This isn’t the year for a quarterback to win the Heisman Trophy

• There are only two choices for the Heisman Trophy: From now on, Colorado wide receiver/cornerback Travis Hunter and Boise State running back Ashton Jeanty are clearly the two best players in college football.

• Each has a historic season: Jeanty’s numbers are on pace to break almost every record, while Hunter is the greatest two-way star ever.

• Unlock your edge with a PFF+ subscription: Get full access to all of our pre-season fantasy tools, including weekly rankings, WR/CB matchup charts, weekly projectionsthe Start-Sit Optimization and more. Register now!

Estimated reading time: 14 minutes

The highest individual honor in the NFL is the MVP trophy. By definition, that prize goes to the ‘most valuable player’. Therefore, it makes sense that the last eleven winners were quarterbacks. They are not only the most valuable players in football, but in all team sports. According to PFF’s Wins Above Replacement stats, the most valuable NFL quarterback in 2023 was nearly four times more valuable than the best non-quarterback. A total of 20 signal callers posted a higher WAR than the top non-quarterback.

The Heisman Trophy, the most important individual award in college football, also largely goes to quarterbacks. Only four of the 24 winners this century have come from positions outside that position. But unlike the MVP trophy, the Heisman goes to “the most outstanding player in college football,” not necessarily the most valuable, though the two often coincide.

That is not the case this year. Colorado wide receiver/cornerback Travis Hunter and Boise State running back Ashton Jeanty have been by far the two most standout players in the country as they each enjoy historic seasons.

Hunter is simply the best two-way player college football has ever seen. The junior has been a true ironman for the Buffaloes, playing 920 snaps in eight games, which amounts to 115 per week. For reference, the minimum we set for a given week is 25, as that is normally what a key contributor would play. That kind of workload would exhaust virtually any other player, which in turn would lead to poor results on the field. Hunter not only performs at an admirable level both ways, he plays like a superstar at both positions.

Hunter’s eight receiving touchdowns are tied for second in the Power Four, while his 757 receiving yards are sixth.

He has nine coverage stops this season, which ranks third among Power Four corners. The junior also has two interceptions and four forced incompletions this year, putting up just a 40.5 passer rating in his coverage. If you touch the ball on every play you get a rating of 39.6.

Hunter’s 86.8 only receives rank marks Ole ma’amTre Harris is one of the Power Four wideouts and is ranked fourth nationally. His coverage grade of 88.7 is also fourth-best among FBS cornerbacks.

Let that sink in for a moment. A player who plays at least double the speed as a normal starter is rated as a top five player at two separate positions on completely different sides of the ball.

Travis Hunter is the best two-way player college football has ever seen. pic.twitter.com/PENyszu2Qy

— Max Chadwick (@CFBMaxChadwick) October 29, 2024

Normally that would be enough to walk away with the Heisman Trophy. Except for the fact that there is a decline Idaho which challenges Barry Sanders’ historic 1988 season. Ashton Jeanty is on pace to break almost every record in the book in seven games.

Ashton Jeanty’s historic first seven games of the season:

*Since PFF began covering college football in 2014

That season pace only applies to the regular season, so Sanders’ records could be even more in jeopardy considering Jeanty could play two or more games in the postseason.

For those who ignore his video game numbers because of the level of competition in the Mountain West, remember he ran for 192 yards and three touchdowns against top-ranked players. Oregon in week 2.

Even with these two having historic years in their own right, the betting odds still give the top quarterbacks a long shot at taking home the stiff-arm trophy.

Current Heisman Odds (via DraftKings Sportsbook):

While this in no way discredits the great years that Gabriel and Ward are having, they aren’t exactly putting together monumental seasons like Kam Newton in 2010 or Joe Burrow in 2019.

On the other hand, Hunter and Jeanty post all-time years. If these two keep up this pace for the rest of the season, they should be the only choices for the Heisman Trophy.

That is, if you’re really looking for “the most outstanding player in college football.”