Last night, Dec. 14, the internet broke into outrage in the adamant belief that only one name should’ve been announced as the Heisman Trophy winner: Ashton Jeanty.
The Heisman Trophy lost immense credibility when Travis Hunter was named winner.
Before last night, the award was nationally known to be given to the nation’s most outstanding football player. Now, it’s seen as a popularity contest.
Jeanty lost by only 243 first place votes and 214 total points, the smallest margin between a victory since 2009 (Mark Ingram and Toby Gerhart).
The other finalists, Dillon Gabriel and Cam Ward, had 30 first place votes combined.
The People’s Heisman:
Although Jeanty came short of earning the award, he won the fan vote and people across the nation named him “The People’s Heisman”.
The Boise State running back captured the heart of Bronco Nation and left fans protesting against Hunter’s win.
The trending comments behind various Heisman Instagram posts speak for themselves:
“Winning with worse stats and not even making the playoffs is insane”
“JEANTY ROBBED”
“Travis Hunter is the media’s Heisman. Ashton Jeanty is the people’s Heisman”
“WOW WHAT A POPULARITY CONTEST!!!”
“You know what? Light the f*cking fire it’s time to bring that natty home”
“Telling my kids Jeanty won the Heisman”
“JUSTICE 4 JEANTY”
“Hunter ruined the name of the most esteemed award in college football”
Fans are upset for good reason.
Here are the top five reasons why Jeanty was robbed of the Heisman Trophy:
- Numbers don’t lie
Jeanty is first in every single category that he’s a part of, Travis Hunter is not.
All season long, people have compared Ashton Jeanty to Barry Sanders, the greatest running back that has ever stepped foot in college football.
Jeanty is just 131 yards short of passing Barry Sanders’ rushing record of 2,628 yards, and still has another guaranteed game to surpass that record.
In addition, Jeanty has outdone the most recent running back Heisman winner, Derrick Henry in every stat possible.
In spite of every team stacking the defensive line against him, Jeanty managed to total 344 carries for 2,497 rushing yards and 29 touchdowns so far this season.
- Jeanty lead his team to the College Football Playoffs
Jeanty paved the way for the Broncos to win the 2024 Mountain West Championship and earn the spot to play for a national title.
He led the Broncos to a No. 3 seed in the College Football Playoffs for the first time in Boise State history, a reason in itself Jeanty deserved the award.
On the other hand, Hunter plays on both sides of the ball and still wasn’t able to bring the Buffaloes to a Big 12 Championship Game or the College Football Playoffs.
- Popularity Contest
A major reason Hunter became a fan favorite was due to his internet famous coach, Deion Sanders, better known as “Coach Prime.”
Coach Prime is well known for his 2022 documentary following his coaching at Jackson State University.
This resulted in Hunter receiving extra media attention, as evidenced by five time Grammy rapper Lil Wayne attending the ceremony alongside him.
The Heisman results leave fans wondering what a Group of Five (G5) player has to do to get a fair chance in winning the trophy. Is it even possible?
- Jeanty is best at his position
Although Hunter excelled on both sides of the ball as wide receiver and cornerback, he statistically was not the best player at either position.
Yes, Hunter had an exceptional 1,443 snaps this season — but a snap is not a stat.
Meanwhile, there is no question that Jeanty earned the title of best college running back this season, as well as arguably the best in NCAA history.
- Jeanty left a legacy
The Heisman Trophy historically goes to not only the top player in college football but the player who leaves the most impact on their team’s success.
Jeanty could’ve easily transferred to another school with a more recognized program, but he chose to stick with a G5 team in order to leave a lasting impact.
He has rewritten the Boise State record book, setting multiple touchdown and rushing records.
His legacy goes beyond the blue, as he created the Ashton Jenaty Endowed Scholarship to help raise money for future Boise State football student-athletes. Over 450 supporters have already donated nearly $180,000.
With all of that being said, fans should expect an outstanding Fiesta Bowl game performance from Jeanty on Dec. 31 as he hints that the Heisman results have added even more fuel to his fire.
“I really felt like I should have walked away with the award,” Jeanty said in a post ceremony interview. “There’s a lot more to come. This isn’t the end, this is just the beginning. I just gotta do that and much more to get the things that I want.”
This Post Has 3 Comments
Great article and so true !!
So real, great article!
A very good argument!