On the defensive side of the ball, he finished the season with 31 tackles, 11 pass breakups, four interceptions, a Big 12-best 15 passes defended (which was tied for fifth nationally), and he forced a game-winning fumble. Those defensive efforts earned Hunter the Bednarik Award for the best defensive play in the country
On the offensive side, he was named Honorable Mention for Big 12 Offensive Player of the Year. Hunter led the conference with 92 receptions and 14 receiving touchdowns. His 1,152 receiving yards ranked second in the Big 12. Those 14 touchdown receptions were good for second nationally. He also finished in the top 10 nationally for receptions per game (7.7) and receiving yards per game (96.0). The two-way standout led the country with 21 receiving plays for 20 yards or more. That type of production netted Hunter the Biletnikoff award for the country’s best wide receiver.
2024 Heisman Trophy Winner Hunter Achieved History
In the history of the 247 recruiting rankings (the first class was 1999), only four players were ranked in the top 20 overall in their classes to win the Heisman trophy. Reggie Bush was the 17th overall recruit in the 2003 class. Jameis Winston ranked 16th overall in the 2012 class. Derrick Henry was the 12th overall recruit in the 2013 class. Bryce Young was the highest previous Heisman Trophy winner ranking as the 2nd overall recruit in the 2020 class. The last top 20-ranked recruit in his class to win the Heisman Trophy was Caleb Williams as the seventh overall recruit in the 2021 class.
However, not only does Hunter join this exclusive class, he is the first ever number one overall recruit in the history of modern-day recruiting rankings to win the Heisman Trophy. He also joins Charles Woodson as only the second defensive player to win the coveted trophy. With all the final awards cementing Hunter’s legacy, only one question remains. Will Hunter now successfully follow in Deion Sanders’ footsteps and play both sides of the ball in the NFL?
The final vote had Hunter with 2,231 points and Ashton Jeanty with 2,017. It was the smallest margin of victory since 2009.
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