December 9th the Heisman finalists of college football were announced, which consist of Ashton Jeanty, Travis Hunter, Cameron Ward, and Dillon Gabriel.
The Heisman award is given to the best college football player each year, with the previous winner being Jayden Daniels, who now plays for the Washington Commanders in the NFL. The award has been a very hot topic this college football season with two main frontrunners. Fans can’t decide between Ashton Jeanty or Travis Hunter. Jeanty is a running back for Boise State and Hunter is both a wide receiver and cornerback for Colorado.
If you have paid attention to any college football this year, you would know that Ashton Jeanty has put up videogame numbers as a running back. His total for the regular season was 2,497 rushing yards on 344 carries. That means he has been averaging 7.3 yards per carry, which is just out of this world. In any other college football year he would most likely be the clear winner, however Travis Hunter has a few tricks up his sleeve that challenge Jeanty’s position in the Heisman race.
Travis Hunter has been one of the most showcased college football players this year, especially due to the fact that he is coached by Deion Sanders at Colorado. Hunter’s biggest argument for the Heisman is the fact that he plays on both sides of the ball. There have only been a select few throughout professional football’s history that have had the talents to play elite on both sides of the ball, Travis Hunter is one of those select few. He has put up 1,152 receiving yards on 92 receptions this year, along with having four interceptions as a cornerback. He has played for Coach Sanders his entire college career which acts as a major factor, because having a past two way player coach you, leads to better quality training and practicing.
Walking around the halls at Lower Dauphin High School, you can find many students wearing college football merchandise. What do people at LD think about the Heisman race and who do they believe should be the winner? Sophomore Gus Garcia says, “Ashton Jeanty deserves it because he is a versatile athlete, he has been reaching stats this year that we haven’t seen in ten or more years. He has a tremendous amount of rushing yards and still has more opportunities with the playoffs.” Another student, freshman Steven Burns, says, “Both Ashton Jeanty and Travis Hunter are really good players, but I think Travis Hunter deserves to win the Heisman. Hunter stands out because he plays both offense and defense at a very high level.”
The Heisman award will be presented on December 14th, this upcoming Saturday at 8:00 p.m. Until then, fans will keep debating who deserves to win the award, Jeanty or Hunter.