Rutgers’ Ace Bailey reacts as Heisman finalist Travis Hunter wins top defensive player of the year award

Travis Hunter made headlines when he was named the winner of the Lott IMPACT award on Monday. It prompted a reaction from Rutgers star Ace Bailey.

Hunter showcased his elite abilities as a two-way player for the Colorado Buffaloes, recording 23 tackles, including 16 solo efforts, 11 pass deflections and three interceptions. On offense, he made 74 catches for 911 yards and nine touchdowns.

Bailey took to his Instagram story, only needing three emojis to express his thoughts on Hunter winning the award.

"🔥🔥🔥," Bailey captioned.

Ace Bailey reacts to Travis Hunter winning a Defensive Player of the Year award on Instagram (image credit: instagram/acebailey)

Ace Bailey, Dylan Harper got draft updates from NBA scouts

The duo of Ace Bailey and Dylan Harper has been living up to expectations with the Rutgers Scarlet Knights, garnering plenty of attention from NBA scouts.

As players who would likely be highly coveted prospects in the 2025 NBA draft, the Brooklyn Nets got some early scouting in when Sean Marks attended one of Rutgers' preseason games in October.

With the season well underway, NBA scouts have updated their outlooks on the duo. According to ESPN's Jeremy Woo, while Bailey is putting up a strong stat line of 17.9 points and 6.0 rebounds, scouts have been more critical about the other facets of his game.

"His early play has showcased his immense talent as arguably the best tough shotmaker in this class, but also the incomplete areas of his skill set, which teams are scrutinizing closely in comparison to other candidates atop this draft class," Woo wrote in November.

Harper is getting more attention, and deservingly so. In nine games, he is averaging 23.3 points, on 50.7% shooting from the field, including 31.0% from beyond the arc, 4.6 assists and 4.3 rebounds. Bailey and Harper are the Scarlet Knights' best scorers, helping Bailey get more positive reception from professional scouts.

With a 5-4 record, the Rutgers Scarlet Knights will look to end their three-game losing streak when they face the Penn State Nittany Lions at Jersey Mike's Arena in Piscataway, New Jersey on Tuesday at 7 p.m. ET.