After leading the Heisman Trophy race, is Travis Hunter going to take home the Jim Thorpe Award? Well, unfortunately, he couldn’t make the final cut. Sounds weird, right? Even Deion Sanders thought so, deeming Hunter’s omission “idiotic. “So Travis could have my Thorpe Award because if this isn’t the most idiotic thing in college football, that he’s not a finalist for the Jim Thorpe Award, and he is, I would say arguably, but I don’t think it’s really an argument about this young man being the best defensive back in college football.” After Sanders, Emmanuel Acho, a sports analyst and former NFL player, came in Hunter’s support and demanded that he be the finalist.

“This is utterly ridiculous that Travis Hunter was snubbed for the Jim Thorpe Award. I get that. There are some other great college football defensive backs; Barron, Caleb Downs, and Starks are all worthy of being finalists, but Travis Hunter is a single-handed one.” Well, Hunter is a beat who is all over the ground. Remember him playing against Baylor in the overtime game? Throughout this season, we have seen breathtaking plays from Prime Time’s No. 12, and many of these plays have been on defense.

The former player further backed Hunter and highlighted his importance in the Buffs football team: “Travis Hunter, if you watch the Colorado games, they avoid even throwing at him. And when they throw at him, it’s almost as if he is a receiver because that is how great his ball skills are. So when I look at all the other finalists, I shout out to them because some of them have had phenomenal seasons. Truly, all of them have made an impact play for big-time programs, but Travis Hunter should at minimum be a finalist because quite literally it is a disgrace to the award, and it undermines its integrity.”

Hunter is a unique player, and college football has very few players like him who can play on both sides. We all know his capabilities on the offensive side, which is one of the reasons he is leading the Heisman race. Coming to the other side, so far, Hunter has made 31 tackles and three interceptions.

Can Tyler Warren be a competition for Travis Hunter?

While the national championship is around the corner, the Heisman race is heating up simultaneously. In a few weeks, Hunter is leading the race, followed by Cam Ward and Dillin Gabriel. Do all of them have a new competition? Have you heard about Tyler Warren? Penn State’s tight end is making headlines with his performance, and now, after the new college football rankings, they also hold a position in the top four.

Adam Breneman, a football analyst and former player, has some tough words for Hunter and is the top contender for the race. ”Tyler Warren is a generational talent. He’s one of the most impactful players in the country regardless of position, regardless of quarterback, like he’s making as much of an impact as anyone in the country. The thing about Tyler Warren, the entire Penn State offense revolves around Warren. Not just him with the ball in his hand, he’s blocking, he’s blocking the line of scrimmage, he’s the lead blocker on sweeps, he’s pulling around the edge.” He added, “Last time I checked, the definition of the Heisman trophy was the most outstanding football player, and boy, there’s not a better person that defines that than Tyler Warren does for Penn State.”

Warren holds the No. 5 position for completing 157 rushing yards and the No. 2 position for completing four rushing touchdowns. Not just that, he also holds the record for receiving yards with an 808, which makes him the seventh Penn State receiving yards leader. Well, he can be a tough competitor, but is Hunter going to let that his number position so easily?