Nov 29, 2024; Boulder, Colorado, USA; Colorado Buffaloes cornerback Travis Hunter (12) following an interception in the first quarter against the Oklahoma State Cowboys  at Folsom Field. Mandatory Credit: Ron Chenoy-Imagn Images

Colorado’s Travis Hunter collects unique double at college football awards

Colorado star Travis Hunter cemented his legacy as the best two-way player in recent decades by becoming the first in college football history to win both the annual Chuck Bednarik Award as top defensive player and the Fred Biletnikoff Award as best wide receiver on Thursday night.

College Football Awards show presenters called Hunter’s name again as the Walter Camp Award for player of the year.

The honors may serve as a prelude to the Saturday night Heisman Trophy presentation, as Hunter is favored to capture the sport’s biggest individual award.

Earlier Thursday, the wide receiver/cornerback was named the Associated Press college football player of the year.

Hunter helped the No. 20 Buffaloes (9-3) earn a berth in the Dec. 28 Alamo Bowl against No. 17 BYU (10-2), playing 688 snaps on defense and 672 on offense. He has 92 receptions for 1,152 yards and 14 touchdowns to go along with 32 tackles, four interceptions and 11 passes defensed in 12 games.

He already won his second straight Paul Hornung Award as the nation’s most versatile player.

Another most outstanding player honor, the Maxwell Award, went Thursday night to Boise State’s Ashton Jeanty, also a Heisman finalist.

Jeanty also received the Doak Walker Award as best running back. He has rushed for an FBS-leading 2,497 yards and is tied for first with 29 rushing touchdowns in 13 games.

Another Heisman finalist, Miami’s Cam Ward, collected the Davey O’Brien Award as college football’s best quarterback. He beat out Colorado’s Shedeur Sanders and Oregon’s Dillon Gabriel, the latter also one of four Heisman finalists.

Ward joined Gino Torretta and Vinny Testaverde as Davey O’Brien winners from the Hurricanes.

Ward, the Atlantic Coast Conference Player of the Year, leads the FBS with 36 touchdown passes (against only seven interceptions) and is second with 4,123 passing yards and 343.6 yards per game.

Hunter did not receive the Jim Thorpe Award as best defensive back. That went to Texas’ Jahdae Barron.

Other winners of individual awards included Ohio State center Seth McLaughlin (Rimmington Award), Louisiana kicker Kenneth Almendares (Lou Groza Award), Georgia linebacker Jalon Walker (Butkus Award), Penn State tight end Tyler Warren (John Mackey Award), Texas offensive lineman Kelvin Banks Jr. (Outland Trophy for best interior lineman), Southern California punter Eddie Czaplicki (Ray Guy Award), South Carolina defensive end Kyle Kennard (Bronko Nagurski Trophy for defensive player of the year), Oregon linebacker Bryce Boettcher (Burlsworth Trophy for top former walk-on), Alabama quarterback Jalen Milroe (William V. Campbell Trophy/Academic Heisman), and Penn State offensive lineman Nick Dawkins (Wuerffel Trophy for community service).

Curt Cignetti, in his first season at Indiana, received the Home Depot Award as coach of the year. The No. 10 Hoosiers (11-1, 8-1 Big Ten Conference) face No. 7 Notre Dame in the first round of the College Football Playoff on Dec. 20.

Indiana went 3-9 in 2023.

–Field Level Media

Sep 23, 2017; Houston, TX, USA; FIU Golden Panthers place kicker Jose Borregales (30) kicks a 37 yard field goal in the third quarter against the Rice Owls at Rice Stadium. Mandatory Credit: John Glaser-USA TODAY Sports

DeVonta Smith, Alabama clean up at awards’ show

Alabama wide receiver DeVonta Smith won two more major awards and four of his Crimson Tide teammates earned one apiece on Thursday at the virtually held 30th annual The Home Depot College Football Awards.

Smith, who won the Heisman Trophy on Tuesday, became the first receiver to win the Maxwell Award as the nation’s top player since Michigan’s Desmond Howard in 1991. He also won the Fred Biletnikoff Award (outstanding receiver) in his latest haul.

Asked where he will display the new hardware, Smith said “I’ll leave that up to my mom.”

Smith has 105 receptions for 1,641 yards and 20 touchdowns entering Monday’s College Football Playoff game against Ohio State. He has 22 touchdowns overall.

Alabama’s Mac Jones won the Davey O’Brien Award (best quarterback), Najee Harris was named winner of the Doak Walker Award (premier running back), offensive tackle Alex Leatherwood won the Outland Trophy (most outstanding interior lineman) and Landon Dickerson won the Rimington Trophy (outstanding center).

Jones’ 4,036 passing yards is an Alabama season record and he has also thrown 36 touchdowns against four interceptions. Harris has rushed for 1,387 yards and a national-high 24 touchdowns on the ground and 27 overall.

“It’s definitely an honor to win this award and be up there with the greats of college football,” Jones said on the show televised by ESPN.

Tulsa linebacker Zaven Collins won the Chuck Bednarik Award to give him a sweep of the national Defensive Player of the Year awards. Collins won the Lombardi Trophy last month.

Collins registered 53 tackles, 11.5 tackles for loss, four sacks, four interceptions and two forced fumbles in eight games for the Golden Hurricane. He returned two picks for touchdowns.

Florida’s Kyle Pitts won the John Mackey Award (outstanding tight end), TCU safety Trevon Moehrig received the Jim Thorpe Award (best defensive back) and Coastal Carolina’s Jamey Chadwell won the Eddie Robinson Coach of the Year Award.

Miami’s Jose Borregales won the Lou Groza Award (outstanding place kicker) after making 20 of 22 field-goal attempts this year, a 90.9 percent accuracy rate that was tied for the best in the nation among kickers with at least 20 attempts.

Pressley Harvin III of Georgia Tech won the Ray Guy Award (top punter).

AWARDS ANNOUNCED THURSDAY
Maxwell Award Winner — DeVonta Smith, Alabama
Davey O’Brien Award — Mac Jones, Alabama
Outland Trophy — Alex Leatherwood, Alabama
Chuck Bednarik Award — Zaven Collins, Tulsa
Doak Walker Award — Najee Harris, Alabama
Fred Biletnikoff Award — DeVonta Smith, Alabama
John Mackey Award — Kyle Pitts, Florida
Eddie Robinson Coach of the Year Award — Jamey Chadwell, Coastal Carolina
Jim Thorpe Award — Trevon Moehrig, TCU
Lou Groza Award — Jose Borregales, Miami
Ray Guy Award — Pressley Harvin III, Georgia Tech
Rimington Trophy — Landon Dickerson, Alabama

–Field Level Media