Charles Woodson is no longer the last defensive player to win the Heisman Trophy.
Travis Hunter ended Woodson’s 27-year run as the last defender to win the Heisman on Saturday night as the two-way Colorado star was awarded college football’s most prestigious individual honor.
Congratulations to @CUBuffsFootball junior CB/WR Travis Hunter, the 2024 Heisman Trophy winner! #HeismanTrophy #MoreThanATrophy pic.twitter.com/a8RdGUONVf
— The Heisman Trophy (@HeismanTrophy) December 15, 2024
Hunter became Colorado’s second-ever Heisman winner, joining Rashaan Salaam in 1994, after a spectacular season in which he was one of college football’s elite players at two different positions.
On defense, Hunter has been a dominant cornerback for the Buffaloes, recording four interceptions and 11 pass breakups while earning the highest coverage grade from Pro Football Focus (91.2) of any FBS cornerback who’s seen consistent playing time this season.
On offense, Hunter has been arguably the best wide receiver in the country, winning the Biletnikoff Award as college football’s top pass catcher after catching 92 passes for 1,152 yards and 14 touchdowns during the regular season.
Woodson, the only other defensive player to win the Heisman in the two-platoon era of college football, also played both cornerback and wide receiver at Michigan. Woodson, however, only saw occasional playing time on offense – though he was also a prolific punt returner – whereas Hunter averaged more than 120 snaps per game this season as he was a staple in the lineup on both sides of the ball.
Boise State running back Ashton Jeanty, who is just 130 yards away from breaking Barry Sanders’ single-season rushing record, finished second in the voting as he and Hunter received all but 40 first-place votes on the 901 total ballots cast.
A breakdown of the 2024 Heisman Trophy balloting, provided by @DeloitteUS #HeismanTrophy pic.twitter.com/pOUVDGgVlx
— The Heisman Trophy (@HeismanTrophy) December 15, 2024
They were joined at the Heisman ceremony by Oregon quarterback Dillon Gabriel and Miami quarterback Cam Ward, who finished third and fourth in the voting. The rest of the top 10 vote-getters were Arizona State running back Cam Skattebo, Army quarterback Bryson Daily, Penn State tight end Tyler Warren, Colorado quarterback Shedeur Sanders, Indiana quarterback Kurtis Rourke and Syracuse quarterback Kyle McCord, who transferred to Syracuse from Ohio State last offseason.
It’s the first time since 2017 that no Ohio State player has finished in the top 10 of the Heisman vote.
