The Heisman Trophy is annually awarded to the most outstanding college football player. Boise State’s running back Ashton Jeanty and Colorado’s two-way star Travis Hunter are the two biggest names in college football and finalists for the award. As of the last week of the regular season, their NIL valuations are a combined $4.8 million, which is already more than the average NFL contract. They each have some of the strongest cases for the Heisman in the last century.

Ashton Jeanty’s Case

The last running back to win the Heisman was Derrick Henry in 2015 for Alabama. Henry ran for 1,986 yards and 23 touchdowns in the regular season and led his team to a 14-1 record and the unanimous number 1 ranking heading into the College Football Playoff. The team’s only loss was early in the season against Ole Miss, who finished the season ranked 10th.  Despite the loss, Henry had 127 yards and 1 touchdown.

Ashton Jeanty is arguably having one of the best regular seasons of all time. He ran for 2,497 yards and 29 touchdowns, leading Boise State to a 12-1 record and the third seed in the College Football Playoff. The team's one loss was against the number 1 ranked Oregon Ducks, who finished 13-0. In the loss, Jeanty had 192 yards and 3 touchdowns on 25 carries.

He finished the season 4th all-time in the single-season rushing record books, despite sitting out three second halves during blowouts. He led the nation in rushing yards, rushing touchdowns, average yards per carry (min. 175 attempts), total touchdowns, total points, and carried Boise State’s offense to the 3rd highest-scoring offense in the NCAA. In the Mountain West Championship, he rushed for 209 yards and a touchdown on 32 carries to cap off his team's 21-7 win.

He is also nominated for the Maxwell Award (national player of the year), the Walter Camp Award (nation’s most outstanding player), and the Doak Walker Award (nation’s best running back).

Travis Hunter’s Case

Travis Hunter, the top-ranked recruit in his high school class, has been in sports headlines since 2021 when he shocked the college football world by flipping his commitment from Florida State to a small HBCU, Jackson State University. The choice was influenced by the hiring of Deion Sanders, one of the best two-way football players ever, as the head coach of Jackson State. Hunter was the first five-star recruit to commit to an HBCU or even an FCS school.

Hunter has an incredible case for the Heisman with his stellar play at wide receiver and cornerback. Excluding games he exited due to injury, he averages a whopping 120 snaps per game. Offensively, he finished the season with the 5th most receiving yards and the 2nd most receiving touchdowns. Defensively, he had 4 interceptions and forced the game-saving fumble against Baylor in overtime, showing his ability to make big-time plays.

He is also a finalist for the Maxwell Award (national player of the year), the Walter Camp Award (nation’s most outstanding player), the Fred Biletnikoff (nation’s best wide receiver), the Chuck Bednarik Award(nation’s best defensive player), and the Paul Hornung Award (nation’s most versatile player).

Jeanty’s Flaw

There’s the belief that Jeanty wouldn’t have put up these types of numbers against teams not in the Mountain West and that Hunter has had to play better teams all season. Despite his easier schedule, Jeantye is usually pulled in the second half of blowout games, which limits his production.

Hunter’s Flaw

The most common criticism of Hunter’s case is that snaps on the field shouldn’t carry this much weight in a Heisman case. Yes, stats aren’t necessarily a real stat, but they show proof of Hunter's game. He impacts the game by just being on the field; QBs don’t want to throw his way, and he takes out opponent’s top defensive backs every game. You have to focus the game plan around the fact that you’re playing such a threat. He’s the best player on the field for every snap, and if he plays the most snaps, he can make the biggest impact.

The other criticism of Hunter’s case is that he’s not the best at either position he plays, so he doesn’t deserve the Heisman. However, he is nominated as the best receiver and the best defensive player in the country.

Conclusion

Who should be the 2025 Heisman winner? Ashton Jeanty.

He has put up the second-best season for a running back ever, behind only Barry Sanders's historic 1988 campaign. Hunter has had a stellar season and, in any other year, would likely be the winner. With no pre-heisman silverware, Hunter hasn’t done enough to beat Jeanty.