Heisman Race
Justin Loretz
Staff Writer
Your “Frontrunner”
The 2024 college football season has provided one of the tightest Heisman races in recent memory, with no clear winner yet. However, it would seem that one player may finally be creating some space between himself and others. That would be the kid who began his career after shockingly flipping from Florida State to Jackson State with head coach Deion Sanders, before following him to Boulder. Averaging about 100 snaps in every. single. game.
He is not just playing everywhere either, Hunter has proven time and time that he is the best player on both sides of the ball for the Colorado program. If you do not know how to “figure out,” what the standings for any given award might be, your best bet is to look at the sportsbooks. And what you learn from his odds (+100) compared to the next best (+350) is that he is beginning to make this award his.
Better Than “Never Before”
On the other hand, Hunter let us all know that there is this guy out in Boise who has been living in his head, saying “Y’all see Ashton Jeanty, but it’s not like we haven’t seen a running back that’s good.” Well, the running back (that’s good) that he is referring to, is none other than Barry Sanders. And being in a conversation with him, might just be saying even more than “something we’ve never seen before.” I think it is self-explanatory, but what I mean when I say this, is that what Sanders did, is something nobody could have imagined we would see before. In Barry’s 1988 season, he put up 2,734 yards from scrimmage, along with 37 touchdowns.
It has been thirty-six years since now, and Ashton Jeanty has currently amassed a total of 1,827 yards and 24 touchdowns. The argument being made is that it only took Barry eleven games to reach these numbers, when Jeanty will likely end up playing in fourteen, if not more depending on how the College Football Playoff bracket unfolds and if Boise State is able to win games. Looking at the two seasons lined up with one another, you will see that Jeanty is averaging more yards on each touch (7.6) than Sanders did (7.5). So, while Sanders did what he did in less games, the reason Jeanty will not quite be able to, could simply be because he is not seeing as many opportunities, as he has after all, been benched early multiple times in blowouts.
Two Quarterbacks
Believe it or not, there is one man people (somehow) have in between these two. To be fair, he is the one that dealt Jeanty his only loss this season, and still has yet to taste defeat of his own. Now, this placement is certainly questionable, as he is eighth in the nation in passing yards with 2,848, and sixth in passing touchdowns with 22. His reputation is highlighted by a staple victory against the team that is only second to them in the AP poll as of November eleventh.
Meanwhile, there is another quarterback in Miami by the name of Cam Ward, who stands alone in both of these statistical categories, with 10 touchdowns and over 600 yards more than Gabriel. However, his candidacy took a major hit after suffering his first loss to Georgia Tech, after a short stint of leading the race.
What Makes a Heisman?
Now, I am not sure about you, but considering the definition of the Heisman is “the most outstanding college football player in the United States,” he is objectively ahead of Gabriel in this regard, and should be ahead of him. Besides, if it was an award that placed such an emphasis on winning, Hunter and his two losses would realistically be the ones rounding out the bunch. At the end of the day, whether it is an award biased toward quarterbacks or winners, it would seem that based on the frontrunner, neither of these common beliefs would hold true.
There is certainly a lot more football left to be played, especially considering all four of these players have a good chance at playing in the newly expanded college football playoffs, so a lot can happen. So, while it would seem that if the season ended today, the award would be Hunter’s, it is a lot tighter than the media and these sportsbooks are making it out to be, as can be seen by the drastic shifts after each and every week, watching as history continues to unfold, and waiting to see what the Heisman award will mean for this packed season of football.
Contact Justin at justin.loretz@student.shu.edu