Heisman Watch: Week 8

Over the past two weeks, there has been some controversy throughout the Heisman Trophy candidates making a case for themselves.

It started with Travis Hunter. Hunter is a two-way superstar for Colorado and is a major reason for Colorado’s bounce-back season after high expectations from last season.

Hunter went viral for saying that he knows he can win it and that the country hasn’t seen a player do it like he has on both sides of the ball.

While this is true, what Ashton Jeanty is doing has also not been seen since 1988, and he may even break that record.

Jeanty is on pace to break Barry Sanders’ single-season rushing record halfway through the season.

He responded to Hunter’s claim with that exact reasoning. Jeanty is doing something that hasn’t been done since before both of them were even born.

After their discourse on social media, let’s look at the stats and the breakdown of two of the top players in the country.

It’ll start first with the current Heisman Trophy favorite in the Boise State running back.

Jeanty is already over 1,000 yards this season with 1,248 yards on just 126 carries. He’s averaging 9.9 yards per rush with 17 touchdowns on the ground.

The biggest concern is that he’s doing it against lesser competition because of Boise State being in the Mountain West.

However, an immediate response could be why another running back hasn't run at this pace over the years. Just because he’s in the Mountain West does not fully diminish what he has done through the halfway point of the season.

Barry Sanders’ 2,850 rushing yard mark in 1988 seemed untouchable. But, Jeanty still likely has at least eight games remaining.

His 208 yards per game mark right now would mean that he would rush for another 1,664 yards. This would put him at 2,912 yards on the season which would break Sanders’ record.

For Hunter, he has not only been Shedeur Sanders’ top receiving threat but he’s also been Colorado’s top cornerback to lock down top receivers.

On offense, he has caught 51 passes for 604 yards and six touchdowns. As a cornerback, he has made 18 tackles and intercepted two balls. He has also made a game-changing forced fumble against Baylor to seal an overtime victory for the Buffaloes.

He is almost certainly at least a top-10 pick in the 2025 NFL Draft and a possible first-overall pick in the upcoming draft.

The injury from Hunter has held him back from adding to his stats. He sat out the second half of Colorado’s win over Arizona to rest his shoulder.

The injury is something to keep an eye out for as he tries to catch the record-setting Jeanty in the Heisman race.

Halfway through, these two players seem to be the top players for the race. However, there are some quarterbacks that could sneak themselves into the conversation.

Dillon Gabriel and Cam Ward are the top two quarterbacks in the Heisman race right now. Both quarterbacks have flaws but also have the ability to dominate which could boost their chances of winning the most prized award.

Andrew Deal is a second-year majoring in broadcast journalism. To contact him, please email asd5765@psu.edu.