They say great minds think alike. That rings true amongst a couple of football savants when it comes to their Heisman elect. As we enter November, the season approaches finality and beckons the question of who will win the most prestigious individual honor for the year. A retired coaching icon agrees with a modern one.

3-time national champion Urban Meyer believes the frontrunner for the accolade is Travis Hunter. His HC Deion Sanders claimed “Travis is the best college football player in the country” after his stellar performance in Colorado’s (6-2) win against Cincinnati(5-3) in Week 9. Urban Meyer echoed this sentiment.   

Meyer, on his weekly CFB show “The Triple Option”, was asked who’s his pick to win the Heisman Trophy. “The Heisman is for the best player in college football.[Hunter] is the best player in the game right now. He is. I would draft him with the first pick. And this is after now I’ve researched what kind of person he is, too. You know he’s a dog. He studies the game. Plus, he takes care of himself. He’s not doing the silly college stuff that a lot of guys [do], so I just got so much respect for that cat”.

The two-way sensation has earned this endorsement from a coach of Meyer’s caliber following an unprecedented season, which culminated in him becoming the first player in Big 12 history to win both Offensive and Defensive Player of the Week awards simultaneously this week. However, while Hunter has consistently captivated the football world, history poses a challenge to his Heisman ambitions. When voting for the award, selectors often favor quarterbacks.

Meyer voiced his opinion on the discrepancy within the criteria of the trophy, questioning “You know [with] the Heisman, the way, it’s this year, every year you have that argument, is it the best player on the best team? Is it a quarterback?”. The oddsmakers seem to agree with the nature of the award’s bias towards QBs, as Oregon’s Dillon Gabriel (+260) and Miami’s Cam Ward (+270) are both ahead of Travis (+330). But is it really just because of the position they play?

Why Hunter is seemingly not leading the race

The voting for the Heisman Trophy is concluded after the national championship game. This inadvertently means that players on teams that win more and make deep runs in the postseason have the benefit of more opportunities to prove their case. With the expanded 12-team postseason, this will only become more pronounced. Oregon is no.1 in the country and poised to go far, aiding Dillon Gabriel’s case. Cam Ward led Miami (no.5) the same. 

The seven most recent Heisman Trophy recipients played for teams ranked in the top eight. Colorado, which entered the AP Poll for the first time this season, likely cannot afford Travis Hunter the luxury of a deep playoff run. This circumstance also impacts the prospects of another Buffaloes star. Since 2000, only four non-quarterbacks have won the Heisman Trophy. To claim the award, Travis Hunter must defy multiple conventions. However, his exceptional two-way talent and endorsements from legends position him to break through and potentially win.

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