Travis Hunter secured his third trophy of the season, being named the 2024 AP College Football Player of the Year, as announced by the Associated Press on Thursday.
For Hunter, this is his third major award of the week. On Monday, he received the Lott IMPACT Trophy, awarded to the top defensive player, in Las Vegas. He followed that up on Wednesday by being named the first two-time winner of the Paul Hornung Award, which recognizes the nation’s most versatile player.
A finalist for the Biletnikoff Award, which is given to the top receiver, Hunter has demonstrated his dominance on the offensive side of the ball. He finished first in the Big 12 and fifth in the NCAA in receptions (92), second in the Big 12 and fifth nationally in receiving yards (1,152), led the conference and ranked second in the NCAA in receiving touchdowns (14), and topped the nation in explosive plays.
A closer look reveals just how exceptional Hunter is compared to the rest of the country. According to PFF, he registered 53 first-down receptions, forced 23 missed tackles after the catch, and only had three drops on 122 targets, ranking third in the nation. His overall completion percentage of 80.0 is the third-best in the Power 4 and fifth-best in the FBS, with double the receptions of three of the other top players. When targeted, Hunter posted a quarterback rating of 140.7, the highest in the NCAA.
On defense, Hunter earned an impressive cover grade of 91.1 on PFF, the highest in the FBS. Over 378 cover snaps, he spent 185 snaps in press coverage and was targeted just 38 times, or 10.1% of the time, the fourth-lowest rate in the FBS. Among players with similar percentages, he had the highest grade. He allowed only 22 catches for 205 yards and one touchdown, conceding an FBS-low six first downs. Additionally, he recorded four interceptions and 11 pass breakups.
On defense, Hunter played 688 total snaps, including 658 out of 708, or 92.9%, after excluding the two games he was injured. On offense, he was on the field for 672 snaps, including 610 out of 649, or 94.0%, also factoring out the two games he missed.
In the 27-year history of the award, Hunter is only the second player to play defensive snaps, with Ndamukong Suh being the first in 2009. Out of the 27 years, only five winners have not also won the Heisman Trophy, and only twice in the last 20 seasons.
Hunter is headed to New York as a finalist for the Heisman Trophy, with the ceremony scheduled for Saturday. He is also a finalist for the Maxwell, Bednarik, Biletnikoff, and Walter Camp Awards, which will be announced during tonight’s The Home Depot College Football Awards Show on ESPN at 7:00 p.m. MT.
