Travis Hunter named the player sportsbooks fear the most as the 2024 college football season nears

The race for the 2024 Heisman Trophy will soon be underway on the field, but sports bettors have already shifted the market. Early betting action has helped Dillon Gabriel leap over Carson Beck as the favorite. But it's how Colorado Buffaloes two-way playmaker Travis Hunter has affected sportsbooks that's most interesting.

Hunter, who earned an All-American spot after blowing everyone away with his remarkable talent at both cornerback and wide receiver, figures to be a top 15 pick in the 2025 NFL Draft. He caught 57 passes for 721 yards and five touchdowns, plus he added 30 tackles and three interceptions in nine games last year.

The former 5-star joined head coach Deion Sanders to Jackson State as the top overall recruit before transferring with Sanders to Colorado last offseason. Now, sportsbooks are reporting to AtoZ Sports that Hunter has the second-highest betting handle rate and is the biggest liability to their business if he were to win the Heisman Trophy.

A whopping 11.2 percent of the total handle is going to Hunter, trailing only Gabriel at 13.7 percent. That's higher than his teammate Shedeur Sanders and Beck.

What does this mean? Most notably, sportsbooks are highly vulnerable for a player at +5000 odds to win the Heisman. BetMGM odds show they might be underpricing the talented junior compared what the public thinks. Between his ability to produce on both sides of the ball, talent, and name recognition, Hunter has at least a chance of becoming the next Charles Woodson.

The reality for sportsbooks is Hunter doesn't even need to win the Heisman to be an issue for them. Jabrill Peppers was a Heisman finalist as a two-way player less than a decade ago, and Hunter is a much better talent. The biggest question is whether Colorado will win enough for Hunter to be relevant come December.

Will you bet on Travis Hunter to win the Heisman Trophy? Let us know!