Travis Hunter and Ashton Jeanty give this year's Heisman Trophy ceremony a different vibe

NEW YORK (AP) — Same iconic statue, very different race.

With two-way star Travis Hunter of Colorado and Boise State running back Ashton Jeanty leading the field, these certainly aren't your typical Heisman Trophy contenders.

Sure, veteran quarterbacks Dillon Gabriel from top-ranked Oregon and Cam Ward of No. 15 Miami are finalists for college football's most prestigious award as well, but the 90th annual ceremony coming up Saturday night at Lincoln Center in New York City offers a fresh flavor this year.

To start with, none of the four are from the powerhouse Southeastern Conference, which has produced four of the past five Heisman winners — two each from Alabama and LSU.

Jeanty, who played his home games for a Group of Five team on that peculiar blue turf in Idaho more than 2,100 miles from Manhattan, is the first running back even invited to the Heisman party since 2017. After leading the country with 2,497 yards rushing and 29 touchdowns, he joined quarterback Kellen Moore (2010) as the only Boise State players to be named a finalist.

“The running back position has been overlooked for a while now," said Jeanty, who plans to enter the 2025 NFL draft.

"There's been a lot of great running backs before me that should have been here in New York, so to kind of carry on the legacy of the running back position I think is great. ... I feel as if I'm representing the whole position.”

With the votes already in, all four finalists spent Friday conducting interviews and sightseeing in the Big Apple. They were given custom, commemorative watches to mark their achievement.

“I'm not a watch guy, but I like it,” said Hunter, flashing a smile.

The players also took photos beneath the massive billboards in Times Square and later posed with the famous Heisman Trophy, handed out since 1935 to the nation's most outstanding performer.

Hunter, the heavy favorite, made sure not to touch it yet.

A dominant player on both offense and defense who rarely comes off the field, the wide receiver/cornerback is a throwback to generations gone by and the first full-time, true two-way star in decades.

On offense, he had 92 catches for 1,152 yards and 14 touchdowns this season to help the 20th-ranked Buffaloes (9-3) earn their first bowl bid in four years. On defense, he made four interceptions, broke up 11 passes and forced a critical fumble that secured an overtime victory against Baylor.

Hunter played 688 defensive snaps and 672 more on offense — the only Power Four conference player with 30-plus snaps on both sides of the ball, according to Colorado research.

Call him college football’s answer to baseball unicorn Shohei Ohtani.

“I think I laid the ground for more people to come in and go two ways,” Hunter said. “It starts with your mindset. If you believe you can do it, then you'll be able to do it. And also, I do a lot of treatment. I keep up with my body. I get a lot of recovery.”

Hunter is Colorado's first Heisman finalist in 30 years. The junior from Suwanee, Georgia, followed flashy coach Deion Sanders from Jackson State, an HBCU that plays in the lower level FCS, to the Rocky Mountains and has already racked up a staggering combination of accolades this week, including The Associated Press player of the year.

Hunter also won the Walter Camp Award as national player of the year, along with the Chuck Bednarik Award as the top defensive player and the Biletnikoff Award for best wide receiver.

“It just goes to show that I did what I had to do,” Hunter said.

Next, he'd like to polish off his impressive hardware collection by becoming the second Heisman Trophy recipient in Buffaloes history, after late running back Rashaan Salaam in 1994.

“I worked so hard for this moment, so securing the Heisman definitely would set my legacy in college football,” Hunter said. “Being here now is like a dream come true.”

Jeanty carried No. 8 Boise State (12-1) to a Mountain West Conference championship that landed the Broncos the third seed in this year's College Football Playoff. They have a first-round bye before facing the SMU-Penn State winner in the Fiesta Bowl quarterfinal on New Year’s Eve.

The 5-foot-9, 215-pound junior from Jacksonville, Florida, won the Maxwell Award as college football’s top player and the Doak Walker Award for best running back. Jeanty has five touchdown runs of at least 70 yards and has rushed for the fourth-most yards in a season in FBS history — topping the total of 115 teams this year. He needs 132 yards to break the FBS record set by Heisman Trophy winner Barry Sanders at Oklahoma State in 1988.

