There have been 24 Heisman Trophies handed out since 2000, and 20 of those have gone to QBs. Generally, the best QB in the nation is at least in the conversation, but it seems Colorado QB Shedeur Sanders is going to be an exception this year, and pundit Joel Klatt is having none of that.
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Colorado is definitely a good enough team to field a Heisman Trophy winner this year, but unfortunately, it’s Sanders’ teammate, Travis Hunter, getting all the plaudits. Klatt agrees with that viewpoint and says that Hunter deserves all the attention.
However, he also believes Sanders should be right there with Hunter and other potential finalists, such as Boise State RB Ashton Jeanty, when the Trophy is presented in New York on December 14.
“Shedeur has been fantastic. He’s tied for 2nd in college football with passing touchdowns, with 27. He’s sixth in passing yards. This is a guy that should get mentioned for the Heisman Trophy. Everyone’s gonna focus on his teammate, Travis Hunter. And rightfully so. Travis is probably gonna win that award, but Shedeur should be in New York, he should be a Heisman finalist, he’s the best quarterback in the country,” Klatt said on the Joel Klatt Show.
“If you take away Shedeur, Colorado is not in this position at all.” 🔥@joelklatt credits Shedeur for his vital role in a @cubuffsfootball success story this season 🏆👀 pic.twitter.com/siefmhMH8u
— The Joel Klatt Show: A CFB Pod (@JoelKlattShow) November 22, 2024
The fact that he has the Heisman favorite on his team is likely hurting Sanders’ candidacy. But, as Klatt said, Sanders is widely regarded as the best QB in the country this year, and his importance to Colorado was also magnified when Hunter missed time to injury this year.
Shedeur Sanders has proven he can lead the Buffs without Hunter
As Klatt mentioned, Shedeur Sanders has not just had a great individual season, he has been the engine for Colorado’s turnaround. After going 4-8 last season, they’re at 8-2 with a No. 16 ranking in the country this season, and Sanders, not Travis Hunter, has been the catalyst for that.
“He is more important to Colorado than even Travis is. If you take away Shedeur, Colorado is like, not in this position at all. If you take away Travis, which they’ve had to at times, he didn’t really play against Arizona, he didn’t play in the second half against Kansas State. And they can manage. Now that’s not to take anything away from Travis, who I think is the best player in college football. But the QB is just so vital.”
Klatt was right that the Buffaloes played well without Hunter. Though they lost to Kansas State, they were losing 14-7 before Hunter went out, and when the final whistle blew, they had whittled the lead down to three in a 31-28 loss for Colorado. Sanders threw for three TDs and 388 yards on a wild 85.0 completion percentage.
Against Kansas State, Sanders led the Buffs to the win without Hunter for most of the game. He threw for 250 yards and a pair of scores (though he did also have two INTs) in the 33-23 win.
Klatt also pointed out one of the main reasons Sanders has improved so much from last year to this: protection. Last season, Sanders was second in pressures and sacks taken. This season, while still not elite, the offensive line has done a slightly better job, allowing pressures on 20 percent rather than 25 percent of dropbacks.
“His ability to be protected. If they protect Shedeur, they win going away. When this guy is protected, he is surgical, best in the country,” Klatt added.
Despite all of that, as of this writing, Shedeur Sanders has some work to do on the Heisman front. According to bet365, Hunter is first with -350 odds to win, with Jeanty just behind at +375. Sanders is way down in 8th, with +7,500 odds to win this year’s Heisman Trophy. He’ll have to leapfrog a few other QBs to earn a spot in New York on December 14.
