Colorado Buffaloes two-way phenom Travis Hunter has had the best year of his career so far in 2024. He put up high-level performances this season and closed his career with an incredible list of esteemed awards on his shelf.
The 21-year-old defied the expectations of analysts and fans of the sport, who were convinced that Hunter’s insistence on playing both sides of the ball would be unsustainable and potentially detrimental to his career. At some point in the 2024 season, Hunter became the clear favorite to win the Heisman Trophy, and this past Saturday, he was officially declared the winner.
Joel Klatt Credits Deion Sanders for Travis Hunter Heisman Win
Amidst the celebrations and controversial statements from those who believed the trophy should have gone to Boise State running back Ashton Jeanty, Fox Sports analyst Joel Klatt dropped an epic monologue highlighting the main factor behind Hunter’s Heisman win.
“Travis Hunter would not have done this anywhere else.” 🔥👀@joelklatt says any other college coach would have folded in Deion’s situation – and because he didn’t – Travis’s unprecedented season earned him a Heisman. pic.twitter.com/V7l7UpUGlB
— The Joel Klatt Show: A CFB Pod (@JoelKlattShow) December 17, 2024
As debates on who should have won the Heisman drown out and fade, Klatt reminds us of the core reason Hunter was able to win the award — his relationship with Buffaloes head coach Deion Sanders.
Klatt believes that Hunter would never have held the Heisman Trophy if he hadn’t followed Deion Sanders to Boulder. In the latest episode of Fox Sports’ “The Joel Klatt Show,” he addressed the effect of Sanders’ role in Hunter’s Heisman season.
Klatt questioned whether any other coach in college football would have allowed Hunter to play both sides of the ball. His answer was a firm no.
“There is no other coach in America that would have allowed this, and there’s certainly no other coach in America that would have had the fortitude to do this for two straight years. Travis Hunter would not have done this anywhere else. He is one of one, and he’s playing for a guy who’s one of one.
“You’ve gotta have incredible foresight and fortitude as a coach at that moment to not scrap the entire plan. Because every other coach in America would not look at the horizon at that moment … not with the media breathing down their neck, not with the offensive coordinator demanding the time from the player and the defensive coordinator demanding the time from the player … it just goes to show you how unique it is to have a guy like Deion Sanders as a head coach in college football.”
Klatt Gives Reasons Why He Voted Hunter for Heisman
On Monday’s episode, Klatt revealed that he voted for Hunter to win the Heisman Trophy and gave strong reasons to back up his decision.
“It’s really hard to be an All-American, very hard. It’s the elite of the elite. That’s why they call them All-Americans. Trying to do that on both sides of the ball is basically impossible. It’s unprecedented. To be an elite player on both sides of the ball is something that we’ve never seen before ever, ever in the history of college football,” Klatt said.
“Travis Hunter is completely unprecedented in our sport’s history. So, let’s just start with that fact. That is an absolute fact. I believe he is clearly the best football player in the sport. Again, this guy did not have a comp. It’s totally unprecedented what he did.”
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Klatt’s take highlights the difficulty of being an impactful player on both sides of the ball. He dismisses the idea that Hunter simply has a high number of snaps, emphasizing the Heisman winner’s dominance as both a cornerback and wide receiver.
“There was also some pushback on this fact that, like, ‘Oh, it was just his number of snaps!’. Well, one, no. I just read off all the accolades that have nothing to do with his snaps. It’s just what he was doing in domination on each side of the ball. Then you’ve got to take into consideration that he was doing all of that while playing 1,433 snaps of college football. That’s crazy, everybody. Just letting you know. That is absolutely crazy,” Klatt said.
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