One of the most contentious Heisman Trophy races in college football history came to a close on Saturday night, and when the dust settled, it was Colorado two-way star Travis Hunter narrowly taking home of the trophy over Boise State running back Ashton Jeanty.
All season long, Hunter and Jeanty had been going at it — as had their fans both online and over the airwaves. Hunter’s corner argued that he was a player the sport had literally never seen before, not just dabbling on both sides of the ball but playing both ways full-time while excelling at both cornerback and wide receiver. Jeanty’s corner, meanwhile, argue that Hunter’s play had been inflated by his reputation (and by friendly voices in the media), while the Broncos star was busy putting up the best season for a running back this side of Barry Sanders.
The results of the final vote hardly did anything to settle matters; if anything, it just poured a can of gasoline on the controversy (and raised questions about just who is allowed to vote for the sport’s greatest individual honor). And after Jeanty himself weighed in, that controversy won’t be dying down anytime soon.
Ashton Jeanty thinks he deserved Heisman Trophy over Travis Hunter
Meeting with the media after Hunter’s win, Jeanty didn’t take the low road, but he also didn’t shy away from speaking his mind. He thought his performance this season was worthy of the Heisman, and he’s going to use it as motivation ahead of Boise State’s College Football Playoff run…