There was a time decades ago when college football players regularly participated on offense and defense.
Colorado’s history has featured numerous two-way players, including Byron “Whizzer” White, who excelled on offense, defense and special teams in the mid-1930s. Joe Romig finished sixth in the 1961 Heisman Trophy balloting while playing offensive guard and linebacker.
In today’s game, however, Travis Hunter is an exception, and the junior cornerback/receiver could be the best player in the country this year. Last year, he posted 721 yards and three interceptions on defense as a receiver and could surpass both numbers this year if he’s healthy.
Hunter is on the waiting list for six major awards, including the Jim Thorpe Award (best defensive back) and the Biletnikoff Award (best receiver), was named a preseason All-American by numerous publications, and is expected to be one of the first players selected in the 2025 NFL Draft.
Hunter, winner of the Paul Hornung Award as the country’s most versatile player for 2023, may be the game’s most versatile player of the last 40 years. The list of those in the conversation is short, but it includes Pro Football Hall of Famers Champ Bailey and Deion Sanders – now CU’s head coach.
Sanders knows he is one of the greatest athletes of all time, but he says without hesitation, “Travis is better. At his age and at his level, he is better.”
There’s not much on the field that Hunter can’t do, but he doesn’t talk about it often in public.
Despite being arguably the best player in the country, Hunter hasn’t held a press conference since TCU’s 2023 opener. This summer, he was scheduled to be at Big 12 Media Day in Las Vegas in July and take the podium at CU’s fall sports media day on Aug. 9, but skipped both.
However, you can learn a lot about Hunter by listening to those who are around him every day. Here’s what others are saying about CU’s most exceptional player in decades:
Trainer Prime: “Not only is he a great player, he’s a good person. … He has one of the best GPAs on the team. He’s a great person and he can play. His character is second to none. That’s why I don’t mind fishing with him. … It’s just a joy to have caught him right out of high school and he’s stuck around and stood the test of time. Travis is different. He’s a phenomenal athlete. I’m proud of the kid, on and off the field.”
When asked by defensive coordinator Robert Livingston if Hunter is now able to play in the NFL: “I think Travis can do anything he wants. I’ve talked about it. I think Travis is a unicorn. We had a spring academic meeting and Travis goes there as a 4.0 student. Travis makes every play in practice. I think Travis can do anything. So yeah, I don’t want to make him a target or anything, but yeah, I think Travis can do pretty much anything he wants.”
Receiver coach Jason Phillips talks about what it’s like to coach Hunter: “Enjoyable. I mean, one of the most enjoyable guys, one of the greatest guys I’ve ever been around as a coach. Just having a player like him who understands the game; basically, he understands your position, he understands what you want to get out of him, and he wants more. He comes to work every day and he wants more. I think the biggest question from scouts is, ‘How do you coach him?’ And my answer to those guys, ‘Coach him, because he’s coachable.’ He’s a joy to be around. He’s a great kid on the field, off the field. He’s great for the room. Everyone understands and recognizes his talent, so everyone wants to play at that level. It’s been great. It’s been remarkable.”
Quarterback Shedeur Sanders: “Turn on the movie. You see what he does. I mean, there’s nothing I can say. There’s nothing I can say. Everything you see basically shows who he is.”
Security Shilo Sanders: “I think his decision-making (is special). Football is a very mental game. There’s not a huge physical difference between 4.4, 4.5, 4.6, 4.7 (seconds in the 40-yard dash), so it comes down to decision-making. Some guys have great decision-making instincts and that’s what sets them apart.”
