NEW YORK – Travis Hunter has become synonymous with making history. And the two-way phenom was officially cemented among college football’s legends Saturday night.
Hunter won the 2024 Heisman Trophy, an honor that formally acknowledges the Collins Hill High School product as one of the greatest players the sport has seen. Hunter was Colorado’s No. 1 cornerback and No. 1 receiver, proving incredibly productive on both sides of the ball and becoming a face of college football over the past two seasons.
“It hasn’t even sunk in yet so I can’t even tell you (how I feel),” Hunter said an hour after winning the award. “It definitely surprised me. It meant a lot to me. For me, there are a lot of family that are factors in (me getting emotional on stage).”
A South Florida native, Hunter moved to the Atlanta area in the eighth grade. He starred at Collins Hill, a run that concluded with an undefeated season, a state championship, the state receiving touchdowns record and the No. 1 overall recruit ranking.
The top-ranked recruit did indeed become the top-ranked player. Since Hunter surprisingly committed to HBCU Jackson State, where he learned from coach Deion Sanders, who wholeheartedly believed in Hunter’s two-way ability, he’s been under immense pressure to succeed. When Hunter and Sanders moved to Colorado, the demand only increased. He’s been under a spotlight few non-quarterbacks experience.
Hunter met or exceeded all those expectations, culminating with Saturday evening’s 90th Heisman Trophy ceremony in New York. Hunter had already won the Bednarik Award (best defender), Biletnikoff Award (best receiver), Paul Hornung (most versatile) and was an All-American. Now, with the ultimate individual honor, his two-way brilliance will be celebrated for the rest of time.
Hunter narrowly won, receiving 2,231 points, which included 552 first-place votes, 261 second-place votes and 53 third-place votes. Boise State running back Ashton Jeanty finished runner-up with 2,017 points (309 first-place votes). It was the closest margin between the top two Heisman vote-getters since 2009. Jeanty won the fan vote.
Oregon quarterback Dillon Gabriel finished third (516 points) and Miami quarterback Cam Ward finished fourth (229). The independent accounting firm of Deloitte & Touche LLP received and tabulated the ballots.
“They finally realized what I already knew,” Hunter’s mother Ferrante Edmonds said on the broadcast. “That (Hunter) is him. He’s always been him. With or without trophies, he’s still Heisman.” She continued with the following message: “Just be sure to put God first and believe in yourself. Never allow anyone else to dictate who you’re supposed to be, what you’re supposed to be, and how you’re going to get to where you’re going.”
Among those joining Hunter at the ceremony: his mother, fiancée Leanna Lenee, Sanders, his quarterback Shedeur Sanders, hip-hop artist and friend Lil Wayne and numerous other family members, including his grandmother whom he said is the reason he became a football player.
Credit: Jason Getz/Special to the AJC
Credit: Jason Getz/Special to the AJC
Hunter thanked each of them, along with his teammates, in his speech, which he said wasn’t really prepared and instead came from the heart. He grew especially emotional thanking his father, Travis Hunter Sr., who was watching on TV. He expressed great gratitude to Sanders, the coach who allowed him to maximize himself. Hunter emphatically yelled “let’s go” after he took the stage at Lincoln Center to accept the award.
It was an overflow of emotions for Hunter, who didn’t want to touch the trophy during the numerous photoshoots in the days leading up to Saturday. He wanted the first time he touched it to be after winning it. “They told me they had another trophy for me, but I told them the first trophy I touch is going to be the one I take home,” Hunter said.
There was a watch party at Collins Hill, which was shown on ESPN’s broadcast of the ceremony. Hunter was visibly touched watching the celebration. The Atlanta Journal-Constitution asked Hunter about his time in Suwanee on Friday.
“(My time at Collins Hill) means a lot; that’s kind of where my journey started for real,” Hunter said. “I wasn’t really a good player going into my eighth-grade year. A lot of people helped me out in a lot of areas. So I’m grateful for being able to go to Collins Hill and for the coaches and people who helped me.”
