Hunter claims Heisman Trophy, the first full-time two-way winner since ’61

The announcement comes, and there’s the ultimate individual prize in college football being lifted proudly by an offensive player.

Usually it’s a quarterback with big passing stats raising the trophy featuring the little bronze guy with the outstretched arm.

But back in 1997, there was Charles Woodson, playing cornerback and occasionally receiver for Michigan, making seven interceptions and catching 11 passes. He became the only primarily defensive player to win the Heisman Trophy.

Twenty-seven years later, there was a flashback in one sense. But Travis Hunter was a different type of two-way candidate, a unique candidate in that he was massively impactful on both sides of the football, a full-time two-way player, catching passes and defending against them, too.

The Colorado junior receiver/cornerback received some of college football’s biggest honors during the week — The Associated Press College Football Player of the Year, the Walter Camp Award as the player of the year and the unprecedented sweep of the Biletnikoff Award as the nation’s top receiver and the Chuck Bednarik Award as the country’s best defensive player.

And so there was no upset at Jazz at Lincoln Center on Saturday night. Hunter was favored to claim the Heisman, and that’s what happened.

The 6-1, 185-pound phenom lifted his award after feeling superstitious and refusing to touch it beforehand. He became the first winner to have played a significant number of snaps on offense and defense since Woodson and the first full-time two-way player to take the Heisman since Ernie Davis in 1961, according to the Heisman staff.

“I’ve got the best trophy in college football,” Hunter said later at the Marriott Marquis.

Hunter winged it with his speech, which was filled with thank yous, from his fiancee and parents to two special guests on hand — his coach, Deion Sanders, with whom he shared a long, tearful hug, and his quarterback, the coach’s son, Shadeur Sanders.

“They changed my life forever,” Hunter said. “I’m thankful for both of you all.”

Boise State running back Ashton Jeanty was second, 214 points behind in the vote tabulation, the closest margin since 2009. Oregon quarterback Dillon Gabriel finished third and Miami quarterback Cam Ward was fourth. It was only the fifth time in the 2000s that the Heisman handoff didn’t go to a QB.

After standing out on offense and defense at Collins Hill High in Georgia, Hunter was ranked as the country’s top recruit. He decommitted from Florida State and took his talents to Jackson State to play for Sanders in 2022.

“I want to be different,” Hunter said. “Me being different makes me feel more comfortable than doing the norm.”

“Prime Time” turned “Coach Prime” moved on to Colorado after that season and Hunter went with him. He became a first-team All-American, a first-team Academic All-American and the Paul Hornung Award winner as the nation’s most versatile player.

Now he’s a two-time Hornung winner and Colorado’s second Heisman owner — the first since the late running back Rashaan Salaam won it in 1994.

The first-team All-Big 12 receiver has grabbed 92 passes for 1,152 yards and 14 touchdowns with just the Alamo Bowl left for the 9-3 Buffaloes.

And the first-team All-Big 12 cornerback — and conference defensive player of the year — has picked off four passes and broken up 11 more, tying for the conference lead.

“He wants to be great at everything,” Deion Sanders said during the Heisman telecast.

The NFL will covet Hunter in the April draft. “The ideal situation?” he said. “Me just playing both sides of the ball.”

Ward is expected to be one of the top two quarterbacks to go along with Shadeur Sanders and surely will be a consideration for the Giants if the draft standings continue on their current course.

The Davey O’Brien Award for the nation’s top quarterback and the ACC’s player and offensive player of the year honors went to Ward.

After two years at Incarnate Word and two at Washington State, Ward has thrown for 4,123 yards and a nation-leading 36 touchdowns for Miami.

If Giants general manager Joe Schoen is still on the job and wants to draft Ward, well, that’s fine by him.

“If Joe wants to come get me, he knows best,” Ward said. “The tape says it all. He’s going to get a competitor out of me. Even though it’s the state of New York, I won’t be in the city probably ever. I’ll stay in New Jersey for all day, every day. It’s too much out here. So I’ll just be vibing and just trying to make some football plays for the Giants.”

Jeanty won the Maxwell Award as college football’s most outstanding player and the Doak Walker Award as the nation’s best running back.

The 5-9, 215-pound junior stands fourth on the FBS’ single-season rushing list at 2,497 yards, but he’s only 132 from passing the leader, Barry Sanders.

And what if the Giants or Jets want him?

“I think it would be cool,” Jeanty said. “I’ve got a bunch of family out here . . . You’re going to get a great player, an amazing running back, a leader on the team.”