(Photo courtesy of Sporting News) “Heisman candidates Travis Hunter and Ashton Jeanty”
James Guiry
Connector Staff
Since 2000, four non-quarterbacks have won the Heisman Trophy. DeVonta Smith (WR, 2020), Derrick Henry (RB, 2015), Mark Ingram II (RB, 2009) and Reggie Bush (RB, 2005). Through the first ten weeks of this season, two non-quarterbacks are emerging as solid options for the Heisman race out of the four top candidates. Ashton Jeanty, running back at Boise State, and Travis Hunter, wide receiver and cornerback for The University of Colorado Boulder. Jeanty is having a season that no running back has had since Barry Sanders’ 1988 Heisman season. Meanwhile, Hunter just does not get off the field. He plays offense and defense at an elite level from the beginning of the game until the end. Both players are doing things that college football fans have not seen in decades.
The Boise State Broncos are off to a 6-1 start through their first 7 games of the season and have a chance at the G5 spot in the College Football Playoffs. This is largely due to contributions from running back Ashton Jeanty. He has rushed for 7 or more yards per carry in every game except for one this season. In that game he averaged 3.9 yards per carry. That is still a first down every three carries.
Jeanty has slipped in the rankings behind quarterbacks Cam Ward (Miami) and Dillon Gabriel (Oregon) because of this last game against UNLV, he was also taken out of a game early in a 56-14 win over Portland State. Jeanty is still on pace to break 2,300 yards and 30 touchdowns this regular season, even with these two “bad games.” He is currently listed at +425 to win the award on BetMGM.
Derrick Henry, the last running back to win the Heisman Trophy rushed for 1,986 yards and 23 touchdowns when he won the Heisman. Mark Ingram II had 1,542 yards on the ground and 15 touchdowns coupled with 322 receiving yards and three touchdowns for an undefeated Alabama team.
The only running back that is comparable to Jeanty is Barry Sanders who is regarded as one of the greatest football players ever. Sanders had 2,628 yards with 37 touchdowns in 1988. He also returned punts and kicks for the Cowboys. Sanders also did it in 11 games, there are now If Jeanty keeps up this pace, it will be hard to argue that a quarterback should win the Heisman Trophy.
Hunter and the Colorado Buffalos are 6-2 through Week 10. Hunter is an athletic anomaly. He plays 120-130 snaps per game. This is double the normal workload because he is playing both offense and defense. Most teams at this high of a level would be worried about letting a player like that play both ways. By the end of the game, people would expect him to be gasping for air, unable to breathe. That is not the case for Hunter. He is still making impact plays until the final whistle of the game.
At the time of writing this article, Hunter had 17 tackles and two interceptions with seven pass breakups as a cornerback and 757 yards and eight touchdowns on 60 receptions as a receiver. He is on pace for 25.5 tackles and three interceptions, 10.5 pass breakups on defense and 1,135.5 yards and 12 touchdowns this season. The last cornerback to win the Heisman Trophy was Charles Woodson in 1997. Woodson was also a two-way player who had more of an impact on defense and special teams than Hunter does but did not put up the same offensive numbers. In Woodson’s Heisman season he had 43 tackles and seven interceptions. He also set the Michigan record for pass breakups the season before with 15. Woodson had 13 receptions for 164 yards and six carries for 152 yards, he was also returning punts and kicks. The last wide receiver to win the Heisman was DeVonta Smith in 2020. Smith had 1,511 yards on 98 receptions with 17 touchdowns. Smith had better offensive stats than Hunter and Woodson had better defensive stats. However, nobody else is doing both at this level.
The Heisman Trophy goes to the most outstanding player in college football. Running backs have historically won the most awards, but it was first awarded in 1935 when passing offenses were not that popular. In recent years, the award has gone to mostly quarterbacks and guys from top conferences like the SEC and Big 10, leading fans to think there may be a bias. Quarterbacks get the most shine and stand out the most because they are involved in every play. It would be refreshing to see a running back that plays 130 snaps a game wins the award, especially when their teams rely on them so much.
