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Travis Hunter, Colorado’s two-way star, became only the second Buffalo in the school’s history to win a Heisman Trophy Saturday night.
Hunter garnered 552 first-place votes and 2,231 points in a comfortable victory. He got 80.14% of possible points, the 11th-highest in Heisman Trophy history, and joined Michigan cornerback Charles Woodson (1997) as the only full-time defensive players to take home the prize.
It marked only the fifth time this century a quarterback didn’t win.
“Never thought I would be in this position,” a tearful Hunter said as he thanked everyone from his fiancée to family members and former and current coaches. “It’s crazy. Belief takes you a long way.”
Colorado Buffaloes CB/WR Travis Hunter answers questions at the 70th annual Colorado University Fall Sports Media Day in Boulder August 11, 2023. (Photo by Andy Cross/MediaNews Group/The Denver Post via Getty Images)
While posing for countless photos with the iconic statue over the past two days, Hunter made a point not to put his hands on the Heisman. He said he didn’t want to touch it unless it was his.
Once it finally was, he grabbed the trophy hard with two hands and let loose a happy scream: “Let’s go!”
Hunter dominated on offense and defense for coach Deion Sanders and the Buffaloes, joining late running back Rashaan Salaam in 1994 as the only Heisman winners the school has ever had.
Travis Hunter a top NFL Draft prospect
Hunter helped spark an impressive turnaround at Colorado, from 4-8 in 2023 when he missed 3 1/2 games because of injuries to 9-3 this year in Sanders’ second season.
Hunter also won The Associated Press player of the year among a string of other individual awards this week. The 20th-ranked Buffaloes got their first bowl bid in four years and will face No. 17 BYU (10-2) in the Alamo Bowl on Dec. 28.
Hunter has pledged to play, rather than skip the game to prepare for the NFL draft and prevent any possible injury as many top prospects do. The 6-foot-1, 185-pound junior from Suwanee, Georgia, plans to pass up his senior season in Boulder and is expected to be a top-five pick by the pros — perhaps even No. 1 overall.
Travis Hunter stats
On offense, he had 92 catches for 1,152 yards and 14 touchdowns, plus a rushing score. On defense, he made four interceptions, 32 tackles, broke up 11 passes and forced a critical fumble that secured an overtime victory against Baylor.
Hunter played nearly 700 snaps each on offense and defense — the only Power Four conference player with 30-plus snaps on both sides of the ball, according to Colorado research.
“I think I laid the ground for more people to come in and go two ways,” he said Friday. “It starts with your mindset. If you believe you can do it, then you’ll be able to do it. And also, I do a lot of treatment. I keep up with my body. I get a lot of recovery.”
Travis Hunter and Coach Prime
Rated the country’s top recruit in the 2022 class, Hunter stunned many observers when he committed to play for Sanders at Jackson State, an HBCU that competes in the lower-level FCS, with the promise of playing both offense and defense.
“A lot of people told me I couldn’t do it,” said Hunter, wearing white shoes and a light blue suit — his favorite color. “I always say I’m going to prove them wrong and I’m going to prove myself right.”
After one season, Hunter followed Sanders to Colorado and was a consensus All-America selection as an all-purpose player last year despite sitting out three games with a lacerated liver caused by a late hit.
Following his recovery, a healthy Hunter finished strong in 2023 and then really took off this season, catching passes from Shedeur Sanders, the coach’s son, and becoming Colorado’s first Heisman Trophy finalist in 30 years.
The 21-year-old Hunter, who plans to get married in May, is the sixth transfer to take the award over the past eight years and the first winner to begin his career in the FCS.
“Look where I’m at. It paid off,” Hunter said.