In a pass-happy era, however, Jeanty is trying to become the first running back to win the Heisman Trophy since Derrick Henry for Alabama nine years ago. In fact, quarterbacks have snagged the prize all but four times this century.

Gabriel, an Oklahoma transfer, led Oregon (13-0) to a Big Ten title in its first season in the league and the No. 1 seed in the College Football Playoff.

The steady senior from Hawaii passed for 3,558 yards and 28 touchdowns with six interceptions. His 73.2% completion rate ranks second in the nation, and he's attempting to join quarterback Marcus Mariota (2014) as Ducks players to win the Heisman Trophy.

“I think all the memories start to roll back in your mind,” Gabriel said.

Ward threw for 4,123 yards and led the nation with a school-record 36 touchdown passes for the high-scoring Hurricanes (10-2) after transferring from Washington State.

The senior from West Columbia, Texas, won the Davey O’Brien National Quarterback of the Year award and is looking to join QBs Vinny Testaverde (1986) and Gino Torretta (1992) as Miami players to go home with the Heisman.

“I just think there's a recklessness that you have to play with at the quarterback position,” Ward said.

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Miami quarterback Cam Ward (1) celebrates after defeating California during an NCAA college football game in Berkeley, Calif., Saturday, Oct. 5, 2024. (AP Photo/Jed Jacobsohn)

Miami quarterback Cam Ward (1) looks for an open receiver during the first half of an NCAA college football game against the Georgia Tech Yellowjackets, Saturday, Nov. 9, 2024, in Atlanta. (AP Photo/Jason Allen)

FILE - Oregon quarterback Dillon Gabriel (8) looks to pass while playing Purdue during the first half of an NCAA college football game in West Lafayette, Ind., Friday, Oct. 18, 2024. (AP Photo/AJ Mast, File)

FILE - Boise State running back Ashton Jeanty celebrates after winning the offensive player of the game for the Mountain West Championship NCAA college football game against UNLV, Friday, Dec. 6, 2024, in Boise, Idaho. (AP Photo/Steve Conner, File)

Boise State running back Ashton Jeanty (2) in the first half of an NCAA college football game Saturday, Nov. 23, 2024, in Laramie, Wyo. (AP Photo/David Zalubowski)

Heisman Trophy finalist Travis Hunter, of Colorado, speaks during a college football media availability, Friday, Dec. 13, 2024, in New York. (AP Photo/Corey Sipkin)

FILE - Colorado wide receiver Travis Hunter (12) flies in for a touchdown past, from left, Utah linebacker Johnathan Hall, cornerback Smith Snowden and safety Nate Ritchie during the second half of an NCAA college football game Saturday, Nov. 16, 2024, in Boulder, Colo. (AP Photo/David Zalubowski, File)

FILE - Colorado wide receiver Travis Hunter (12) runs after catching a pass during the first half of an NCAA college football game against Central Florida, Saturday, Sept. 28, 2024, in Orlando, Fla. (AP Photo/Phelan M. Ebenhack, File)

Heisman Trophy finalist Cam Ward,of Miami, poses with the trophy during a college football media availability, Friday, Dec. 13, 2024, in New York. (AP Photo/Corey Sipkin)

Heisman Trophy finalist Dillon Gabriel poses with the trophy during a college football media availability, Friday, Dec. 13, 2024, in New York. (AP Photo/Corey Sipkin)

Heisman Trophy finalist Ashton Jeanty, of Boise State, poses with the trophy during a college football media availability, Friday, Dec. 13, 2024, in New York. (AP Photo/Corey Sipkin)

Heisman Trophy finalist Travis Hunter, of Colorado, poses with the trophy during a college football media availability, Friday, Dec. 13, 2024, in New York. (AP Photo/Corey Sipkin)

Heisman Trophy finalists, from left, Oregon's Dillon Gabriel, Colorado's Travis Hunter, Boise State's Ashton Jeanty and Miami's Cam Ward pose with the trophy during a college football media availability, Friday, Dec. 13, 2024, in New York. (AP Photo/Corey Sipkin)

Heisman Trophy finalists, from left, Oregon's Dillon Gabriel, Colorado's Travis Hunter, Boise State's Ashton Jeanty and Miami's Cam Ward pose with the trophy during a college football media availability, Friday, Dec. 13, 2024, in New York. (AP Photo/Corey Sipkin)

BOGOTA, Colombia (AP) — Political outsider Abelardo de la Espriella held a razor-thin lead in Colombia’s presidential election with nearly all the votes counted Sunday, in a runoff vote marked by people’s fears of a renewed internal conflict.

