NEW YORK — Travis Hunter turned each play into prime time — on each side of the ball — and in the end took residence the Heisman Trophy.
Now he’s acquired a leg up on his movie star coach at Colorado.
The 2-way star gained faculty soccer’s most prestigious award Saturday night time, punctuating a tireless efficiency all season by a dynamic participant with a singular mixture of expertise.
“By no means thought I’d be on this place,” a tearful Hunter mentioned as he thanked everybody from his fiancée to members of the family and former and present coaches. “It is loopy. Perception takes you a great distance.”
Whereas posing for numerous photographs with the enduring statue over the previous two days, Hunter made a degree to not put his arms on the Heisman. He mentioned he did not wish to contact it except it was his.
As soon as it lastly was, he grabbed the trophy onerous with two arms and let free a cheerful scream: “Let’s go!”
Subsequent cease, an area spot he reserved to rejoice with teammates.
“I do not wish to be out late, however I will be out late tonight,” Hunter mentioned, smiling.
An enormous-play extensive receiver and lockdown cornerback, Hunter dominated on offence and defence for coach Deion Sanders and the Buffaloes, becoming a member of late working again Rashaan Salaam in 1994 as the one Heisman winners at school historical past.
Hunter obtained 552 first-place votes and a pair of,231 factors in a snug victory. Boise State working again Ashton Jeanty was the runner-up with 309 first-place votes and a pair of,017 factors, the closest margin since 2009.
Hunter garnered 80.14% of doable factors, the Eleventh-highest in Heisman Trophy historical past, and joined Michigan cornerback Charles Woodson (1997) as the one full-time defensive gamers to assert the prize. Woodson additionally made massive performs at wideout, however did not play practically as a lot on offense as Hunter.
Oregon quarterback Dillon Gabriel got here in third and Miami quarterback Cam Ward completed fourth in balloting for the ninetieth Heisman Trophy, introduced yearly since 1935 to the nation’s most excellent participant. This yr’s ceremony was held at Jazz at Lincoln Middle in Manhattan, the place Sanders was in attendance.
It marked solely the fifth time this century a quarterback didn’t win. The final time no signal-caller positioned within the high two was 2015, when working backs Derrick Henry of Alabama and Christian McCaffrey ran 1-2 in voting.
Hunter additionally gained The Related Press Player of the 12 months, amongst a string of different particular person awards this week. He helped spark a formidable turnaround at Colorado, from 4-8 in 2023 when he missed 3 1/2 video games due to accidents to 9-3 this yr in Sanders’ second season. The Twentieth-ranked Buffaloes acquired their first bowl bid in 4 years and can face No. 17 BYU (10-2) within the Alamo Bowl on Dec. 28.
Hunter has pledged to play, moderately than skip the sport to arrange for the NFL draft and stop any doable damage as many high prospects do. The 6-foot-1, 185-pound junior from Suwanee, Georgia, plans to cross up his senior season in Boulder and is anticipated to be a top-five decide by the professionals — maybe even No. 1 total.
“He needs to be nice at all the things,” Sanders mentioned. “He needs to have a dedication to excellence in all the things he does — together with fishing.”
Showcasing his blazing pace and explosive playmaking, Hunter not often got here off the sector this yr — making him an every-down throwback to generations passed by and the primary full-time, true two-way star in a long time.
On offense, he had 92 catches for 1,152 yards and 14 touchdowns, plus a speeding rating. On protection, he made 4 interceptions, 32 tackles, broke up 11 passes and compelled a essential fumble that secured an time beyond regulation victory towards Baylor.
With the Buffaloes profitable video games and difficult for a Large 12 title, he soared from a long-shot underdog in Heisman futures final summer time to a heavy betting favorite this week.
All of the whereas, putting the Heisman pose with teammates to rejoice massive performs because it grew to become increasingly more clear Hunter was the person to beat.
“I positively can kick, (too). I’ve simply acquired to practise,” he mentioned. “I can’t cease shifting after I’m not on the sector.”
Hunter performed practically 700 snaps every on offence and defence — the one Energy 4 convention participant with 30-plus snaps on each side of the ball, in keeping with Colorado analysis.
It will appear a very exhausting workload for any participant lately, each mentally and bodily, however not Hunter.
“I believe I laid the bottom for extra individuals to come back in and go two methods,” he mentioned Friday. “It begins together with your mindset. Should you consider you are able to do it, then you definitely’ll be capable of do it. And likewise, I do a whole lot of remedy. I sustain with my physique. I get a whole lot of restoration.”
Rated the nation’s high recruit within the 2022 class, Hunter surprised many observers when he dedicated to play for Sanders at Jackson State, an HBCU that competes within the lower-level FCS, with the promise of taking part in each offence and defence.
“Lots of people informed me I could not do it,” mentioned Hunter, sporting white footwear and a lightweight blue swimsuit — his favorite color. “I all the time say I will show them incorrect and I will show myself proper.”
After one season, Hunter adopted Sanders to Colorado and was a consensus All-America choice as an all-purpose participant final yr regardless of sitting out three video games with a lacerated liver attributable to a late hit.
Following his restoration, a wholesome Hunter completed sturdy in 2023 after which actually took off this season, catching passes from Shedeur Sanders, the coach’s son, and changing into Colorado’s first Heisman Trophy finalist in 30 years.
The 21-year-old Hunter, who plans to get married in Could, is the sixth switch to take the award over the previous eight years and the primary winner to start his profession within the FCS.
“Look the place I am at. It paid off,” Hunter mentioned.
“I needed to be completely different,” he added later. “Me being completely different makes me really feel extra snug than doing the norm.”
Deion Sanders, nicknamed Prime Time throughout his taking part in days — seemingly by himself — was a two-time All-America defensive again at Florida State and completed eighth in 1988 Heisman voting.
An electrifying kick returner, who additionally performed main league baseball by the way in which, Neon Deion went on to a Corridor of Fame profession as an NFL cornerback however principally simply dabbled on offense in addition to a 36-catch season with the 1996 Dallas Cowboys.
Nothing fairly like Hunter, who now has Heisman bragging rights on Coach Prime ceaselessly.