Desmond Howard: Travis Hunter in 'pole position' for Heisman Trophy

Desmond Howard is taking notice of Travis Hunter’s incredible 2024, believing the Heisman Trophy is the two-way Colorado superstar’s to lose.

During this week’s edition of ESPN College GameDay, Howard heaped some immense praise of Hunter, for his on-field play and off-field personality. He believes when you look at his entire resume, he’s the top option to be rewarded this season.

“Travis Hunter is in the pole position when it comes to Heisman candidates,” Howard proclaimed. “I mean, you know, he’s a very unique talent. He’s a unicorn. He’s doing a lot of things that we haven’t seen before. On top of that, he came on GameDay very humble, just enjoyed his energy.

“So, right now, a lot of football is left to be played, but right now, I think that this guy right here is in the pole position.”

As Howard alluded to, there’s still a couple of games left in the season, but it might take a disaster for Hunter to lose his grip on the award. With Colorado firmly in the College Football Playoff discussion, his case will only grow stronger.

The sky is the limit for Travis Hunter, and Desmond Howard recognizes that. The Heisman Trophy might be up next, but he’s also in contention for being the first player off the board in the 2025 NFL Draft. Time will tell if he achieves all of his goals over the next couple of months.

Paul Finebaum picks Travis Hunter for Heisman: ‘I think it’s over’

Desmond Howard isn’t the only one at ESPN making the case for Travis Hunter. Paul Finebaum is all-in, check that, “Paul In” on him winning the Heisman Trophy this season. Following another Heisman worthy performance last weekend, Hunter has the award on lock.

Colorado improved to 8-2 with a dominant win over Utah and Hunter scored a touchdown and grabbed an interception. He once again excelled on both sides of the ball.

Hunter finished the game with one carry for five yards and a touchdown at the end of the game. As far as his regular numbers are concerned, he had five catches for 55 yards and 3 tackles and an interception.

So, despite Boise State RB Ashton Jeanty’s best efforts, it’s Hunter’s award: “I’m very Paul-in on that,” Finebaum said on SportsCenter. “I think it is over. I know there’s a couple of weeks left, but he, in many ways, won the Heisman before the season because we knew how talented he was. It was just a matter of clearing the rest of the field out.

“But (last week), I believe the Heisman pose was properly demonstrated, and he’s got a few more games left. I don’t think he can do any damage, because he is the best player in college football.”

On3’s Nick Kosko contributed to this article.