The Heisman Trophy case for Travis Hunter, how Colorado's 2024 record impacts his chances

During the latest episode of Andy Staples On3 on YouTube, Andy Staples made the case for Travis Hunter to win the Heisman Trophy, regardless of Colorado’s record, if he performs to the level the college football world has come to expect of the two-way superstar.

“I think we can even predict massive improvement for Colorado. We could say Colorado is gonna go 8-4, make a bowl game, and you still are gonna have this debate,” Staples said, regarding Travis Hunter’s Heisman chances with the Colorado Buffaloes. “Now I think, because what Travis Hunter does is so extraordinary. Like this isn’t just like Charles Woodson, who would play receiver occasionally. Travis Hunter plays full time receiver, and it is extraordinary to watch. I think that should lower the bar. I also think the the team aspect of it is a little misleading in the Heisman race, because you have people who are like, ‘Well, he has to play in a good team.’ No, you don’t. It’s the most outstanding player. You can’t help who got put around you. All you can do is what you can do. And Travis Hunter does it all.

“So, should Travis Hunter, if he’s one of the best corners in the country, and one of the best receivers in the country, either be a finalist or win the Heisman Trophy? Yes, he should. No question about it. I don’t even care what Colorado’s record is. If he is one of the best at two positions, absolutely. Will that happen? Probably not. Colorado will probably need to be pretty good to make this happen.”

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Continuing, Staples compared the possibility of Hunter’s Heisman chances to that of last season’s winner in Jayden Daniels, who won despite his team not exactly being one of the best in the nation in 2023.

“I went back some of the more recent Heisman races. The most comparable one is the one last year Jayden Daniels,” Staples added. “LSU was not in the mix for the national title. I mean, when they lost to Florida State in the opener, their season was on life support. When they lost Ole Miss, that was pretty much it. They had a good, you know, a shot when they played Alabama, because at that point, they had not lost more than one conference game. But he was not really in the mix, for the national title, for the SEC title.

“But his numbers were extraordinary. And he was the best player. … So that’s why you look at that and you say, ‘Okay, maybe the voters will give Travis Hunter proper credit, even if Colorado is like 7-5, or 8-4, but I will point out that LSU did go 9-3.”

Alas, it remains to be seen if Travis Hunter even plays well enough to get into the conversation, but Andy Staples believes that if he does live up to his potential, the voters for the Heisman Trophy would be wise to separate his play from the Buffaloes’ potential record in 2024.