Colorado is having plenty of fun in the first game of the Deion Sanders era, and two-way superstar Travis Hunter is a big reason as to why.
In the first half of Colorado’s road opener against TCU, Hunter, a wide receiver and cornerback for the Buffaloes, hauled in a beautiful pass in the end zone that was just a hair short of being called for a touchdown.
He also reportedly played more than 60 snaps in just one half of football, per The Athletic.
The catch in question was the kind of almost-score that shows why Hunter is such a uniquely rare talent on the field, and why he’s certain to go high in the NFL Draft whenever he declares.
TCU CB Josh Newton is one of the top corners in the nation and might be a Day 2 pick in the 2024 draft.
Colorado lined CB Travis Hunter up at WR, and he dominated at the catch point. In case you wanna see the ball skills he brings for the 2025 #NFLDraft. pic.twitter.com/JoJ1v3JXzj
— Jacob Infante (@jacobinfante24) September 2, 2023
Hunter also made a fantastic play in the end zone on TCU wide receiver Jaylon Robinson while he was playing at cornerback.
What. A. Play. 😤💪
Travis Hunter is showing the world why he's starting on both offense and defense today for @CUBuffsFootball pic.twitter.com/8SQ2Rw0zSM
— FOX College Football (@CFBONFOX) September 2, 2023
At halftime, Colorado coach Deion Sanders lobbied for Hunter’s Heisman candidacy by saying that if he had been able to catch two long passes from quarterback Shedeur Sanders, the Heisman would be “in his crib chilling right now.”
"He is HIM. We missed him on two deep balls. He gets those two deep balls, the Heisman is in his crib chilling right now." @DeionSanders had this to say about @CUBuffsFootball's Travis Hunter at the end of the first half ⬇️ pic.twitter.com/2dLhWWxWIQ
— FOX College Football (@CFBONFOX) September 2, 2023
Shedeur Sanders is also a Heisman candidate, which gives Colorado two of the most electrifying players in the game this season.
While it’s far too early to be crowning any Heisman winners, Deion Sanders sounds very ready to advocate for his guys in their strong first 2023 showing against the national title runners-up.