The 2024 Heisman voting came down to the wire between Colorado cornerback/wide receiver Travis Hunter and Boise State running back Ashton Jeanty. Oregon’s Dillon Gabriel and Miami’s Cam Ward were also named as finalists for the honor.
On Dec. 14, Hunter was crowned the winner, receiving 552 first-place votes and an impressive 2,231 points. Jeanty finished a close second, earning 2,017 points and 309 first-place votes. Gabriel collected 516 points and 24 first-place votes, while Ward secured 229 points with six first-place votes.
Robert Griffin III Feels for Ashton Jeanty, Praises Travis Hunter
The college football world was divided into two halves, as the nation debated between Hunter and Jeanty. There’s no denying both had incredible seasons. While Jeanty approached Barry Sanders’ FBS record for most rushing yards in a season, Hunter impacted both sides of the ball as a cornerback and wide receiver, which is almost unprecedented.
Former Heisman-winning quarterback Robert Griffin III gave his two cents, sympathizing with Jeanty’s case for the award.
.@RGIII on his car ride with Ashton Jeanty following the Heisman ceremony 👀🔊
"There's a feeling that Ashton Jeanty should've won. People believe that… HE certainly believes that." @AshtonJeanty2 @heykayadams @BroncoSportsFB pic.twitter.com/CEiWf8ocJe
— Up & Adams (@UpAndAdamsShow) December 17, 2024
“Yes, there’s a feeling that Ashley Jeanty should have won,” Griffin said. “People believe that. He certainly believes that. He’s about to break Barry Sanders’ record. There’s so much there that you could point to and say, ‘Boom, this guy should have won it.’
“But the fact is that Travis Hunter was in the race this year, playing both sides of the ball, making an impact at the corner with four interceptions and also at the receiver with over 1,000 yards receiving. We’ve never seen anything like that before. So, I do believe Travis Hunter was the right guy to win the award, but I can understand any argument for Ashton Jeanty being the one.”
Ashton Jeanty Felt He Should Have Won Heisman Trophy
Coming into Lincoln Center on Saturday, Jeanty was beaming with confidence about his prospects of coming out on top. However, it was Hunter who won the 90th Heisman Trophy.
Jeanty’s confidence didn’t fade as he spoke to reporters after the ceremony.
“Obviously it wasn’t the result I was hoping for,” Jeanty said in an interview with KTVB. “I really felt like I should’ve walked away with the award, but kudos to Travis for winning.”
Jeanty (2,497 rushing yards) is just 131 yards away from Barry Sanders’ single-season rushing record of 2,628 yards. Now that the NCAA counts bowl games for single-season records, he’ll have a chance to leave that mark in the dust. Perhaps it’s unfair to Sanders, whose 222 yards in the Holiday Bowl aren’t tacked onto his lead, but Jeanty deserves a win after a photo finish in the Heisman race.