Heisman Watch 2024: Highlighting Race's Front-Runners After Week 11

The Heisman Trophy race between Travis Hunter and Ashton Jeanty is one of the closest in recent memory.

Hunter is putting together one of the best two-way seasons in college football history, while Jeanty is running all over every defense he plays.

Both players have a strong case to earn first-place votes, and each could lead their teams to the College Football Playoff.

The one guarantee right now about the Heisman is that a quarterback likely will not win the award.

However, if a signal-caller were to make a surge in the coming weeks, it would be either Cam Ward or Dillon Gabriel.

Travis Hunter

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BOULDER, CO - OCTOBER 26: Travis Hunter #12 of the Colorado Buffaloes catches a pass int he first quarter against the Cincinnati Bearcats at Folsom Field on October 26, 2024 in Boulder, Colorado. (Photo by Dustin Bradford/Getty Images)

Travis Hunter produced his fifth game with nine or more receptions and sixth game with at least 90 receiving yards on Saturday.

The two-way star also scored for the Colorado Buffaloes in their win over the Texas Tech Red Raiders.

Hunter's explosiveness on offense combined with Colorado's ascension up the Big 12 standings put him in a terrific spot to capture the Heisman.

Colorado controls its own destiny to reach the Big 12 Championship Game. All three of its remaining opponents are unranked, so there is a chance for the Buffaloes to run up the score and Hunter to pad his offensive statistics.

The games against the Utah Utes, Kansas Jayhawks and Oklahoma State Cowboys will also allow Hunter to flex his defensive muscle and potentially add some interceptions to his resume.

Ashton Jeanty

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BOISE, ID - NOVEMBER 9: Running back Ashton Jeanty #2 of the Boise State Broncos pushes off the tackle of safety Kitan Crawford #4 of the Nevada Wolf Pack during the first half at Albertsons Stadium on November 9, 2024 in Boise, Idaho. (Photo by Loren Orr/Getty Images)

All Ashton Jeanty can do is just keep posting ridiculous stat lines in the Boise State Broncos' ground game.

He ran for 209 yards and three touchdowns in Saturday's win over the Nevada Wolf Pack, and he had 30-plus carries for the fourth straight game.

Jeanty has 400 more rushing yards than anyone else in the FBS and leads the division with 23 rushing touchdowns. Only three other players have 20 or more scores.

He has an opportunity to reach the 2,000-yard mark in his next matchup with the San Jose State Spartans.

He likely needs to get close to 2,500 rushing yards to contend with Hunter's two-way performances, but if he does get there, Jeanty should take some first-place votes away from the Colorado star.

Cam Ward

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ATLANTA, GEORGIA - NOVEMBER 9: Cam Ward #1 of the Miami Hurricanes warms up prior to the game against the Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets at Bobby Dodd Stadium on November 9, 2024 in Atlanta, Georgia. (Photo by Todd Kirkland/Getty Images)

Cam Ward's Heisman stock took a small hit due to the Miami Hurricanes' loss to the Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets.

The quarterback threw for 348 yards and three touchdowns, but he was unable to keep Miami's unbeaten run going.

Ward and Miami are still in a strong spot to win the ACC and qualify for the College Football Playoff, but now they have to be perfect to conclude the regular season.

Ward, who has 3,494 passing yards and 32 touchdowns, seems like the best quarterback prospect to win the Heisman right now, but he needs some massive performances in November to pull close to Hunter and Jeanty.

Dillon Gabriel

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EUGENE, OREGON - NOVEMBER 9: Quarterback Dillon Gabriel #8 of the Oregon Ducks warms up before the game against the Maryland Terrapins at Autzen Stadium on November 9, 2024 in Eugene, Oregon. (Photo by Ali Gradischer/Getty Images)

Dillon Gabriel should at least receive an invitation to the Heisman ceremony in New York.

The quarterback of the No. 1 team in the country threw for three more touchdowns in Saturday's triumph over the Maryland Terrapins.

Gabriel does not have comparable numbers to Ward, but he is doing a tremendous job navigating Oregon through the Big Ten and to an undefeated mark so far.

Gabriel has 2,848 passing yards and 22 touchdowns. He should add to those numbers in the next two games, but he probably won't put up stratospheric numbers that put him close to Ward on the list of Heisman contenders.