Joel Klatt makes a solid case for Travis Hunter over not-so-over-the-top defensive stats during 2024 CFB season

Last weekend, Travis Hunter, the two-way star of the Colorado Buffaloes, won the Heisman Trophy. However, there was a notable difference in the performances of Hunter when he played on offense to when he played on the defensive side of the ball.

He was the main part of the Buffaloes' offense this year. Without him, Shedeur Sanders would not have had the same amount of success. But, the same cannot be said for when Hunter was on defense.

His impact was minimal. However, according to college football analyst Joel Klatt, there was a reason for this.

"I've heard people take swipes at his defensive numbers. It's like 'Well, he doesn't have defensive numbers.' Exactly. Because the ball doesn't go his way ... He got no action, because every offensive coordinator and quarterback would go into that game and say: 'We're not throwing at number 12, because number 12 is the best corner in the country.'"

This season, Travis Hunter recorded 31 tackles and 11 pass deflections. This is not a lot, especially not enough to win the Heisman Trophy.

However, at least according to Klatt, these numbers are less than convincing not due to his abilities, but because the ball was never thrown towards him.

This was because the quarterbacks believed that Travis Hunter was the best in the country, so the best way to limit his impact was to put the ball in a completely different area.

This argument does make some sense. Obviously, quarterbacks do want to avoid their passes getting into the hands of talented players on the opposite team.

Joel Klatt reveals why he voted for Travis Hunter

Unsurprisingly, Joel Klatt voted for Travis Hunter to win the Heisman Trophy. He explained why he did this, saying:

"Travis Hunter was doing things that we’ve never seen before in the history of the sport. We might never see it again. It wasn’t just a historic season. It was a totally unprecedented season. He was doing things that quite frankly bend the mind.

"The number of snaps and the level at which he played in those snaps is just something I don’t think we’re ever going to see again."

Travis Hunter did have a very strong season of offense. He caught 14 touchdowns and recorded over 1,000 receiving yards. He also ended up playing almost every snap of the game, which is an achievement in its own right.

However, the Heisman Trophy is not decided on snap counts, otherwise, dual-position players would be a common sight.