Heisman Trophy race may be coming down to two non-QBs

Along with his first rushing TD, Hunter had five receptions for 55 yards, as well as an interception off a tipped pass and three tackles. 

With his versatility on full display, Hunter became the first college or NFL player to produce at least 50 receiving yards, score a rushing TD and intercept a pass in the same game since Champ Bailey in the 2000 NFL season, per ESPN sports betting analyst Pamela Maldonado.

Hunter continues to be a dependable option for quarterback Shedeur Sanders on offense. He has 74 catches for 911 yards and 10 TDs (one rushing). Hunter’s nine TD catches are tied for eighth in the country, per TeamRankings.

Considering Colorado went 4-8 in Deion Sanders’ first season as head coach in 2023, the 2024 season has been a remarkable turnaround for the program. Currently 8-2 and tied with BYU for the Big 12 lead, Colorado has an excellent shot of reaching the Big 12 Championship Game.

If that happens, Hunter will have an extra opportunity to showcase his versatility and perhaps secure the Heisman Trophy.

While Hunter has created some separation from most of the field, Jeanty has kept him in sight throughout the season. In addition to leading the nation in rushing yards with 1,893, Jeanty set the Boise State season rushing record when he ran for 159 yards and three TDs in the team’s 42-21 win over San Jose State on Saturday.

The previous record of 1,823 rushing yards was held by Jay Ajayi in 2014, and it took Ajayi 14 games to accomplish the feat compared to 10 games for Jeanty.

One area in which Jeanty excels is forcing missed tackles. According to Dane Brugler of The Athletic, Jeanty is only the second running back over the last decade to surpass 100 forced missed tackles in a season, joining former Texas standout Bijan Robinson, who’s now starring for the Atlanta Falcons.

Jeanty’s season has been extremely impressive. The Broncos running back has 256 carries for 1,893 yards and 26 TDs. Jeanty’s 26 rushing TDs lead the country by five, according to TeamRankings. Jeanty has rushed for at least 125 yards in every game this season.

Since Boise State has already secured a spot in the Mountain West title game, Jeanty will have an additional opportunity to improve his Heisman chances.

Even though Miami QB Cam Ward, Indiana QB Kurtis Rourke and Oregon QB Dillon Gabriel are next in line in the Heisman odds, it would take extraordinary performances from each of them or a sharp decline from Hunter and Jeanty to have a realistic shot at the trophy at this point.

With Miami, Indiana and Oregon still in position to make their conference title games, it is hard to count them out, especially considering quarterbacks have won 20 of the 24 Heisman trophies awarded since 2000. 

As the top two Heisman favorites, Hunter and Jeanty will look to become just the third non-QB to win the Heisman Trophy since 2015, joining DeVonta Smith (WR, Alabama, 2020) and Derrick Henry (RB, Alabama, 2015).