Ashton Jeanty has taken college football by storm this season. He is averaging 208 rushing yards per game and is on a trajectory to break Barry Sanders’ record for most rushing yards (2,628) in a single season.
Jeanty is currently the second-biggest favorite to win the Heisman Trophy this year, only behind Miami’s Cam Ward. Many tipped Colorado’s Travis Hunter to win the trophy this year, but despite his brilliance on the field, he has four players ahead of him with better odds to win it.
Hunter recently spoke about why he deserves to win the Heisman Trophy over a player like Jeanty, who is having a historic season.
Travis Hunter Makes His Case for Heisman Trophy Over Ashton Jeanty
In a conversation with Robert Griffin III and his wife, Grete Griffin, on “Outta Pocket with RGIII,” Hunter mentioned that his numbers would have been way better if he had as many touches as Jeanty.
“We haven’t seen a player that plays both ways,” Hunter said. “[Jeanty] has 95 carries for 1,000 yards. If I had 95 catches, how many yards do you think I’d have? If I had 95 targets on defense, what do you think I’d have?”
Travis Hunter speaks on the probability of becoming Heisman:
“I know I can win it; we haven’t seen a player that plays both ways.”
“If I had 95 catches, how much yards would you think I’d have?” pic.twitter.com/RMgG6zr4ZE
— GUCCE🦬🐦⬛ (@gucceCU)
Hunter is a generational prospect, and his ability to play on both sides of the ball is truly sensational. In seven games this season, he has 51 receptions for 604 yards and six touchdowns, averaging 11.8 yards per reception. He has also had four 100+ receiving yards games this year.
On defense, the two-way star has recorded 13 solo tackles, six assists, one tackle for loss, three pass deflections, and two interceptions. Colorado is 5-2 this year, and Hunter deserves much credit for it.
Hunter and Shedeur Sanders are expected to hear their names called early in the 2025 NFL Draft, but as of now, it does not seem likely that either of them will win the Heisman Trophy.
Jeanty Responds to Hunter’s Comments
Boise State is 5-1 this season and recently had a bye. Jeanty had some time and responded to Hunter’s comments on him.
“Kudos to Travis, he’s balling for real. He’s doing some stuff we ain’t ever seen nobody do,” Jeanty said. “Personally, I don’t take no offense to it. He’s just speaking his opinion, everybody’s got an opinion.
“For me, what I’ve been doing hasn’t been done in 36, 37 years, so that’s something special. If I keep that up and break a record that’s been around for 36 years, I feel like you can’t really compete with that.”
In six games, Jeanty has rushed for 1,248 yards and 17 touchdowns, averaging 9.9 yards per carry. He still has six games left to play and has a real chance at breaking the single-season rushing yards record set by Barry Sanders in 1988.
He has worked his way toward potentially being a first-round pick in the 2025 NFL Draft, and winning the Heisman Trophy will further improve his draft stock. He had no hard feelings toward Hunter, and these types of things will also play a role during his evaluation in the pre-draft process.