A victory by de la Espriella would effectively be an indictment of the policies of outgoing President Gustavo Petro, whose protégé had promised to continue his agenda if he defeated his rival.

De la Espriella, a business owner and lawyer who earned U.S. President Donald Trump’s endorsement despite never having run for office, led progressive lawmaker Iván Cepeda taking 49.7% of the votes, with 99.9% complete results released by electoral authorities. Cepeda, Petro’s ally, earned 48.7% support. Election officials have not formally announced a winner.

Cepeda said his team will challenge results from more than 30,000 voting stations; Petro also vowed to challenge the outcome.

No recount has flipped the results of a presidential election in Colombian history.

People in the streets of Bogota yelled “Petro out! Petro out!” and honked car horns.

Both candidates pitched voters widely different strategies to prevent the South American country from experiencing the nonstop merciless violence, such as car bombs, kidnappings, disappearances and forced displacements, that Colombians lived with in previous decades.

De la Espriella, 47, promised a heavy-handed approach to crime-fighting, including drug trafficking. He also said he plans to end Petro’s attempts to establish parallel peace negotiations with multiple armed groups – an effort that has largely failed – and build mega-prisons, emulating Salvadoran President Nayib Bukele aggressive policies. Those tactics have lowered homicide rates in the Central American country but have fueled accusations of human rights abuses.

De la Espriella, nicknamed “The Tiger,” holds dual Colombian and U.S. citizenship. He's a Trump supporter and a member of the Republican Party.

“We have had an armed conflict and a drug trafficking problem for too long, and this has greatly polarized the country,” retired economist Víctor Duque, 72, said while wearing a national soccer team jersey at a voting center in the capital, Bogota. “I believe it is one of the most important elections that has taken place in Colombia this century.”

In the first round, Cepeda earned 41% of the vote, while de la Espriella garnered 44%, according to official results. Petro, without evidence, sowed doubts in the results after Cepeda, who had consistently lead polls ahead of the May vote, did not win outright and even finished behind de la Espriella.

Yolanda Hernández, 49, voted early Sunday before she started selling black-ink pens outside a Bogota voting center. Clients, she said, buy the pens because ink cannot be erased from paper ballots, which reduces the possibility of fraud.

Hernández, who recycles trash for a living, voted for Petro in 2022, but cast her ballot for de la Espriella this time. While she acknowledged that Petro was unable to deliver on promises meant to help the poor because of congressional gridlock, she said Colombia cannot afford another four years under his vision for the country.

“We want change in Colombia because it’s always the same violence, always the same thing,” Hernández said. “(Petro) said he was going to lower the cost of services, that he was going to lower the price of food, and everything is more expensive.”

The election comes 10 years after Colombia signed a historic peace pact with guerrillas of the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia, or FARC, that had offered hope to break the nation’s vicious cycle of fighting between rebel groups and the government.

But violence has since roared back, particularly as most rebel groups abandoned their ideologically driven fight for the financial benefits of drug trafficking.

Last year, authorities recorded 14,780 homicides, the most since at least 2015 and driven by clashes among illegal armed groups. Among those killed was conservative presidential hopeful Miguel Uribe. Extortions have also soared, reaching 13,417 cases in 2025, more than double the number tallied in 2015.

De la Espriella, a political newcomer nicknamed “The Tiger,” promised to fiercely go after criminals and build 10 mega-prisons, emulating the policies of El Salvador's President Nayib Bukele that have lowered homicide rates but have fueled accusations of human rights abuses.

Cepeda said he will carry on Petro's fraught signature plan to achieve “total peace” by negotiating pacts with guerrillas and criminal gangs. The heavily criticized strategy that Petro kicked off in 2022 took until Thursday to see the first armed group — one with about 100 members — give up its weapons and begin a resettlement process that will lead to their reintegration into civilian life. Colombia's illegal groups have more than 27,000 members.

U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio and Presidents Javier Milei of Argentina and Daniel Noboa of Ecuador were among the political leaders to first congratulate de la Espriella.

