Travis Hunter is having a season for the ages. NFL players who can play both offense and defense are impressive for many reasons, not least of which is how rare they are at the highest level. But not only is Hunter playing on both sides of the ball, he’s excelling to an unprecedented extent. Yet, the two-way star was left off the list of finalists for a coveted collegiate award.
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The finalists for various NCAA football awards were announced on Tuesday. To absolutely no one’s surprise, Hunter was featured on the lists for not one, not two, but five of the most prestigious awards in college football.
He is a finalist for the Maxwell Award, for best all-around player (he seems like a shoo-in for this one), the Fred Biletnikoff Award, for best wide receiver, the Chuck Bednarik Award, for best defensive player, the Paul Hornung Award, for the most versatile player (he’s a lock for this one too), and the Walter Camp Award, for most outstanding player.
The list of honors is impressive, and while it is lengthy, there does seem to be one glaring omission here. While Hunter is a finalist for the Chuck Bednarik Award for best defensive player, he is somehow not a finalist for the Jim Thorpe Award, which is given to the best defensive back in the nation.
Instead, the three finalists for the 2024 Award will be: Texas CB Jahdae Barron, Ohio State safety Caleb Downs, and Georgia safety Malaki Starks.
HISTORY AWAITS 🏆 Congratulations to our #ThorpeAward 2024 Finalists
Jahdae Barron @TexasFootball
Caleb Downs @OhioStateFB
Malaki Starks @GeorgiaFootball pic.twitter.com/B8Dk3lFhFG— Paycom Jim Thorpe Award (@jimthorpeaward) November 26, 2024
Colorado Buffaloes head coach Deion Sanders, who won the Jim Thorpe Award in 1988, was asked about Hunter’s snub. The coach was characteristically passionate, and even offered to simply give Hunter his own trophy.
Coach Prime on Travis Hunter not being a finalist for the Jim Thorpe award:
“How is Travis Hunter snubbed by the Thorpe. You can have my award, you can have it back. In fact i’m gonna give him mine” pic.twitter.com/vHHUF24CzA
— DNVR Buffs (@DNVR_Buffs) November 26, 2024
As one might have expected, college football fans—and especially Colorado supporters—also had a lot to say about the oversight.
He’s a better DB than WR…I don’t know much if anything about the Thorpe award finalists…I’ve just never watched a better DB in college football so it’s hard to imagine there are 3 better than Travis in a single year.
— Unsubstantiated (@Unsubstantiated) November 26, 2024
Got totally robbed for finalist of the Thorpe. playing slot and boundary CB and giving up less than 150 yards (less than 15 ypg) all season.
— College Football Bookmarks (@cfballbookmarks) November 26, 2024
So DEFENSIVE BACK Travis Hunter is a finalist for Defensive Player of the Year, but not a finalist for the Jim Thorpe Award.
Feel like he has to be up for both or neither and voters continue to make zero sense. https://t.co/Mge8mKzsiS
— Adam Sheetz (@SheetzAdam) November 26, 2024
Travis Hunter not even a finalist for the Thorpe Award? pic.twitter.com/uQ8R0xYvtS
— Kanard Williams (@WilliamsKanard) November 26, 2024
The fact that Travis Hunter is a nominee for best overall defensive player but not for his own specific position group doesn’t make a whole lot of sense, though there is a somewhat similar precedent. In 2011, Tyrann Mathieu won the Bednarik Award, but his teammate, Morris Claiborne, took home the Jim Thorpe Award.
However, the real question remains: does Hunter actually deserve to be a finalist over the other three guys, regardless of the other awards he’s up for? Let’s take a look.
Barron is the No. 1 rated DB on PFF when it comes to coverage (90.7). Hunter is CB5 in that category (89.6) while Downs (81.7) and Starks (73.0) are not quite as impressive at safety. Barron has four INTs, while Hunter has three, Starks has one, and Downs has none.
Barron’s 32.2 passer rating allowed also paces the group, with Hunter trailing him again at 47.1. The two safeties have allowed significantly higher ratings when targeted. Starks was elite when it came to tackling and run defense, but Downs was seemingly average across the board. Based on the numbers, it seems like Barron and Hunter should be the two contesting the Jim Thorpe Award.
