Procter: Travis Hunter won't win the Heisman. Colorado's two-way star deserves his own award

Travis Hunter is the gift to college football that just keeps on giving. It's time for college football to return the favor.

Through four weeks of the season, people are beginning to realize just how large the gap is between Hunter and the second best player in college football. It's why the projected first-round NFL draft pick is now a popular front runner on many Heisman Trophy watchlists.

It's all a charade, though.

Despite being the best show in college football , deep down, the world knows that Hunter won't be the recipient of the sport's most prestigious award. Heisman voters will find a way to award a quarterback for the fourth consecutive year. They'll say the Colorado football team didn't win enough games, or that another player (quarterback) impacted winning more.

It's a shame, really, because Hunter is doing things that even veteran college football coaches have never seen before.

"He's just an elite player and it's really, really impressive to see what he's doing playing that many snaps," UCF head coach Gus Malzahn said Monday of Hunter. "Since I've been in college football, I've not seen it.

"When you watch him on film, he's the best player on the film in all four games and it's not even close so, yeah, he's an elite guy."

No FBS player has even come close to playing more snaps than Hunter's 532 so far this season. Nevada's Kitan Crawford is the closest with 363. It's not that Hunter is just on the field for nearly every snap of every game, it's that he's dominating on both sides of the ball.

Since Heisman voters likely won't acknowledge this generational talent for what he truly is, Hunter deserves his own award.

There is an entire generation of kids out there who are captivated by Hunter and want to replicate his two-way impact at the college level.

Don't believe it?

Look no further than Class of 2026 four-star athlete CJ Sadler from Detroit, Michigan, who has offers from Alabama, Michigan, Ohio State, Oregon and others. On Monday, Sadler was clearly motivated by Hunter's latest performance, posting "I want to play both sides of the ball in college!!!" on X.

Hunter is inspiring football players across the nation to challenge the status-quo.

One day, elite athletes playing both sides of the ball in college won't be taboo.

Sadler and others like him might be a future Travis Hunter Award winner.

It has a ring to it, doesn't it?

Travis Hunter's two-way dominance is unprecedented

It's not hyperbole to say that Hunter is arguably the best receiver and cornerback in college football.

He's fourth in FBS with 37 receptions and his 14 tackles are the most of any Power Five cornerback without having missed one this season.

After torching Baylor for 130 receiving yards on seven catches in Week 4, Hunter became the first Colorado player in program history with five consecutive 100-yard receiving games.

That five-game run of offensive excellence should be enough to warrant Heisman consideration by itself, but his defensive contributions are what make him the clear choice.

Hunter also made three solo tackles in the overtime win, including the game-clinching stop on the final play. He dislodged the football from Baylor running back Dominic Richardson at the goal line to send Folsom Field into a frenzy and made history in the process.

According to ESPN, Hunter is the first FBS player in the last 20 seasons with 100 receiving yards and a defensive forced fumble in a single game. As crazy as it sounds, Hunter still felt like he had something to prove before that final snap.

"Defensive coordinator, he trusts me a lot to go get the ball," Hunter said of the final play postgame. "I mean, Shedeur told me to go out there and get the ball once we scored (in overtime). So I told him I got you, and I kept my word. I mean, I knew I had to tackle. You can see me putting in my mouthpiece late on the play, so l was already ready. I knew they were coming at me. They don't think I could tackle, so I had to show them."

Who else in college football can lead their team in receiving yards (472, sixth in FBS) and make a game-winning play on defense?

Travis Hunter. That's who.

Travis Hunter is an unselfish superstar

To even get to overtime vs. Baylor, Hunter and Colorado needed a miracle.

Trailing by a touchdown on the final play of regulation, Shedeur Sanders connected with LaJohntay Wester on a 43-yard Hail Mary. The season-altering play might not have involved Hunter directly, but he was the mastermind behind it.

"I told Coach to let me go to the side by myself because I knew they'd have more people over there on me, and they give our guys on the backside a 1-on-1 opportunity, which they did," Hunter said postgame of the Hail Mary. "They did exactly what we thought. They had three people on me and everybody else backside had a 1-on-1 chance.

"I just know sometimes you have to step back and let the team go ahead and play their role and let them come down with a good play. I trusted the process. At the end of the play, you can see me already halfway over there, because I'm expecting the ball to go over there already."

Hunter knew his mere presence would draw multiple Baylor defenders, allowing his teammate to make a spectacular play.

If you think Hunter's greatness is limited to his physical ability, you're wrong. He has a special football IQ, too.

"I put myself on the opposite side to help my guys get a chance," Hunter said. "I just wanted us to have a chance."

Follow Colorado Buffaloes sports reporter Scott Procter on X .

This article originally appeared on Fort Collins Coloradoan: Procter: Travis Hunter won't win the Heisman. Colorado's two-way star deserves his own award