Heisman Watch: Are Travis Hunter’s Heisman chances dwindling?

Just how realistic are Travis Hunter’s Heisman chances?

The star defensive back and wide receiver is still the No. 4 favorite for the Heisman Trophy at BetMGM, though his odds are far behind a clear top three. Hunter (+1800), trails Boise State RB Ashton Jeanty (+200), Miami QB Cam Ward (+240) and Oregon QB Dillon Gabriel (+400) in the Heisman race ahead of Week 9 and his odds are just shorter than Clemson QB Cade Klubnik (+2000).

Hunter’s odds have gotten longer over the past two weeks as he suffered a shoulder injury against Kansas State. He was knocked out of the game late in the first half after taking a hard hit and didn’t play at all in the second half.

Hunter played in Colorado’s blowout win over Arizona in Week 8, but he watched the second half in street clothes and was limited when he was on the field. Though he missed just one offensive snap, Hunter played just 13 defensive snaps.

Hunter’s the most unique player in college football. No player has been able to play on both sides of the ball at such a high level in the modern era. He’s been Colorado’s top receiver and No. 1 cornerback ever since he stepped on the field last September and routinely plays over 100 plays per game.

However, the high number of plays also means more chances for Hunter to get injured. He missed three games a season ago with a lacerated liver after taking a huge hit against Colorado State.

Despite missing those three games, Hunter was still named an All-American and is on track to be named an All-American once again. But the Heisman could be out of reach if Hunter continues to be limited.

Sanders said Tuesday that Hunter is “healthier” heading into Saturday’s game against Cincinnati and that he thinks “he’ll have more productivity because he’s feeling much better than last week.” Against Arizona, Hunter had two catches for 17 yards and one tackle.

But will Hunter be able to play in the vast majority of Colorado’s offensive and defensive snaps? Hunter’s value in the Heisman race lies largely with his ability to be on the field so much. If he’s limited to more of an offensive role, he’s merely a very good wide receiver playing some on defense. Hunter is Colorado’s leading receiver and has 17 more catches than anyone else, but he has 51 grabs through seven games and is averaging just 11.8 yards a catch.

That’s not close to a Heisman-level output.

If Hunter isn’t limited going forward and Colorado continues to be in the thick of the Big 12 race, the junior has every chance to keep his name in the conversation through November. But if neither of those things happen, Hunter’s Heisman chances are basically zero.

Here are four other players to watch in Week 9.

Boise State RB Ashton Jeanty: UNLV coach Barry Odom is already joking that he’s going to try to put 12 or 13 defenders on the field in an attempt to stop Jeanty on Friday night. The game between the Rebels and Broncos is a potential Mountain West championship preview. Too bad it’s at 10:30 p.m. ET.

Miami QB Cam Ward: The Washington State transfer continues to put up eye-popping numbers with the Hurricanes. He threw for 319 yards and four touchdowns in Miami’s win over Louisville. Ward has thrown 24 TD passes through seven games and leads the country with 2,538 yards.

Oregon QB Dillon Gabriel: Are the Ducks facing their biggest remaining test of the season on Saturday? Oregon hosts No. 20 Illinois and has no other ranked teams on the schedule, though there are trips to Michigan and Wisconsin still to come. Gabriel’s thrown for 2,080 yards this season and is completing 77% of his passes.

LSU QB Garrett Nussmeier: The Tigers’ signal-caller has the biggest chance of anyone to jump into the thick of the Heisman race in Week 9 as LSU visits Texas A&M. The Tigers and Aggies are the only two teams remaining in the SEC without a conference loss and Nussmeier could end up with the best stats of any QB in the SEC by the time the season is over.