Travis Hunter Named 2024 AP College Football Player of the Year over Ashton Jeanty

In the first major award race between Travis Hunter and Ashton Jeanty, the Colorado superstar came out on top.

The Associated Press announced on Thursday that Hunter has been named its 2024 College Football Player of the Year. He received 26 out of a possible 43 votes from a panel of AP Top 25 voters.

Jeanty finished second with 16 votes. Arizona State running back Cameron Skattebo received the other vote to finish in third place.

Hunter and Jeanty have been vying for the top spot in the Heisman race all season. Hunter's case is built on his ability to play at a high level on both sides of the ball.

The Colorado sensation finished the regular season ranked second in the nation in receiving touchdowns (14), fifth in receptions (92) and sixth in receiving yards (1,152) on offense. He also finished tied for eighth in pass breakups (11) and tied for 17th in interceptions (four).

Despite the individual accolades, Hunter gave credit for his success this season to his teammates.

"Couldn't do what I do without my team," Hunter said in an email to Pat Graham of the AP as part of the award announcement. "So I view being up for these awards as team awards."

Jeanty led Boise State to a Mountain West title and an appearance in the College Football Playoff. He has the fourth-highest single-season rushing total in FBS history with 2,497 yards and at least one more game to play to catch Barry Sanders' record of 2,628 yards.

Skattebo was the surprise finisher in the AP voting. He certainly deserved consideration as the driving force on offense for the Big 12 champion Sun Devils. The sophomore has 2,074 yards from scrimmage and 22 total touchdowns in 12 games.

Both Hunter and Jeanty were named finalists for the Heisman Trophy this week, but Skattebo did not make the cut. Quarterbacks Dillon Gabriel of Oregon and Cam Ward of Miami are the other two finalists who will be in New York for the ceremony.