"The Trump Administration looks forward to working closely with your incoming administration to advance regional security cooperation, end illegal immigration to the United States, and strengthen our economic ties," Rubio said on X. “Colombia's best days are ahead.”

Presidential candidate Ivan Cepeda of the ruling Historic Pact coalition embraces his vice-presidential running mate, Aida Quilcue, during an election night appearance after election results showed him trailing in Bogota, Colombia, Sunday, June 21, 2026. (AP Photo/Fernando Vergara)

A supporter of presidential candidate Abelardo de la Espriella of the opposition Defenders of the Motherland movement light a flare at a celebration rally after polls closed in the runoff election in Barranquilla, Colombia, Sunday, June 21, 2026. (AP Photo/Rodrigo Abd)

Presidential candidate Abelardo de la Espriella of the opposition Defenders of the Motherland movement and his vice-presidential running mate, Jose Manuel Restrepo, ride in a bulletproof booth toward a celebration rally after election results showed him leading in Barranquilla, Colombia, Sunday, June 21, 2026. (AP Photo/Rodrigo Abd)

Supporters of presidential candidate Ivan Cepeda of the ruling Historic Pact coalition react to preliminary election results at his campaign headquarters after polls closed in the runoff election in Bogota, Colombia, Sunday, June 21, 2026. (AP Photo/Fernando Vergara)

Supporters of presidential candidate Abelardo de la Espriella of the opposition Defenders of the Motherland movement celebrate early result after polls closed in the runoff election in Cali, Colombia, Sunday, June 21, 2026. (AP Photo/Santiago Saldarriaga)

Presidential candidate Abelardo de la Espriella of the opposition Defenders of the Motherland movement arrives to vote in the runoff election in Barranquilla, Colombia, Sunday, June 21, 2026. ((AP Photo/Rodrigo Abd)

An electoral official calls the next voter in line during the presidential runoff election in Barranquilla, Colombia, Sunday, June 21, 2026.(AP Photo/Rodrigo Abd)

Presidential candidate Ivan Cepeda of the ruling Historic Pact coalition waves after voting in the runoff election in Bogota, Colombia, Sunday, June 21, 2026. (AP Photo/Fernando Vergara)

A voter marks his ballot in a classroom decorated with flags of countries participating in the World Cup serving as a polling station during the presidential runoff election in Santander de Quilichao, Colombia, Sunday, June 21, 2026. (AP Photo/Santiago Saldarriaga)

Voters line up during the runoff presidential election in Barranquilla, Colombia, Sunday, June 21, 2026. (AP Photo/Ivan Valencia)

Colombian President Gustavo Petro shows a ballot during the runoff election in Bogota, Colombia, Sunday, June 21, 2026. (AP Photo/Fernando Vergara)

A voter waits in line with her dog, which is wearing a Colombia soccer team jersey and has its face painted as a tiger, at a polling station during the runoff election in Barranquilla, Colombia, Sunday, June 21, 2026. (AP Photo/Ivan Valencia)

Presidential candidate Abelardo de la Espriella of the opposition Defenders of the Motherland movement arrives to vote with his family during the runoff election in Barranquilla, Colombia, Sunday, June 21, 2026. (AP Photo/Ivan Valencia)

A voter wearing a national soccer team jersey waits for his turn to cast his ballot during the runoff election in Barranquilla, Colombia, Sunday, June 21, 2026. (AP Photo/Ivan Valencia)

Presidential candidate Abelardo de la Espriella stands before supporters from inside a bulletproof booth during his campaign rally in Buga, Colombia, Sunday, June 14, 2026. (AP Photo/Santiago Saldarriaga)

Supporters of presidential candidate Abelardo de la Espriella attend his campaign rally in Buga, Colombia, Sunday, June 14, 2026. (AP Photo/Santiago Saldarriaga)

Historic Pact coalition presidential candidate Ivan Cepeda waves during a campaign rally in Bogota, Colombia, Saturday, June 13, 2026. (AP Photo/Fernando Vergara)

Supporters of Historic Pact coalition presidential candidate Ivan Cepeda attend his campaign rally in Bogota, Colombia, Saturday, June 13, 2026. (AP Photo/Fernando Vergara)