Joel Klatt makes a bold comparison between Travis Hunter and Shohei Ohtani following the Colorado two-star Heisman win

Travis Hunter was named the 2024 Heisman Trophy winner on Saturday, recognizing his exceptional contributions on both sides of the field for Colorado. His outstanding performance has been pivotal in the Buffaloes' successful season.

On "The Joel Klatt Show" on Monday, Joel Klatt compared Hunter's exploits to those of Shohei Ohtani. Just as Ohtani's versatility was key to the Los Angeles Dodgers' 2024 World Series success, Klatt believes Hunter's unique two-way prowess makes him one of the few athletes who can match Ohtani's remarkable achievements.

“He's playing All-American football on both sides of the ball,” Klatt said. “Four interceptions, [and] one forced fumble. That forced fumble ended up winning a game. There's only one comp for Travis Hunter and he doesn't wear a football uniform, and that's Shohei Ohtani.”

“Ohtani and what he's doing in baseball, being a premium pitcher and position player, slash hitter is the only comp for what Travis Hunter is doing. This guy is absolutely incredible. His instincts are incredible. His athleticism is through the roof. His football IQ is through the roof.”

As a wide receiver, Hunter delivered an impressive offensive performance, tallying 92 catches for 1,152 yards and 14 touchdowns. Equally remarkable on defense, he shone as a cornerback, amassing 11 pass breakups and four interceptions.

Joel Klatt says Travis Hunter didn’t win the Heisman by snap count

The debates around Travis Hunter’s Heisman win are still swirling. Some fans believe that the Colorado star edged out Ashton Jeanty due to the number of snaps he played. However, Joel Klatt dismissed this claim on his show on Monday.

“There was also some pushback on the fact that it was just his number of snaps. No, I just read off all the accolades that have nothing to do with his snaps. It's just what he was doing in Domination on each side of the ball.”

“And then you've got to take into consideration that he was doing all of that while playing 1,443 snaps of college football. His 1,443 snaps are 387 more snaps than the next closest player in college football. 387 that's a lot. That's a lot.”

Hunter won the Heisman Trophy in New York on Saturday with 2,231 points, narrowly beating Jeanty who had 2,017 points. The 214-point difference marks the narrowest margin of victory since Mark Ingram edged out Toby Gerhart for the award in 2009.