Two-way Colorado football star Travis Hunter commented on fellow Heisman candidate wideout Marvin Harrison Jr. out of Ohio State — saying, with disappointment, that he wished he could’ve seen more of the Buckeyes star against OSU’s FCS opponent in Week 2.
“He had four catches for 122 yards and two touchdowns in the first quarter,” Hunter said on September 11 on his Bleacher Report podcast. “That was crazy. He was on track for 500 yards. That’s a lot of yards in the first quarter. Imagine if he would have played every snap after that.” As 247Sports’ Grant Hughes pointed out, Hunter has lapped Harrison thus far in total snaps during the 2023 season.
“Harrison played 50 snaps against Youngstown State, which pales in comparison to the numbers Hunter has put up through two games at Colorado,” Hughes wrote. “The Jackson State transfer racked up 68 snaps on offense, 57 on defense and one on special teams during Colorado’s 36-14 win over Nebraska. He caught three passes for 73 yards and finished with four tackles and one pass deflection. Hunter has racked up 270 total snaps through two games, while Harrison has been on the field for 108.”
Colorado football star Travis Hunter may not be impactful enough on the side of the ball he needs to be to win Heisman
With all of Hunter’s Heisman hype so far, the odds aren’t great for the 2022 recruiting class’s No. 1 overall recruit in the country to actually win the award come December. The reason is simple: Hunter hasn’t dominated enough offensively to win.
Remember, only Charles Woodson has won the award as a defender. It’s long overdue, but at this point, any non-quarterback is a rarity. The Buffs’ QB, Shedeur Sanders, may have an even stronger Heisman case than Hunter, and during his ascension, it has been Xavier Weaver who has taken the WR1 mantle.
If Hunter was catching the majority of passes from Sanders, No. 12 would be in the minds of voters too often to deny. But as a cornerback, it’s unlikely he’ll have enough big moments to be an upset winner for college football’s most prestigious awards.