Ashton Jeanty finishes close second in AP player of the year voting

Colorado two-way star Travis Hunter named AP player of the year

Boise State Broncos running back Ashton Jeanty. / Troy Wayrynen-Imagn Images

Colorado’s Travis Hunter is expected to lift the Heisman Trophy this weekend, and the two-way star picked up another honor before heading to New York City. 

Thursday morning, Hunter was named The Associated Press college football player of the year, earning 26 of 43 votes from a panel of AP top 25 voters. Boise State running back Ashton Jeanty received 16 votes while Arizona State running back Cameron Skattebo earned one vote.

“Couldn’t do what I do without my team,” Hunter said in the release. “So I view being up for these awards as team awards.”

Hunter has dominated on both sides of the ball this season, recording 92 catches for 1,152 yards and 14 touchdowns with four interceptions on defense. He is set to become the first two-way player to win the Heisman Trophy since Michigan’s Charles Woodson in 1997.

The 23rd-ranked Buffaloes (9-3) were not selected for the College Football Playoff and will face No. 17 BYU (10-2) in the Alamo Bowl on Dec. 28. Colorado head coach Deion Sanders said Hunter and quarterback Shedeur Sanders plan to play in the unusual Big 12 vs. Big 12 matchup. 

Jeanty is having one of the best running back seasons in college football history for Boise State (12-1), which earned the No. 3 overall seed for the College Football Playoff. The Broncos will take on the winner of a first-round matchup between between No. 6 Penn State (11-2) and No. 11 SMU (11-2) in the Fiesta Bowl on Dec. 31. 

Jeanty enters the College Football Playoff with 344 carries for 2,497 yards and 29 touchdowns, leading the nation in all three categories. He ranks fourth on the FBS all-time single-season rushing list, trailing only Oklahoma State’s Barry Sanders (2,628 yards, 1988 season), Wisconsin’s Melvin Gordon (2,587, 2014) and UCF’s Kevin Smith (2,567, 2007).

The 5-foot-9, 215-pound back will need 132 yards in the College Football Playoff to break Sanders’ record. 

No running back has won the Heisman Trophy since Alabama’s Derrick Henry in 2015.

Skattebo has shined for the fourth-seeded Sun Devils (11-2), running for 1,568 yards and 19 touchdowns on 263 carries. He had 16 carries for 170 yards and two touchdowns as Arizona State routed Iowa State in the Big 12 Championship, 45-19. 

Hunter is a -2000 favorite to win the Heisman Trophy in the latest DraftKings odds. Jeanty is next at +800, followed by Oregon quarterback Dillon Gabriel (+25000) and Miami quarterback Cam Ward (+50000).  

The 2024 Heisman Trophy will be presented on Saturday in New York City. The ESPN television broadcast is scheduled to begin at 6 p.m. Mountain time. 

MORE BOISE STATE NEWS & ANALYSIS

• Boise State quarterback Malachi Nelson, former five-star prospect, enters transfer portal

• Boise State announces 2025 Mountain West opponents

• Coaching carousel: Former Boise State coaches Bryan Harsin, Justin Wilcox team up; Broncos lose assistant to UCF

• ‘Thighs-man:’ Ashton Jeanty adds another NIL deal

• Boise State coach Spencer Danielson: Several Broncos ‘are getting illegally recruited to get in the portal’

FOLLOW US ON SOCIAL MEDIA

Continue to follow our Boise State coverage on social media by liking us on Facebook and following us on Twitter.