Paul Finebaum: Travis Hunter highlight could put him in 'driver's seat' for Heisman Trophy

In Colorado‘s 38-31 win over Baylor on Saturday, Buffaloes two-way star Travis Hunter made a game-winning tackle at the one-yard line, which forced Baylor running back Dominic Richardson to fumble. The ball rolled out the back of the end zone, leading to a touchback and the end of the game.

The highlight play not only boosted Hunter’s team to victory but further cemented his status as one of the best players in college football. During an appearance on SportsCenter, Paul Finebaum took a bold position on how Hunter’s jaw-dropping tackle affects his place in the Heisman Trophy race.

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“That tackle there by Travis Hunter may have put him in the driver’s seat for the Heisman Trophy,” Finebaum said.

Evidently, oddsmakers still aren’t convinced. As of this report, Hunter has the eighth-best odds to win the Heisman Trophy, according to FanDuel. Miami quarterback Cam Ward leads all players, boasting +350 odds.

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Nonetheless, no player does what Hunter does. The junior star plays both wide receiver and defensive back for the Buffaloes, rarely coming off the field. In the team’s win over Baylor, he tallied a game-high seven catches for 130 yards.

Including his highlight play on defense, Travis Hunter made three tackles in the win. He boasts 14 tackles this season, along with two pass deflections and an interception. If it wasn’t obvious enough already, Finebaum is all in on the Colorado hype train.

“I am in,” Finebaum said on SportsCenter. “We’re not talking about a football team. We’re talking about a legitimate reality show. Move over ‘Golden Bachelor.’ I mean, this is the most exciting thing on television right now. And by the way, it’s been that way since Coach Prime got there. But I don’t think in all the dramatics we’ve seen anything quite like the scene last night. 

“I mean, this was made for Hollywood. It’s hard even to believe. I mean, the percentage of making this, of Colorado winning the game, was under 1% on the final play, and they still managed to do it. But then again, Coach Prime is in charge.”

Head coach Deion Sanders couldn’t have been prouder of his team’s resiliency against the Baylor Bears.

“Great, great, great, great win. Young men were resilient. They never gave up. They never surrendered. The coaches were still inspired. I mean, all the way to the end, they were still calling and devising things,” Sanders said.