"I don't play football for the awards" - Heisman frontrunner Travis Hunter drops bold response amid Jim Thorpe Award snub

Colorado Buffaloes two-way star Travis Hunter was surprisingly not among the three finalists for the prestigious Jim Thorpe Award that was announced on Tuesday by the Oklahoma Committee. The three finalists were Texas Longhorns' Jahdae Barron, Georgia Bulldogs' Malaki Starks and Ohio State Buckeyes' Caleb Downs.

The controversial decision has led to mixed opinions among football pundits. On Wednesday during an appearance on the "Overtime" podcast, Hunter made a bold statement about missing out on the award.

"How can a corner win the best Defensive Player of the Year and not be on a cornerback award?" Hunter said. "There are a lot of people that don't like him (Deion Sanders) and I know that could affect some of the awards that I win or the awards that I don't. I just don't get it.

"It's gonna hurt but at the same time I don't play football for the awards, I play it because I love it. I definitely don't got a shot at winning the Defensive Player of the Year Award because I'm not even on the Thorpe Award. How am I supposed to trust the committee? They are either gonna choose me or not. I'm gonna keep playing and being Travis."

Travis Hunter's snub blamed on Deion Sanders

Colorado coach Deion Sanders has been a highly divisive figure in the FBS since he arrived as the Buffaloes coach in 2022 and this facet of his perception has been credited with Travis Hunter's Jim Thorpe Award snub.

In a clip posted on X on Wednesday, former NFL star Robert Griffin blamed the Oklahoma Committee for punishing Hunter for his affiliation with Sanders.

"Stop punishing Travis Hunter just because Deion Sanders is his coach," Griffin said. "It is clear and obvious that Hunter should have been a finalist for the Jim Thorpe Award. But for some reason, he was left off the list! Shoutout to Texas cornerback Jahdae Barron, Ohio State safety Caleb Downs and Georgia safety Malaki Starks. All three of those young men are straight ballers!

"But among those three finalists, Hunter ranks, second in interceptions, first in passes defended and fourth in tackles. So didn't they really vote for him to be a finalist because he didn't have as many tackles as the other guys? Since when is getting tackles as a corner a good thing?"

Travis Hunter has gotten plenty of backing after missing out on the Jim Thorpe Award and the decision will likely generate headlines if he continues to be impressive on the defensive side of the ball.