Colorado star Travis Hunter was named the 2024 Heisman Trophy winner on Saturday night.
He was one of the four Heisman Trophy finalists that were revealed earlier this week.
Hunter, Boise State running back Ashton Jeanty, Miami quarterback Cam Ward and Oregon quarterback Dillon Gabriel were all invited to attend the ceremony. Hunter and Jeanty were the favorites to win the award.
Hunter won several other awards, including the Walter Camp Award (college player of the year), the Biletnikoff Award (best receiver) and the Bednarik Award (best defensive player), on Thursday. He was also named the AP College Football Player of the Year.
Jeanty was also recognized with notable awards, including the Maxwell Award (college player of the year) and the Doak Walker Award (top running back). Ward won the Davey O’Brien Award, presented to the top quarterback in the country. Gabriel did not receive any major awards this week but has helped lead the Ducks to the top seed in the College Football Playoff bracket.
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Colorado star Travis Hunter hinted at playing in the Alamo Bowl during his Heisman Trophy speech. Hunter said he didn’t want to get emotional talking about Shedeur Sanders because they still had one last game together as teammates at Colorado.
Travis Hunter became just the second defensive player to win the Heisman Trophy along with Charles Woodson (1997).
Hunter also becomes the first Colorado football player to win the trophy since Rashaan Salaam in 1994.
Colorado quarterback Shedeur Sanders spoke highly of Hunter’s ability to communicate throughout the game. Sanders mentioned that Hunter will often come to him during games to explain what he has seen from opposing defensive backs on the field.
Jeanty’s mom Pamela spoke proudly of her son for displaying a level of loyalty to Boise State.
“He knew that was the best place for him to be,” she told ESPN’s Holly Rowe.
Boise State coach Spencer Danielson also spoke about Jeanty’s desire to return to the program in order to leave a legacy. Danielson called Jeanty a “10 out of 10 human being.”
Jeanty put his trust in Danielson, who was officially named the head coach for the 2024 season after leading the team as an interim coach in 2023.
Gabriel’s father Garrett and Oregon coach Dan Lanning spoke highly of Gabriel’s leadership abilities during the ceremony.
Gabriel’s mother Dori also spoke about his charisma being on display at a young age, being able to corral kids from around the neighborhood to play.
ESPN’s Chris Fowler credits Ward’s parents, Calvin and Patrice Ward, for never missing one of his games. Ward’s career started at Incarnate Word, which was his only offer coming out of high school, before transferring to Washington State and finishing out his last year of college as a Miami Hurricane. He played in 56 games during his college career.
Former Wisconsin running back Ron Dayne was shouted out during the ceremony for winning the Heisman Trophy 25 years ago.
The four finalists appear on stage surrounded by previous Heisman Trophy winners, including Desmond Howard and Tim Tebow during the opening minutes of the show.
Tebow recalled a conversation he had with Jeanty at the beginning of the season.
Tebow mentioned that he was at Boise State to speak with the team before Jeanty approached him to tell him that he would see him in New York for the Heisman Trophy ceremony. After rushing for 2,497 yards and 29 touchdowns, Jeanty was named a finalist earlier this week.
Travis Hunter, Dillon Gabriel, Cam Ward and Ashton Jeanty are suited and ready for the Heisman Trophy ceremony on ESPN.
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The Heisman Trophy winner will be revealed on Saturday, Dec. 14.
The announcement will come during a special “Heisman Trophy Ceremony Presented by Nissan,” airing at 8 p.m. ET on ESPN/ESPN+.
Odds via BetMGM as of 5:00 p.m. ET Thursday:
The Heisman Trophy Trust will distribute 928 ballots to designated representatives, including media members, previous winners and one fan vote conducted by ESPN through the Nissan Heisman House. These representatives will vote using a three-point system, ranking their top three players who had the most outstanding seasons in college football. The player with the highest total points will be awarded the Heisman Trophy. — Elizabeth Flores
The top 10 Heisman Trophy vote-getters were announced on Friday night on ESPN.
LSU quarterback Jayden Daniels was named college football’s most outstanding player in 2023 after leading the nation in total offense, passing efficiency, points responsible for and rushing yards per carry. Daniels had 40 passing touchdowns (tied for the most with Oregon’s Bo Nix) and 10 rushing touchdowns. He completed 72.2% of his passes for 3,812 yards, in addition to 1,134 rushing yards.
