Op-Ed: Travis Hunter has been Heisman and it's time for some pundits need to catch up

Buffs two-way star does it again and should be recognized for his efforts

Christopher Hanewinckel-Imagn Images

The conversation around Travis Hunter in the national media has become increasingly frustrating, especially when it comes to two key topics: his snap count and his Heisman candidacy. As of his 14th game with the Colorado Buffaloes, Hunter’s accomplishments on the field should be the primary focus, but analysts continue to rehash narratives that are not only tired but also fundamentally flawed.

Snap Count Concerns

The snap count concern is the first issue that continues to be misinterpreted by national analysts. When Hunter burst onto the scene against TCU in his Colorado debut, playing over 120 snaps on both offense and defense, it was undoubtedly a jaw-dropping moment. However, what began as an impressive feat soon became routine for Hunter, who has now played in 14 games with an average of 120 snaps per contest. This staggering number of snaps, which is about 230% more than the average college player, should have silenced any doubts about his ability to handle this workload. Yet, national analysts seem unwilling to let go of their concerns about Hunter’s sustainability.

The Fox College Football panel is one of many groups continuing to harp on this narrative. They recycle the question, "How long can Hunter keep this up?" as though the answer hasn't been clear since the first game. Analysts like Bruce Feldman, who are usually known for their insightful analysis, have been surprisingly off the mark. They are failing to realize that Hunter’s ability to play at such a high level, consistently and across multiple games, defies conventional understanding of player fatigue and workload management.

The comparisons often drawn between Hunter and past players like Charles Woodson, Chris Gamble, and Champ Bailey are becoming more ridiculous by the week. These former stars were exceptional in their time, but the number of snaps they logged on both sides of the ball pales in comparison to what Hunter is doing. Woodson, Bailey, and Gamble were multi-positional players, but none of them approached the snap count, or the level of play, that Hunter has been delivering. Even attempts to compare Hunter to someone like Brandon Marshall, who dabbled in playing on both sides of the ball, fall flat. Hunter is playing on a different plane entirely.

What these analysts are missing is that Hunter never specialized in one position, unlike nearly every football player before him. Coaches tried to pigeonhole him into either offense or defense, but Hunter refused. Since childhood, he’s been accustomed to playing on both sides of the ball for the majority of a game. That kind of versatility and endurance has been a part of his game since he was six years old. This is not a novelty; it's a fundamental aspect of his game, one that analysts continue to overlook.

The Heisman Debate

The second issue the national media struggles with is Travis Hunter's place in the Heisman conversation. While analysts like Mike Hill acknowledge Hunter as a top-three candidate, he and others still fail to recognize that Hunter is in a league of his own. The Heisman Trophy is supposed to be awarded to the best player in college football, regardless of team success or position. Yet, year after year, it has increasingly become a quarterback's award, with team performance playing an outsized role in the decision-making process.

Hunter, however, breaks the mold of what we expect from a Heisman candidate. He’s not just the best wide receiver or the best cornerback in the country—he’s both. That alone should elevate him above other candidates, even quarterbacks like Cam Ward, who are having excellent seasons. The numbers Hunter is putting up on both offense and defense are staggering. By the end of this season, he could realistically finish with 1,300 receiving yards, 14 touchdowns, and 5 interceptions. These are stats that, when viewed in the context of playing both ways, dwarf anything any other player is doing, including quarterbacks.

Yet, instead of acknowledging that, analysts continue to cling to outdated criteria for Heisman voting. They emphasize team success or the fact that Hunter missed some time due to injury, as though those factors should overshadow the fact that Hunter is doing something unprecedented. Even in the game he returned from injury, against Stanford, Hunter logged 157 snaps, recorded 13 catches for 140 yards, scored 2 touchdowns, and made 5 tackles. To suggest that he looked tired in that game, as some analysts have, is to fundamentally misunderstand the magnitude of what he’s doing.

Some in the National Media’s Failure to Adapt

What lies at the heart of the issue is the national media’s failure to adapt their thinking to what is unfolding before their eyes. Many of these analysts have built their reputations by being cautious and hedging their bets. They are unwilling to fully endorse Hunter’s greatness because they are afraid that, if they’re wrong, it will damage their credibility. But this cautiousness, this unwillingness to stick their necks out and acknowledge that Hunter is something we’ve never seen before, is damaging their credibility far more than making a bold but accurate assessment would.

There’s also the issue of ego. Analysts seem to operate under the assumption that they have to relate everything back to something they’ve seen before. The problem with this approach is that Hunter’s game doesn’t fit neatly into any existing paradigm. There’s no precedent for what he’s doing, and that scares them. They don’t want to be the one to say, “This is new, and I don’t have a comparison.” So instead, they downplay his achievements or question whether they’re sustainable. But that doesn’t change the fact that Hunter has continued to prove them wrong week after week.

The fact that these analysts are still questioning Hunter’s snap count or his Heisman candidacy 14 games into his Colorado career is a testament to their inability to adapt. They are clinging to old ideas about what a player can and cannot do, about what the Heisman should represent, and about how many snaps a player can handle. In doing so, they are missing the opportunity to appreciate one of the most unique and exciting players college football has ever seen.

WATCH: Travis Hunter pulls off incredible interception with Heisman pose

He12man is "in" and should be recognized

It’s time for the national media to do better when it comes to Travis Hunter. Stop questioning his snap count—he’s proven that he can handle it. Stop pretending that there’s any real debate about whether he should be a Heisman frontrunner—he’s the best player in college football, and it’s not even close. Analysts need to move past their fear of being wrong and start trusting what they see. Travis Hunter is redefining what it means to be a two-way player at the college level, and the sooner the national media acknowledges that, the better off everyone will be.

To continue to downplay or question what Hunter is doing is not just a disservice to him; it’s a disservice to the sport of college football. He is a once-in-a-generation talent, and instead of trying to fit him into outdated narratives or comparisons, it’s time to recognize him for what he is: a unicorn. And unicorns don’t come around very often.