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Travis Hunter wants the Heisman Trophy. We know this. He flashed the Heisman pose after picking off a pass in Colorado’s late-September win over Central Florida.
This week, Hunter joined the Outta Pocket podcast hosted by Robert Griffin III and made his case to be the Heisman Trophy frontrunner while giving a subtle little dig at the current betting favorite — Boise State tailback Ashton Jeanty.
“I know I can win it,” Hunter said. “I don’t know who’s there. Y’all see Ashton Jeanty, but it’s not like we haven’t seen a running back that’s good. We haven’t seen a player that plays both ways. And I’m gonna keep saying that.
“He has, what, 95 carries for 1,000 yards? If I had 95 catches, how many yards to you think I’d have? … He’s got double the touches I’ve got on the offensive side of the ball and I still have defensive stats that are crazy and we’re only in Week 6.
Travis Hunter speaks on the probability of becoming Heisman:
“I know I can win it; we haven’t seen a player that plays both ways.”
“If I had 95 catches, how much yards would you think I’d have?” pic.twitter.com/RMgG6zr4ZE
— GUCCE⬛ (@gucceCU) October 15, 2024
It’s comparing apples to oranges a bit, trying to put a running back’s numbers up against a receiver’s numbers. But the argument here is an interesting one nonetheless.
Jeanty has 1,248 rushing yards and 17 touchdowns on 126 carries. He also has 9 receptions for 39 yards and a touchdown. If we just want to talk about per-touch offensive production, Jeanty has directly produced 0.8 points for his offense every time he has touched the football this season. (Giving 6 points per touchdown.)
Hunter has 587 receiving yards and 6 touchdowns on 49 receptions. He also has 1 rushing attempt. Hunter is producing 0.72 points per offensive touch.
Jeanty leads the country in rushing, rushing touchdowns, missed tackles forced, and yards after contact. Hunter ranks 10th in receiving yardage, 13th in receiving touchdowns, 10th in first downs produced, 33rd in contested catches, and 91st in yards after the catch.
Jeanty’s current 13-game pace is that of an FBS record-breaking rushing season. Hunter’s current pace is that of an average top-10 receiving season.
The differentiator is Hunter’s defensive exposure. He has 18 tackles, 1 tackle for loss, 3 pass breakups, and 2 interceptions. Hunter is not close to the national lead for interceptions (currently 6) or pass breakups (9), but the fact he is playing at a high level on both sides of the football might make up for that to a degree.
PFF has given Hunter an 83.2 overall offensive grade and an 83.1 defensive grade through his first 6 games. Colorado leans on him to be both a playmaker and a shutdown corner. While Jeanty is more than just a “good” running back, we see elite running backs come through the sport often. Hunter is a unicorn in that he plays so many snaps for the Buffaloes and is still posting strong numbers across the board.
(Jeanty’s overall offensive grade is a 96.2, the highest of any FBS player through Week 7.)
At ESPN Bet, Jeanty (+210) is the favorite to win the Heisman right now. Hunter is priced +600.
Derek Peterson does a bit of everything, not unlike Taysom Hill. He has covered Oklahoma, Nebraska, the Pac-12, and now delivers CFB-wide content.