Travis Hunter, former Georgia high school player of the year, is Heisman Trophy finalist

Former Collins Hill star Travis Hunter, the AJC’s high school player of the year for Georgia in 2021, was picked as one of four finalists for the Heisman Trophy Monday night.

Hunter, who plays for Colorado, is joined by Oregon’s Dillon Gabriel, Boise State’s Ashton Jeanty and Miami’s Cam Ward as the final four.

The Heisman has been given to the nation’s most outstanding college football player since 1935. This year’s winner will be announced Saturday in New York. The top four top vote-getters determined by more than 900 voters — the panel includes members of the media and former Heisman winners — are selected as finalists.

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A look at each of the finalist’s road to Manhattan.

Travis Hunter

Credit: AP

Credit: AP

Hunter, a two-way star, was named All-Big 12 first-team receiver and earned honorable mention for offensive player of the year. He leads the Big 12 with 92 receptions and 14 receiving touchdowns and is second with 1,152 yards. His 21 receiving plays of 20-plus yards lead the nation. He also is Big 12 defensive player of the year and a unanimous first-team defensive back after recording 31 tackles, tying for the Big 12 lead with 11 pass breakups and tying for second with four interceptions.

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Dillon Gabriel

Credit: AP

Gabriel, who transferred from Oklahoma in the offseason, led unbeaten and top-ranked Oregon to the Big Ten championship in its first year in the league. Gabriel averages 274 yards passing per game and has thrown for 28 touchdowns with six interceptions. His 73.2% completion rate is second in the nation.

Ashton Jeanty

Credit: AP

The junior running back has had one of the most productive seasons in college football history. His 2,497 yards rushing are the fourth-highest single-season total in the Football Bowl Subdivision, and his 192.1 yards per game lead the nation and are 58 more than the next highest average. He’s the first FBS player to rush for more than 2,000 yards in a season since 2019.

Cam Ward

Credit: AP

The Miami quarterback was named Associated Press offensive player of the year and newcomer of the year in the Atlantic Coast Conference on Monday after averaging 343.6 yards passing per game. He leads the nation with 36 touchdown passes and has been intercepted just seven times.

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