Colorado’s Travis Hunter capped off an amazing 2024 college football season by winning multiple awards. One player winning multiple honors isn’t that unusual, but Hunter’s accomplishment is something that’s never been done before.
On Thursday night at the college football awards presentation, Hunter captured the Bednarik Award and the Biletnikoff Award. The Bednarik honors the best defensive player in college football, while the Biletnikoff goes to the top pass catcher in the nation, as chosen by voters. Hunter is (obviously) the first player to win both in the same season.
Hunter is also a finalist and front-runner for the Heisman Trophy, which will be awarded on Saturday night. The two-way athletic wonder is a prime candidate to be the first player selected in the 2025 NFL Draft, as well. Hunter has indicated a desire to continue playing both offense and defense in the NFL, though it remains to be seen if any NFL team will give him that chance or instead make him choose either cornerback or wide receiver.
As a disclaimer, I am a voter for both awards. I voted for Hunter to win the Bednarik Award and the Biletnikoff Award, each of which requires ranked choice voting for finalists.