Heisman Trophy: Travis Hunter becomes first full-time two-way player to win prize since 1961

The announcement comes and there’s the ultimate individual prize in college football being lifted proudly by an offensive player, usually a quarterback with big passing stats raising the trophy featuring the little bronze guy with the outstretched arm.

But back in 1997, there was Charles Woodson, playing cornerback and occasionally receiver for Michigan, making seven interceptions and catching 11 passes. He became the only primarily defensive player to win the Heisman Trophy.

Twenty-seven years later, there was a flashback in one sense. But Travis Hunter was really a different type of two-way candidate, a unique candidate in that he had been massively impactful on both sides of the football, a full-time two-way player, catching passes and defending against them, too.

The Colorado junior receiver/corner had received some of college football’s biggest prizes during the week — The Associated Press College Football Player of the Year, the Walter Camp Award as the player of the year, and the unprecedented sweep of the Biletnikoff Award as the nation’s top receiver and the Chuck Bednarik Award as the country’s best defensive player.

And so there was no upset at Jazz at Lincoln Center on Saturday night. Hunter was favored to claim the Heisman, and that’s exactly what happened.

The 6-1, 185-pound phenom lifted his award, becoming the first winner to have played a significant number of snaps on offense and defense since Woodson, and the first full-time two-way player to take the Heisman since Ernie Davis in 1961, according to the Heisman staff.

Hunter beat out Boise State running back Ashton Jeanty, Miami quarterback Cam Ward and Oregon quarterback Dillon Gabriel in the voting. It marked just the fifth time in the 2000s that the Heisman handoff didn’t go to a QB.

Hunter led the voting with 2,231 points (552 first-place votes). Jeanty finished second with 2,017 (309 first-place votes).

“I worked so hard for it, and my teammates helped me to get here,” Hunter said a few hours before the announcement.

After standing out on offense and defense at Collins Hill High in Georgia, Hunter was ranked as the country’s top recruit and took his talents to Jackson State to play for Deion Sanders in 2022.

“Prime Time” turned “Coach Prime” moved on to Colorado after that season and Hunter went with him. He became a first-team All-American, a first-team Academic All-American and the Paul Hornung Award winner for being the nation’s most versatile player.

Now Hunter is a two-time Hornung winner and Colorado’s second Heisman owner — the first since the late running back Rashaan Salaam won it in 1994. Surely, Hunter could’ve gone bigger than Jackson State and Colorado.

“Look where I’m at,” Hunter said. “It paid off very good.”

This season, his snap counts have been close with just the Alamo Bowl to go for the 9-3 Buffaloes. Hunter has played 672 on offense and 688 on defense.

The first-team All-Big 12 receiver has caught 92 passes for 1,152 yards and 14 touchdowns.

And the first-team All-Big 12 corner — and conference defensive player of the year — has picked off four passes and broken up 11 more, tying for the conference lead.

The NFL will covet him.

“The ideal situation?” Hunter said. “Me just playing both sides of the ball.”

Ward is expected to be one of the top two quarterbacks to go in the coming draft along with Hunter’s QB, Shadeur Sanders. Both players will surely be a consideration for the Giants if the draft standings continue on their current course.

The Davey O’Brien Award for the nation’s top quarterback and the ACC’s player and offensive player of the year honors went to Ward. After two years at Incarnate World and two at Washington State, Ward has thrown for 4,123 yards and a nation-leading 36 TDs at Miami.

If Giants GM Joe Schoen is still on the job and wants to draft Ward, well, that’s fine by him.

“If Joe wants to come get me, he knows best,” Ward said. “The tape says it all. He’s going to get a competitor out of me. Even though it’s the state of New York, I won’t be in the city probably ever. I’ll stay in New Jersey for all day, every day. It’s too much out here. So I’ll just be vibing and just trying to make some football plays for the Giants.”

Jeanty claimed the Maxwell Award for the top player in college football and the Doak Walker Award as the nation’s best running back.

The 5-9, 215-pound junior stands No. 4 on the FBS’ all-time single-season rushing list at 2,497 yards, but he’s just 132 from passing the leader, Barry Sanders, who posted 2,628 for Oklahoma State in 1988.

And what if a New York team wanted Jeanty?

“I think it would be cool,” Jeanty said. “I’ve got a bunch of family out here . . . You’re going to get a great player, an amazing running back, a leader on the team.”

Gabriel’s candidacy had come with 3,558 yards and 28 scores via the air for top-ranked, undefeated Oregon.

“I think if you look at all of our stories, it’s very unique,” Gabriel said. “But one thing I’ve seen that has been a common theme is everyone’s had an edge to their game and how they play.”