Travis Hunter happened to be the soul of both Colorado’s high-powered offense and much-improved defense in the 2024 season. His dual-threat ability helped Deion Sanders and the Colorado Buffaloes wrap up their regular season with a 9-3 record and put him on the Heisman map after dominating the Oklahoma State Cowboys.
Shannon Sharpe Raves About Travis Hunter’s Impressive Showdown
After Colorado’s Week 14 shutout victory (52-0) over the Cowboys, former NFL stars Shannon Sharpe and Chad Johnson discussed Hunter’s prowess.
“Today was his most impressive game of his career — a three-touchdown performance, one interception, a couple of pass breakups. Hunter had 10 catches for 116 yards, and three touchdowns, his fourth interception on the season,” Sharpe said.
“He is the best collegiate player in football. We’ve never seen a guy that could do what he did on both sides of the ball. Maybe you could find a guy that was better than he was on one side or the other, but when you combine the two, nobody in the history of the game had been better than this kid, what he did this year. Nobody, not even close,” he added.
Entering Week 14, Hunter was the Heisman favorite at -1000 odds, followed by Boise State Broncos RB Ashton Jeanty at +750.
Oregon Ducks QB Dillon Gabriel and Miami Hurricanes QB Cam Ward stand next at +1200 odds in the race for the coveted honor. The Heisman ceremony is scheduled to commence on December 14, 2024, at 8 p.m. ET on ESPN, while the finalists who will be asked to attend the event will be declared on Monday, December 9.
Coach Prime Drops His Final Verdict on Colorado’s Two-Way Star
Buffs coach and former NFL superstar Coach Prime has been quite vocal about his opinion on Hunter being deserving of the Heisman Trophy dating back to last season. It was a disastrous campaign in 2023 with a poor 4-8 record, although Sanders’ son Sheduer Sander and Hunter put up big numbers collectively.
MORE: Track every athlete on the move in this year’s Transfer Portal Tracker
However, the Buffaloes progressed even further in 2024 after undergoing a massive transformation triggered by coach Sanders’ aggressive transfer portal moves. Speaking about the new Colorado and Hunter’s role, Coach Prime reiterated his previous comments:
“Travis clinched the Heisman with his performance,” Sanders said in the postgame press conference. “He should have had another pick, hit him right in the darn chest. I’m not happy with that, but I’m happy with him,” he added.
No doubt, Hunter will have a huge demand in NFL circles, with insiders and analysts projecting him as a potential No. 1 pick in the 2025 NFL Draft. It would be a great steal for any team since he has showcased his defensive skill sets apart from being a top wideout in the nation.
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