Colorado’s superstar wide receiver/cornerback Travis Hunter was named the 2024 Heisman Trophy winner in New York City on Saturday. Hunter is the second Buffalo to win the award and the fourth to be a finalist.
Running back Darian Hagan was one of eight finalists in 1989, and the following year, fellow tailback Eric Bieniemy was one of four finalists.
Colorado has not had a finalist since their first Heisman Trophy Winner, running back Rashaan Salaam, in 1994.
Now that the Boulder community has two Heisman winners, let’s compare the two.
Travis Hunter
Hunter’s case for the Heisman has not been seen since Charles Woodson won the award with the Michigan Wolverines in 1997. As a wide receiver, Hunter does not have the most receptions, receiving touchdowns or receiving yards; in fact, San Jose State’s Nick Nash leads the FBS in all three categories. As a cornerback, Hunter does not lead the league in interceptions, passes defended or tackles. So why should he win the Heisman trophy?
Simply put, what Hunter is doing on the football field has never been seen at the collegiate level ever before. When Woodson won, he mainly played defense, while tacking on 238 receiving yards and four touchdowns between offense and special teams. Hunter on the other hand is sixth in the FBS in receiving yards (1,152), second in receiving touchdowns (14) and fifth in receptions (92). He is one of two Power Four receivers with these numbers, alongside Maryland’s Tia Felton.
On the defensive side of the ball, Hunter has the highest Pro Football Focus (PFF) grade for a Power Four cornerback (90.3). Hunter has consistently held the best Big 12 receivers to below-average stat lines. All season, he has allowed 22 receptions on 38 targets for 205 yards and one touchdown.
Hunter’s ability to affect the quarterback is impeccable. If you break it down by game, he is targeted slightly over three times per game and allows approximately 1.8 receptions per game.
Nobody wants to throw his way.
Rashaan Salaam
Salaam had a much more traditional Heisman campaign. The running back became the fourth Division I player to break 2000 rushing yards in a single season. He totaled 2055 rushing yards and 24 rushing touchdowns on 7.61 yards per carry, leading the league in the first two categories.
He rushed for over 100 yards in 10 of his 11 games played while eclipsing 200 rushing yards four times.
Salaam helped lead the Buffs to a 10-1 record and the No. 4 seed in the nation. But he wasn’t done yet.
In his last game of the season, The Fiesta Bowl, Salaam rushed for 83 yards and three touchdowns to beat The Notre Dame Fighting Irish and land the Buffs at No. 3 in the final AP poll of the 1994 season.
Interestingly, one of the players that Salaam beat out in 1994 was none other than current CU defensive coach and NFL Hall of Famer Warren Sapp.
Since 1994, there have been over 20 other running backs to run for 2000+ yards and countless who have surpassed 24 rushing touchdowns. There has never been a college football player who truly dominated on both sides of the ball like Hunter does.
The two-way phenom has a chance to become the first Buff to be a top-three NFL draft pick, which would surpass wide receiver Michael Westbrook (1995, 4th overall) and running back Byron White (1938, 4th overall).
As for now, Hunter should be considered the best player to ever wear the black and gold.
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