Hunter is the fifth player from a Georgia high school to win the Heisman following George Rogers (Duluth, 1980), Herschel Walker (Johnson County, 1982), Charlie Ward (Thomas County Central, 1993) and Cam Newton (Westlake, 2010). He and Rogers are the only Gwinnett County products to win Heismans.
Hunter became the second Colorado player to win the Heisman, joining the late Rashaan Salaam (1994), a running back. He’s the second Palm Beach County native to win the award, joining one of his idols, former Louisville quarterback Lamar Jackson (2016). Since 2010, Hunter is just the third non-quarterback to win the Heisman and the only such player who wasn’t with Alabama (Derrick Henry, 2015; DeVonta Smith, 2020).
Additionally, Hunter is the first defensive player to earn the honor since Charles Woodson (1997), who was likewise versatile as a lockdown cornerback, returner and receiver. Hunter acknowledged it was “special” to join Woodson in that category.
“He wants to be great at everything,” Deion Sanders said of Hunter on the ESPN broadcast. “Great student, great offensive player, great defensive player, great young man. He loves the game. Loves practice. Loves his family. Loves his mother. Loves his father. Loves his fiancée. He wants to have a commitment to excellence in everything he does, including fishing (Hunter’s favorite hobby).”
Credit: AP
Credit: AP
Hunter won the award for his all-time uniqueness. His two-way stardom makes him exceptional even among his new peers. In 12 games, Hunter had 32 tackles, four interceptions and 11 passes defended as a cornerback. As a receiver, he caught 92 passes for 1,152 yards and 14 touchdowns (ranking second in FBS). He was the first player to exceed 500 receiving yards and record at least four interceptions since 1976, per ESPN.
His ability to pinpoint the ball and haul in acrobatic catches was valuable for both roles. Everyone around Hunter raves about his work ethic, character and football I.Q. Shedeur Sanders, a future first-round pick himself, said Hunter’s two-way knowledge helped make him a better player. The skill set made for a stunning workload: Hunter logged 1,380 snaps (670 on defense, 686 on offense, 24 on special teams). And he was facing the opponent’s best cornerback and best receiver while doing so. Hunter’s impact was difficult to truly measure because it extended beyond the surface statistics.
Hunter and Jeanty were long considered the front-runners for the award. Hunter entered the weekend a comfortable favorite and wound up winning a tight race. Ultimately, he finished first in voting in five of the six Heisman regions (Jeanty won the Far West region). He received 80.14% of total possible points, which was the 11th-highest in Heisman voting history. He was named on 93.32% of ballots, the fourth-highest in Heisman voting history.
Gabriel now turns his attention to the College Football Playoff. His Ducks (13-0) are the only undefeated team in FBS and enter the tournament the No. 1 overall seed. Jeanty’s Broncos (12-1) are likewise playing for a championship as the CFP’s Group of Five representative. Ward’s Hurricanes just missed the cut after a late-season upset in Syracuse, while Hunter’s Buffaloes fell short of the conference title game in their first season in the Big 12.
Hunter finishes his college career Dec. 28 when Colorado faces BYU in the Alamo Bowl. Hunter will then begin the predraft process. He’s expected to be among the first five selections in the 2025 NFL Draft. He’s expressed hope that his future team will allow him to continue playing both offense and defense.
The top 10 in Heisman Trophy voting:
1. Travis Hunter, Colorado
2. Ashton Jeanty, Boise State
3. Dillon Gabriel, Oregon
4. Cam Ward, Miami
5. Cam Skattebo, Arizona State
6. Bryson Daily, Army
7. Tyler Warren, Penn State
8. Shedeur Sanders, Colorado
9. Kurtis Rourke, Indiana
10. Kyle McCord, Syracuse
Credit: Ryon Horne / AJC