Daniels was the third LSU player to win the Heisman, following QB Joe Burrow (2019) and RB Billy Cannon (1959).
Washington quarterback Michael Penix Jr. finished second in voting, followed by Nix in third. — Cydney Henderson
USC boasts the most Hesiman Trophy winners with eight recipients. Quarterback Caleb Williams was the Trojans‘ most recent winner, taking the trophy in 2022. USC is followed by Ohio State, Oklahoma and Notre Dame, who each have seven winners.
Travis Hunter currently has 92 receptions for 1,152 yards and 14 touchdowns in 12 games played. He also had one rushing touchdown. On defense, he recorded 32 tackles (one for a loss), four interceptions, 11 pass breakups and a forced fumble.
Ashton Jeanty currently has 344 carries for 2,497 yards and 29 touchdowns in 13 games this season. He added 116 receiving yards and a touchdown on 20 receptions.
Cam Ward finished the regular season having completed 293 of his 435 pass attempts for 4,123 yards, 36 touchdowns and seven interceptions in 12 games played. He also rushed for 196 yards and four touchdowns on 58 carries.
Dillon Gabriel has completed 297 of 406 pass attempts for 3,558 yards, 28 touchdowns and six interceptions in 13 games played. He’s also contributed to the run game with 192 yards and seven touchdowns on 63 carries.
The first round of the College Football Playoff will begin with one game on Friday, Dec. 19 and conclude with three games scheduled for Dec. 20.
All times Eastern
FRIDAY, DEC. 20
SATURDAY, DEC. 21
The four quarterfinal games will be played on New Year’s Eve and New Year’s Day, with one game on Dec. 31 and three on Jan. 1. All games will be televised by ESPN.
All times Eastern
TUESDAY, DEC. 31
WEDNESDAY, JAN. 1
The semifinal games will be played on Jan. 9 and Jan. 10. Both games will be televised by ESPN.
All times Eastern
THURSDAY, JAN. 9
FRIDAY, JAN. 10
MONDAY, JAN. 20
*first-round bye; **automatic bid
There are 46 games on the college football postseason schedule this season, with the expansion of the College Football Playoff adding to the intrigue of bowl season. The Salute to Veterans Bowl between South Alabama and Western Michigan kicks off the action on Dec. 14 and it all comes to a conclusion 37 days later at the CFP national championship game. USA TODAY Sports has you covered with a complete schedule for every bowl game coming up on the calendar. — Mark Giannotto
The 12 participating teams in the College Football Playoff bracket are the five conference champions ranked highest by the CFP selection committee, and the next seven highest-ranked teams.
The four highest-ranked conference champions are seeded one through four and received a first-round bye. The fifth conference champion is seeded where it was ranked among the top 12 teams, or at No. 12 if it is outside the top 12 in the CFP rankings. Non-conference champions ranked in the top four will be seeded beginning at No. 5.
“Because of this,” the CFP warns on its website, “the seeding, 1 through 12, could look different than the final rankings.”
For the first round, the higher-ranked team in each pairing (5 vs. 12, 6 vs. 11, 7 vs. 10, 8 vs. 9) will serve as host on campus. The winners advance to the quarterfinals and match up with the corresponding top-four conference champion based on seeding. Quarterfinal games will played at the Fiesta Bowl, Peach Bowl, Rose Bowl and Sugar Bowl on New Year’s Eve and New Year’s Day. The semifinals – played at the Orange Bowl and Cotton Bowl Classic – will take place Jan. 9-10.
The two semifinal winners will play for the national championship Jan. 20 at Mercedes-Benz Stadium in Atlanta. — Mark Giannotto
The trophy is named after John W. Heisman, a former Georgia Tech head coach whose teams dominated offensively for the better part of two decades in the early 20th century. He coached the biggest rout in college football history, a 222-0 drubbing of Cumberland College in 1916. — Scooby Axson
The completed trophy weighs 45 pounds and is 14 inches long, 13 inches high, and 6 inches wide. Since 2005, MTM Recognition, a Del City, Oklahoma company, has produced the Heisman and ships the trophy to New York before the ceremony. A generic nameplate goes along with the trophy and is replaced after the winner is announced and before the news conference later that night. — Scooby Axson
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