Former NFL and Alabama running back Shaun Alexander explains why Colorado star Travis Hunter should win the Heisman.
College football's best players will head to New York this weekend, where one man will be awarded the Heisman Trophy.
After months of games, two players have emerged as the clear favorites: Colorado's Travis Hunter and Boise State's Ashton Jeanty.
The former is a two-way star who is doing things never before seen, while the latter is breaking rushing records while leading a non-power program to the College Football Playoff.
Former NFL MVP Shaun Alexander, who was a Heisman finalist and finished seventh in 1999 for Alabama, sat down with NBC to discuss who he thinks should win the award. Despite being a former running back, Alexander surprisingly sided with Hunter over Jeanty.
"Travis plays so many plays," Alexander explained. "It is hard to even think that a guy can cut off half the field when it comes to passes in the secondary and still be that guy all over the field. But definitely in the red zone, he's pretty marvelous, man. So I lean more towards Travis, just because I'm amazed to see a kid have that many snaps and be pretty solid through the whole game. It's pretty amazing."
While Hunter's defense is what impresses Alexander the most, his offense is just as dominant. He has 92 receptions for 1,152 yards and 14 receiving touchdowns while helping lead Colorado's turnaround from 4-8 to 9-3.
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Jeanty, meanwhile, has a staggering 2,497 rushing yards in 13 games -- 837 more than the next-closest rusher and fourth most in a single season ever. The Broncos will get at least one more game after making the playoff as the No. 3 seed, and he can break Barry Sanders' 1988 record with 132 more yards.
NCAAF
The Heisman Trophy ceremony is set for Saturday, Dec. 14, at 8 p.m. ET on ESPN. Finalists will be revealed Monday, Dec. 9, at 6 p.m. ET, with Hunter and Jeanty all but confirmed to be included.
