Travis Hunter is as spontaneous with his words as he is with his plays on the field. This was evident after the Buffs’ two-way star appeared to take shots at Boise State junior running back Ashton Jeanty. Jeanty and Oregon quarterback Dillon Gabriel have emerged as the favorites for the Heisman, with the former chasing a history-making season, but Hunter is unconvinced.

Like his outspoken coach, Hunter didn’t hold back when he appeared on the “Outta Pocket with RGIII,” hosted by 2011 Heisman winner Robert Griffin III. Griffin talked up Hunter’s chances of winning the trophy and the Buffs player was not so humble in accepting his chances while bringing up Jeanty.

He said, “I know I can win it. I don’t know who is there. Y’all see Ashton Jeanty, but it’s not like we haven’t seen a running back that’s good,” Hunter said. “We haven’t seen a player that plays both ways, and I’m gonna keep saying that.” So how did the Boise State RB respond to Hunter’s comments? Well, his response was classy carrying an air of confidence.

In a chat with YouTuber Deestroying, Jeanty addressed the comments made by Hunter saying, “I mean kudos to Travis, he ballin’ for real. He doing some stuff we ain’t never nobody do. Personally I don’t take no offense to it. He just speaking his opinion. Everybody got an opinion.”

Ashton Jeanty is the current No. 1 on the Heisman Trophy odds list followed by QB Dillon Gabriel. In six games, Jeanty has 1,248 rushing yards and 17 touchdowns putting him on track to make history. In 1988, NFL Hall of Famer Barry Sanders rushed for 2,628 yards and 37 touchdowns in his final college year at Oklahoma State winning the Heisman Trophy.

Jeanty then added, “For me what I’ve been doing hasn’t been done in 36-37 years, so that’s something special. If I keep that up and break the record that’s been around for 36 years, I feel like you can’t really compete with that.” Going by the numbers Jeanty has put up so far, he is on track for a regular season of 2,496 yards and 36 touchdowns. This means he has every chance to take over Sanders’ record by the end of the season. Not to mention that he has more rushing yards through six games than Sanders did (1,156).

When asked who would win the Heisman Trophy if the honor was given today, Jeanty said, “Me for sure. You know I gotta say me. I watch Travis, I watch his games, he is an incredible player. I have never seen people doing what he’s doing. But I know myself, I know my talent, I feel like I am the best player in college football.”

Well, Jeanty kept the spirit of sportsmanship alive while sounding assured of his abilities to succeed big-time this season. As for Hunter, the Colorado Buffs’ unique two-way star has been on an unfathomable tear, taking his ranking to the sixth spot among Power Four players with an average of 97.8 receiving yards per game and six receiving touchdowns.

But his momentum came to an unexpected halt during the game against Kansas State when Coach Prime’s favorite had to let go of his helmet and pads after a shoulder injury, putting his Heisman dream into severe jeopardy. This could be the reason why he sounded eager to establish his credentials in light of Jeanty’s rise.

On “Outta Pocket” Hunter mentioned, “He has 95 carries for 1,000 yards. If I had 95 catches, how many yards do you think I’d have? If I had 95 targets on defense, what do you think I’d have? … he got double the touches I got on the offensive side of the ball, and I still have defensive stats that’s still crazy, and we’re only in Week 6. I’m not gonna argue about it.”

Hunter might be overzealous about his Heisman chances, but missing snaps in the last two weeks means his chances are not as bright as they were before.

Travis Hunter has seen a drop in his Heisman odds after injury

Despite Colorado’s dominant 34-7 win over Arizona on Saturday, Hunter’s Heisman odds took a further hit. After two catches for 17 yards and a solo tackle on defense, he left after the first half and didn’t return to action.

According to USA Today’s Craig Meyer, “His (Hunter) lack of snaps the past two weeks, however, will likely put him further behind Boise State running back Ashton Jeanty, who has 1,248 rushing yards and 17 touchdowns in his team’s first six games this season.”

His coach Deion Sanders also expressed his worry about how Hunter was playing before he aggravated his shoulder injury. ”The first fade we threw to him, he couldn’t extend and go get it. He kind of reacted late. That’s not Travis. I said, ‘Man, that’s not you. What are you doing? Are you OK?’” Sanders said.

As Hunter said it is been only six weeks. There is still plenty of time for Hunter to make up ground, provided he stays fit. It is sure to be an enticing battle with Hunter, Jeanty and Dillon Gabriel involved in a three-way battle at the moment for the Heisman Trophy. How will the odds shape up in the next few weeks? We will be keeping an eye.

What’s your take on Ashton Jeanty rising above the meanness of Travis Hunter amidst the Heisman race controversy? Let us know in the comments.