When you talk about Colorado Buffaloes star Travis Hunter, it always revolves around his dual-threat abilities. However, there is more to Buffs’ two-way star. Looks like Travis Hunter is wrapping up the last chapter of his college football career on a high note. With the Heisman ceremony approaching, he’s probably busy cleaning out his locker and preparing for the big night. Well, the bronze trophy might be the ultimate goal. But he has already landed his hands on some prestigious trophies. One of them was the Biletnikoff Award, for which he had a tough fight with San Jose State’s Nick Nash. Besides his talents, something else worked in Hunter’s favor that Nash was not lucky to have. 

Being a Buffs, Hunter is used to getting a side-eye. Well, it’s acceptable that the fans strip off the dual threat when he falters on the gridiron. But even after winning a prize, Hunter finds himself at the center of a big debate. College football fans are strongly protesting with Travis Hunter winning the Biletnikoff Award, arguing that he shouldn’t have been selected. Instead, the prize should have gone to San Jose State WR Nash. That’s what analyst Jake Crain too believes, as found on the Crain & Company podcast. “I get it. I think you can make a good argument for it. The guy [Nash] literally came in, and every time he was in there, you know that they treated him like the best wide receiver; he just happened to go play DB on the other side as well,” stated the analyst.

Let’s take a look at the stats for better understanding. Hunter logged a grand total of 1,356 snaps on both offense and defense, accumulating 92 receptions for 1,154 yards. Pretty impressive, right? Not so much if we take into account the 33 total tackles, four interceptions, and a forced fumble. On the other hand, the Spartans QB has been no less than a beast this year. Nash had 106 receptions, 1,382 receiving yards, and 16 TDs, holding the top position. As Crain stated, “See Nick Nash was first in receptions, overall first in receptions per game, first in receiving yards, first in receiving yards per game and first in receiving touchdowns.”

Then what helped Hunter shine through? It was his program, the Colorado Buffaloes. “It’s the narrative Colorado was much more popular, and they should have been with what they did and winning enough games to put Travis in this position,” pointed out the analyst. In terms of schedule strength, San Jose State was ranked 103rd in the country, while Colorado came in at 61st. But looks like Hunter is the king of the Heisman race. 

How Travis Hunter sets his sight on legacy 

Colorado Buffaloes and Deion Sanders went to great lengths to boost Hunter’s chances as the Heisman winner. They came up with the best strategy to make Hunter the center of attention amidst the Heisman hype. The Buffs got the dual-threat featured on a massive billboard in Times Square. Now that he has garnered so much support and attention, the two-way star has started to firmly believe that he should take the trophy home.

There are some legends that Hunter is looking up to now that he wants to “set his legacy” in college football. That’s none other than the Baltimore Ravens QB Lamar Jackson and Cleveland Browns star Jameis Winston. “Not a specific one, but definitely had a lot, you know. Looking at Lamar Jackson, Jameis Winston, and all the guys I looked up to,” stated Hunter.

He further added, “Lamar Jackson is from the same state I’m from. So I definitely look up to him a lot. He went to the same high school my father went to. So I definitely look up to him a lot.” As we all know, Travis Hunter’s 2024 season has been nothing short of historic; the time has come for him to write history at the Jazz at Lincoln Center. So for the contenders, when it’s the Colorado Buffaloes and Travis Hunter, it’s a deadly combination. Votes are going to be overflowing!