Colorado Buffaloes WR/CB Travis Hunter took home the Biletnikoff Award, Bednarik Award, and, most notably, the Heisman Trophy this season. However, the 2024 ceremony continued a trend that may just be the new norm.
College Football Transfer Portal: The Heisman Hotbed
Hunter joins Jayden Daniels (2023) and Caleb Williams (2022) as the most recent Heisman winners, but there’s another thread connecting the trio: the transfer portal.
Hunter began his career as the highest-rated recruit ever to grace the Jackson State Tigers’ football program before following Deion Sanders to the Colorado Buffaloes.
Daniels started out with the Arizona State Sun Devils under Herm Edwards until controversially leaving for the LSU Tigers.
And Williams exploded onto the scene with Lincoln Riley on the Oklahoma Sooners prior to rejoining him with the USC Trojans.
That’s three straight Heisman Trophy winners who were transfers — and it’s not just a trend.
Of the top nine vote-getters in the 2024 race, eight players started at the Group of Five or FCS level:
- Hunter, Jackson State to Colorado
- Ashton Jeanty, Boise State
- Dillon Gabriel, UCF to Oklahoma to Oregon
- Cam Ward, Incarnate Word to Washington State to Miami
- Cam Skattebo, Sacramento State to Arizona State
- Bryson Daily, Army
- Shedeur Sanders, Jackson State to Colorado
- Kurtis Rourke, Ohio to Indiana
Of that list, six were transfers, but so was the No. 10 player: Kyle McCord, who left the Ohio State Buckeyes for the Syracuse Orange last offseason.
KEEP READING: List of Heisman Trophy Winners by Year
The portal has opened doors that were previously closed. Not only can players depart from poor situations, but they can also parlay their smaller-school success into opportunities on the biggest stage.
Additionally, athletes who previously would’ve been stuck on the bench — either due to elite talent ahead of them or differences with the coaching staff or scheme — can now seek out playing time elsewhere.
The portal’s rise isn’t just a Heisman story, either. The current No. 1 team in the nation, the Oregon Ducks, routinely owns top-10 recruiting classes. Yet, this year’s edition of the squad was built through the portal:
- Top three WRs, transfers
- Starting QB, transfer
- Top two defensive linemen, transfers
- Top CB, transfer
In fact, nearly every team has at least a couple of starters who didn’t begin their collegiate journey with the program.
The transfer portal has evolved into a cornerstone of college football, reshaping rosters, redefining programs, and proving its power on the Heisman stage.
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