Heisman Favorites For Week 12: Travis Hunter An Elite Pick
As Week 12 of college football approaches, the discussion heats up as to who will take home the game’s top prize—the Heisman Trophy. There are many current favorites for this week, and unlike most of the times the award is won, the candidates aren’t quarterbacks or running backs. This year’s leading favorite happens to be Colorado DB Travis Hunter, with his incredible two-way play style making him a hard-to-ignore choice. One could also assume his teammate and the son of Coach Prime, Shedeur Sanders is also up for consideration, but not exactly this year.
Hunter is also a talented WR as he is a defensive back or cornerback, whichever you call it. With 856 receiving yards on 69 catches and nine touchdowns, he is a serious dual-threat player with an additional 20 total tackles on the season, 13 of those all by himself, and has batted away seven opposing QB passes. He also has a pair of interceptions this year but hasn’t managed to run one back to the endzone during his time at Boulder… yet. For those unaware, he spent the 2022 season at Jackson State before transferring to Colorado.
Hunter’s last two games have also been stellar- against Texas Tech, he racked up 9 catches for 99 yards and a touchdown while averaging 11 yards per those nine catches. That Texas Tech performance brings his season totals against Big 12 opponents to 13 yards per catch, 514 total receiving yards, and 39 regular receptions, with 4 reaching the opposing endzone. He may be one reason Colorado has a legitimate shot at the Big 12 championship game.
Given the Big 12 standings at the moment, Hunter and Colorado will face the fact that Arizona State, Iowa State, and Kansas State are also 7-2 like the Buffaloes. And, of course, unbeaten BYU is still the biggest challenge for Hunter and the rest of his team. The Buffs are still 2nd overall in the Big 12, though by a decent margin, given they’ve won 4 of their last five games, the lone loss in the last few weeks a stunning home loss to Kansas State despite Shedeur Sanders passing for almost 400 yards. It makes you wonder- who else but Travis Hunter deserves a Heisman vote?
Now, Hunter is the overwhelming favorite for the trophy for the reasons mentioned earlier, but just like his team, he’s got some fierce competition of his own. Oregon QB Dillon Gabriel leads a 10-0 Ducks team that at first wasn’t going to be able to stay on their webbed feet. And now look at them- #1 in the polls with a visit to Wisconsin this Saturday night. Gabriel also did something in last week’s convincing 39-18 win over Maryland- set a new career record for most passing touchdowns, totaling a surprisingly low 184 yards for three scores.
On top of that, Gabriel is like Hunter when it comes to dual-threat capability. With the ability to pass for as many touchdowns as run for them, the Ducks’ QB makes a solid case for why he should take home the first Heisman for Oregon since fellow QB Marcus Mariota in 2014. That would just be the 2nd winner from the Big Ten’s most dominant newcomer. And Gabriel isn’t the only far Western US player to be in consideration.
Boise State’s dominant RB, Ashton Jeanty, also outdoes Hunter in most conference stats, racking up only 6 yards per carry while totaling almost 900 rushing yards and ten rushing touchdowns. Those are NFL numbers, which makes him a prime NFL Draft selection next spring. And yes, Jeanty and Boise State play in a mid-major, so they don’t have as tough a schedule as other teams in the Power 5, but Boise State has played like one for years. They’ve racked up more 10-win seasons than even some stalwarts of college football like Alabama and Georgia!
But back to Travis Hunter. Despite his low career defensive stats compared to his high offensive levels, he’s still a great DB. The guy makes some of the craziest interceptions you’ll ever see watching the Buffs on TV, and he might do it to you if you’re at a game he plays in and you decide to taunt him. That last part actually happened- last season, some random TCU fan tried to get under Hunter’s skin with some heckling, and Hunter made a ridiculous INT a couple of plays later before turning and facing down that poor guy. Point is- don’t underestimate Travis Hunter, because no matter who he plays, he’ll burn it up on both sides of the ball!
Colorado’s last three games of the regular season see them take on three easy opponents: Utah (4-5) at home, Kansas (3-6) on the road in Lawrence, and Oklahoma State (3-7) for Senior Day festivities. Hunter is a junior, so he won’t get the bouquets just yet, but considering he’s most likely to declare for next year’s NFL Draft after this season, especially if he also wins the Heisman, you might wanna give the guy one more present.
See also: Despite a 7-2 record, Colorado still faces drama on and off the field
