Making a case for each Heisman Trophy finalist

The Heisman Trophy finalists have been announced as Boise State’s Ashton Jeanty, Miami’s Cam Ward, Oregon’s Dillon Gabriel, and Colorado’s Travis Hunter will be heading to New York for the ceremony.

The most prestigious award in college football will be awarded on Saturday night as one of these four incredible football players will become the 89th member of the Heisman brotherhood.

While odds may point to their being a clear favorite, I believe each of these finalists have a legit argument for why they should win.

I now present a case for why each finalist should win the 2024 Heisman Trophy.

Ashton Jeanty had one of the greatest seasons we have seen from a running back in quite some time. 

Not only has he put up video game-like numbers, with 2,497 yards and 29 touchdowns on the ground, he also led his Group of 5 school to the College Football Playoff and first round bye. In fact the Broncos did not even need the Group of 5 bid to get into the bracket as they finished ranked No.9 much in thanks to the play of Jeanty. 

After rushing for 267 yards and 6 TD’s in the first game of the season, there is no question that defenses would fully focus on slowing down Jeanty the rest of the year, but that did not stop him. 

Rushing for 100+ in every game, surpassing 200 six times, and averaging 7.3 yards per carry is certainly Heisman worthy in my book.

After Miami had been held back for years due to the lack of talent at the quarterback position, Cam Ward came in and was the savior for the Canes. 

Ward sits at second in total passing yards this season with 4,123 and the guy who he is behind (Kyle McCord) has thrown the ball 123 more times than him. He is also second in total touchdowns with 41 and was unequivocally the motor behind of the top offense in college football. 

With a really bad defense Ward had to literally carry his team to victory at times and provided some incredible Heisman moments while doing so in comeback victories against Virginia Tech and Cal. While two losses that kept the Hurricanes out of the playoff really hurt Ward’s chances, what he has done this season makes him a worthy candidate.

Dillon Gabriel is the quarterback of the undefeated No.1 team in the country, which most years would have been good enough alone to take home the award. 

While his team has been great, Gabriel is the straw that stirs the drink on the offensive side of the ball for the Ducks. He has been incredibly efficient and consistent this season with a 73.2% completion rate and only six interceptions thrown. 

He led the Oregon offense to 30+ points in 11 of their 13 games and has used his legs when needed with seven rushing touchdowns on the season. While a great team surrounding him may take away from his play this year, you cannot ignore the QB who has impressively led the best team all year long.

Playing both sides of the ball Travis Hunter does it all which is something that none of the other finalists, and no one else in all of college football, can say. Not only does Hunter play offense and defense but he does it really really well. 

Possibly the most well-rounded player college football has ever seen has caught the ball 92 times for 1,152 yards and 14 touchdowns while making 31 tackles and 4 interceptions on the defensive side of the ball. As a defensive back he only allowed one touchdown and had one of the lowest target rates in college football. 

Comparing two-way player and 1997 Heisman Trophy winner Charles Woodson’s numbers on offense (12 rec, 238 yds, 2TD’s) is laughable when looking at what Hunter did this year. 

The numbers speak for themselves and just simply watching him play makes it obvious that no one had more of an in-game impact in college football this season than Travis Hunter.

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