"Did not vote for Travis Hunter": Dan Patrick reveals the reason behind picking Ashton Jeanty as his Heisman winner over CU star

Dan Patrick disclosed his Heisman Trophy ballot on Thursday. The veteran sportscaster was among the 928 voters who awarded Colorado’s Travis Hunter the coveted honor on Saturday. With 2,231 points, the two-way star edged out Ashton Jeanty, who had 2,017 points.

However, Patrick made it known that he didn't have Hunter as the winner of the award on his ballot. The analyst voted for Jeanty to win the award. He explained his decision to back the Boise State running back on “The Dan Patrick Show” on Monday.

“I can now reveal my ballot, I did not vote for Travis Hunter,” Patrick said. “I voted for Ashton Jeanty [at] Boise State. “I factored in that they were in the playoffs and he was putting up numbers very similar to what Barry Sanders did. I didn't think I would ever see that happening.”

Dan Patrick explains the playoffs factor in his ballot

The College Football Playoff played a lot of role in Dan Patrick’s Heisman ballot. Boise State made it while Colorado missed out. This gave Ashton Jeanty an edge over Travis on his ballot. He explained the playoff factor and why he eventually went for Jeanty.

“I'm not punishing Colorado because they didn't make the playoffs but I'm acknowledging that Boise State did,” Patrick said. “And Ashton Jeanty went toe-to-toe with Oregon at Oregon earlier this year. They lost by three. So I factored that in as well. Travis Hunter was second on my list.”

Boise State entered the playoffs as the No. 3 seed after winning the Mountain West championship. The Broncos were the third-highest-ranked conference champion in the playoff, earning a bye in the first round.

Dan Patrick had Shedeur Sanders on his ballot

After Ashton Jeanty and Travis Hunter took the first two places, Dan Patrick rounded off his ballot with Shedeur Sanders. The Colorado quarterback was particularly impressive in 2024, leading his team to a noteworthy season.

“Third on my list was Shedeur Sanders,” Patrick said. “I was impressed with that kid's toughness. He stays in the pocket and gets hit…I was really impressed by him this year…There were a lot of great candidates in there, but it was a lot closer than I thought it was going to be.”

Sanders finished eighth in the Heisman Trophy voting. He earned 47 points with a single first-place vote, seven second-place votes and 30 third-place votes. He was the third among the five quarterbacks on the list.