Hunter makes Heisman case over Jeanty: We've seen 'good' RBs before
Colorado superstar Travis Hunter likes his chances of winning the Heisman Trophy this season and thinks he should be ahead of Boise State running back Ashton Jeanty in that race.
Hunter believes his uniqueness as a two-way playmaker is stronger than Jeanty's potential record-breaking season.
"I know I can win it," Hunter recently said on "Outta Pocket with RGIII."
"I don't know who's there. I mean, 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."
Hunter has put on a show as a receiver and cornerback while playing over 300 snaps at each position so far this season. As a pass-catcher, he leads the nation with 49 receptions to go along with 587 yards and six touchdowns. On the other side of the ball, Hunter has racked up 18 tackles (one for loss), three pass breakups, two interceptions, and one forced fumble.
Meanwhile, Jeanty - who led the country in rushing in 2023 - has carried the ball 126 times for 1,248 yards and 17 touchdowns, the best marks in the nation in 2024. He topped the 1,000-yard mark this season in just 90 rushing attempts.
"He has, I think, 95 carries for 1,000 yards," Hunter said of Jeanty. "If I had 95 catches, how much yards you think I'd have? ... If I had 95 targets on defense, what you think I'd have?"
He added: "He's got double the touches I've got on the offensive side of the ball, and I still have defensive stats that's still crazy, and we're only in Week 6."
Jeanty currently has more yards on the ground than 109 FBS teams. Through six games, he's also on pace to break Barry Sanders' single-season FBS rushing yards record.
Sanders won the Heisman Trophy in 1988 after rushing for 2,628 yards and 37 TDs in 11 games.