New York, NY—-University of Colorado’s Travis Hunter, a junior who excelled as both a cornerback and wide receiver, has been named the 90th winner of the Heisman Memorial Trophy. The announcement was made during ESPN’s 2024 Heisman Trophy Ceremony, presented by Nissan, on Saturday, December 14, at Jazz at Lincoln Center in New York City.
Boise State running back Ashton Jeanty earned second place in the voting, followed by Oregon quarterback Dillon Gabriel in third and Miami quarterback Cam Ward in fourth.
Hunter’s win is a historic achievement for Colorado football, making him the program’s second Heisman recipient. The last Buffalo to win the award was the late Rashaan Salaam in 1994. Hunter also broke new ground as the first full-time, two-way player to claim the Heisman since the early 1960s and the first to achieve the honor while contributing significantly on both offense and defense since Charles Woodson in 1997.
Dominant Season:
Hunter tallied 2,231 points in the Heisman voting, outpacing Jeanty (2,017 points), with Gabriel and Ward finishing with 516 and 229 points, respectively. The 6-foot-1, 185-pound star from Suwanee, Georgia, delivered a remarkable performance this season, earning recognition as the 2024 Big 12 Defensive Player of the Year and making the All-Big 12 first team as both a defensive back and wide receiver.
On defense, Hunter recorded 31 tackles, 11 pass breakups, four interceptions, and 15 passes defended, the highest in the Big 12 and tied for fifth nationally. He also forced a game-winning fumble. Offensively, Hunter led the Big 12 in receptions (92) and receiving touchdowns (14), while his 1,152 receiving yards ranked second in the conference. Nationally, he was second in receiving touchdowns, fifth in receptions per game (7.7), and sixth in receiving yards per game (96.0). His 21 plays of 20 or more yards led all players in the nation.
Notable highlights from his season include two games with three touchdown receptions, three games with 10 or more catches, and seven games exceeding 100 receiving yards.
National Awards and Records:
Hunter’s accomplishments this season earned him the Walter Camp, Bednarik, and Biletnikoff Awards, making him the first player ever to win national honors for both offense and defense. His 92 receptions and 1,152 receiving yards are the second-most by a Heisman recipient, trailing Alabama’s DeVonta Smith, who had 98 receptions for 1,511 yards in 2020. His 14 touchdown catches rank third in Heisman history behind Smith and Desmond Howard, who had 17 in 1991.
A Unique Path to the Heisman:
Hunter’s journey to the Heisman is notable. He is the sixth player in the past eight years to win the award after transferring and the first to start his career in the Football Championship Subdivision (FCS). Originally from West Palm Beach, Florida, Hunter is the fifth Heisman winner from the Sunshine State and the first since Lamar Jackson in 2016.
Hunter is also the first junior to win the Heisman since Oklahoma’s Kyler Murray in 2018. His victory marks the Big 12’s first Heisman recipient since Murray and the first from a current Big 12 program since Baylor’s Robert Griffin III in 2011. He is the first defensive back to place in the top five since LSU’s Tyrann Mathieu in 2011. Notably, Hunter’s coach, Deion Sanders, also a cornerback, finished eighth in Heisman voting in 1988 while playing for Florida State.
Other Finalists:
Runner-up Ashton Jeanty achieved Boise State’s highest-ever finish in the Heisman race, becoming the program’s second finalist after Kellen Moore, who finished fourth in 2010. Oregon’s Dillon Gabriel matched last year’s third-place finish by Bo Nix, making them the Ducks’ highest finishers since Marcus Mariota won in 2014. Miami’s Cam Ward placed fourth, the best result for the Hurricanes since Willis McGahee in 2002.
Voting Details and Final Rankings:
The Heisman voting included 928 ballots, comprising 870 from media members, 57 from past Heisman winners, and one collective fan vote presented by Nissan. Deloitte managed the electronic vote tabulation.
The top 10 finishers included Arizona State running back Cam Skattebo (fifth), Army quarterback Bryson Daily (sixth), Penn State tight end Tyler Warren (seventh), Colorado quarterback Shedeur Sanders (eighth), Indiana quarterback Kurtis Rourke (ninth), and Syracuse quarterback Kyle McCord (tenth).
