Every year, several college football players set themselves apart as the best of the best. However, few truly generational talents grace the field in any given season — the Colorado Buffaloes’ Travis Hunter just so happens to be one of them.
Where Does Travis Hunter Rank Among the Greatest College Football Players of All-Time?
Hunter’s rise to superstardom shouldn’t come as a surprise, but how high his star has risen should be.
Most regarded the two-way athlete as the No. 1 player in the 2022 recruiting class after he set Gwinnett County records for receptions, receiving yards, and receiving touchdowns and broke the Georgia state record for career receiving TDs with 48. Oh, and that’s besides snatching 7+ interceptions in his final two seasons as a starting varsity cornerback.
Despite holding offers from every blueblood collegiate program in the nation and initially committing to the Florida State Seminoles, Hunter opted to sign with Deion Sanders at FCS-level Jackson State. Why?
“Historically Black Colleges and Universities have a rich history in football,” Hunter said on social media after the announcement. “I want to be a part of that history and more; I want to be a part of that future. I am making this decision so that I can light the way for others, make it a little easier for the next player to recognize that HBCUs may be everything you want and more: an exciting college experience, a vital community, and a life-changing place to play football.”
Before the Buffaloes’ matchup with the Nebraska Cornhuskers this season, Hunter also mentioned on “College GameDay” that Coach Prime’s willingness to let him play both ways factored heavily into his decision.
“I mean, him saying he would give me that chance. You know, other coaches said they would put in a package for me, and I wasn’t going for that. I can’t just have a package, I need to be in the game. I just knew that Coach Prime was gonna let me shine, so I took my chance.”
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As a true freshman at Jackson State, Hunter was named a finalist for the Jerry Rice Award, given to the top freshman in FCS football, and received SWAC Freshman of the Year honors. In eight games, he recorded 20 tackles, 10 pass breakups, two interceptions, and one fumble recovery on defense while taking 18 catches for 188 yards and four TDs on offense.
But that was only the beginning.
Hunter followed Sanders and several others, including starting QB Shedeur Sanders, from Jackson State to Colorado in 2023. While the program as a whole failed to live up to expectations after a 3-0 start, finishing 4-8, Hunter left his mark on college football history.
Hunter averaged 114.7 snaps per game and decorated the single-game scrimmage snaps records in CU history, including 149 against the Stanford Cardinal. Offensively, he hauled in 57 receptions for 721 yards and five TDs despite missing three and a half games due to injury.
On the other side of the ball, he had a team-lead-tying three INTs and five PBUs to go along with 30 tackles.
Hunter made history as the first player in at least 25 seasons to generate 50+ catches and 3+ INTs in the same year. The only comparable feat? The Georgia Bulldogs’ Champ Bailey in 1998, when he posted 47 catches, 744 yards, five TDs, and three picks.
As you’d imagine, the accolades poured in:
- Paul Hornung Award as the nation’s most versatile player
- Consensus first-team All-American
- Consensus first-team Academic All-American
Entering 2024, all eyes were on Hunter and if he could produce a repeat performance. Nine games into the season, it’s safe to say he’s done more than that.
Hunter is once again pacing the competition in snaps per game (118) while solidifying himself as Colorado’s WR1, leading the team in catches (69), yards (856), and TDs (nine). He’s also shut down the opposition’s top pass catcher, racking up seven PBUs and two INTs.
“Travis Hunter is a unicorn,” Fox Sports CFB analyst Joel Klatt said on his podcast. “I want to appreciate what he’s doing and what we’re seeing because we’re never going to see this again. There comes a time when, as a sports fan, you’ve got to sit back and take stock in what you’re witnessing. … There are things we just know that we aren’t going to see again — and this is one of those things. Travis Hunter is one of one.”
Don’t want to take Klatt’s word for it? Fine. How about the NFL Hall of Famer coaching Hunter?
“Don’t tell me what can’t be done,” Sanders told Colorado play-by-play announcer Mark Johnson. “I did it at the pro level. So why can’t he? It’s already been done, not like that. I was good, but he is great.”
Hunter is currently the Heisman favorite at -110 odds, according to DraftKings Sportsbook, and has proven to be football’s answer to Shohei Ohtani — not just college football, either.
Paul Hornung, Chuck Bednarik, Bailey, Chris Gamble, Adoree’ Jackson, Myles Jack, Jabrill Peppers, Shaq Thompson, and Charles Woodson are some of the most notable players to play both ways at the collegiate level, but no one has done so at the level Hunter has.
Whoever is on your college football Mount Rushmore — Cam Newton, Reggie Bush, Tommie Frazier, and Barry Sanders, perhaps — it’s time to chisel out space for Hunter. We may see athletes reminiscent of him, but we’ll never witness another who excels as a full-time, two-way player at All-American levels on both sides of the ball.
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In an era when specialization reigns supreme, Hunter’s ability to excel as both a lockdown cornerback and an elite wide receiver is a throwback to the legends of the past while blazing a course for the future.
Whether he lifts the Heisman Trophy or not, his place in college football lore is already cemented. But make no mistake — Hunter isn’t done carving his legacy yet. Next up: a top-five pick in the NFL, where he plans to play both ways once more.
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