Why Colorado's two-way star Travis Hunter is a serious Heisman candidate

All due respect to Coach Prime and his star son at quarterback, Shedeur Sanders, the biggest star in Boulder is future first-round NFL draft pick Travis Hunter.

Shedeur Sanders headlined last week's Players to Watch, and while he was sensational in the Buffs' 45-42 win over TCU, it was his teammate Hunter who, frankly, stole the show.

For as dominant as Sanders was at quarterback — completing 38 of 47 passes for 510 yards and four touchdowns with no interceptions — he was aided by a wonderful game plan by Colorado offensive coordinator Sean Lewis, who like the draft-eligible junior, will have plenty of intriguing options for advancement at the end of this season.

[Deion Sanders said Colorado was coming. Here's why you should have listened]

And Sanders' sparkling debut should not have come as a surprise. At least not to anyone who took the time to watch his film at Jackson State, rather than fall prey to the lazy narratives that he faced lesser competition or was simply riding his famous father's coattails.

As a true sophomore, however, Hunter is not eligible for the 2024 NFL draft regardless of how well he plays. According to NFL rules, players need to be three years removed from their high school graduating class. Hunter graduated from Collins Hill High School in 2021. His first year of college football was in 2022 at Jackson State with Sanders. He signed there as a five-star recruit, switching from a previous commitment to Florida State.

This is a shame because the blue-chip skills this young man demonstrated at both cornerback and wide receiver would easily make him the highest-drafted player on Colorado's roster.

Hunter was so impressive on Saturday that I had to re-watch the game to be sure my eyes were not deceiving me. As it turns out, they were — he was even better the second time. If Hunter can't take his game to the NFL next season, at the very least he deserves real Heisman consideration.

His head coach Deion Sanders knows a thing or two about two-way players, having starred at both cornerback and receiver, himself, of course, when he wasn't dabbling in Major League Baseball, as well.

"Travis is him, like the young folks say," said Sanders following his successful debut at Colorado. "Travis is it."

He certainly is, Coach Prime. 

If it seemed that the 6-foot-1, 185-pounder was everywhere on the field, that's because he was. According to the analytics-based Pro Football Focus, Hunter logged an incredible 145 snaps against TCU (65 on offense, 80 on defense). Folks, there were only 160 official snaps from scrimmage in this game, which, you should remember, was played in Fort Worth, Texas, where the temperature was officially measured at 98 degrees.

With Shedeur Sanders beautifully distributing the ball — four different Buffs' receivers generated more than 100 yards receiving — Hunter's 119 yards might not stand out. After all, he caught 11 passes. Can't you already hear the critics? If he's that athletic, Hunter should be averaging more than 10.8 yards per catch.

But this ignores the fact that Hunter tied for the game's lead with those 11 grabs. Or that TCU was penalized for pass interference on two of Sanders' throws to Hunter.  Or that several of his catches came across the middle — where many of the game's most athletic receivers shy away from contact rather than move the chains, as Hunter reliably did Saturday.

Imagine how much more the football-loving world would be buzzing about the Buffs had their dynamic duo not barely missed two long touchdowns down the sideline … in the first quarter. 

The first hiccup was a late, slightly underthrown ball from Sanders less than a minute into the game.

[Prime's roster revamp has overshadowed Colorado's coaching upgrades]

Hunter was matched up in tight one-on-one coverage with TCU cornerback Avery Helm on the left side of the formation. Hunter used a slight hesitation move at the snap to suggest he was going inside, before exploding outside to gain a free release. Hunter's instant acceleration had him zipping by Helm, a Florida transfer, almost immediately. Hunter was a full step ahead of his opponent after just 10 yards, and a well-timed throw should have resulted in a touchdown.

Instead, the throw was slightly late and underthrown, forcing Hunter to turn back towards the ball around the 5-yard line. Helm did a nice job of closing and clouding Hunter's vision by raising his arms, and the ball bounced off the defender.

A second near-touchdown came on Colorado's next series. This time Hunter was on the right side, matched up against returning First-Team All-Big 12 cornerback Josh Newton.

Newton also drew the unenviable task of being assigned man-to-man coverage with Hunter. He was able to shadow Colorado's speedster for slightly longer than his teammate, but also found himself trailing. This time, Sanders delivered a strike, but despite laying out in a diving attempt at a spectacular reception, Hunter was unable to reel it in.

At halftime, FOX's sideline reporter Jenny Taft caught up with Coach Prime, who immediately planted the Heisman flag for his young playmaker.

"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."

Any concerns about Hunter's ball skills, however, were put to rest with a dazzling interception in the third quarter that might very well have been the play of the game.

This time it was Hunter lined up in tight man coverage — or so it appeared.

Hunter initially lined up at left cornerback (to the right of the quarterback) opposite TCU receiver Dylan Wright. While taking an initial step to track the receiver, Hunter instantly recognized that the Horned Frogs were baiting him inside to create an easy space for a quick touchdown.

It was a well-designed play by TCU head coach Sonny Dykes and his staff, and it was a well-delivered ball from TCU quarterback Chandler Morris. Ninety-nine times out of 100 this goes for a TCU touchdown, which would have given the Horned Frogs take 27-24 lead — pending the extra point — with just over six minutes remaining in the third quarter. 

Instead, showing remarkable instincts, explosive leaping ability, and rare ball skills, Hunter vaulted from the goal line to snatch the pass away from its intended target (Major Everhart), twisting his frame in mid-air to secure it rather than allowing the ball to hit the turf at all.

The great ones make even the most difficult plays look simple. This was a great play. It was the kind of play that makes scouts sit up and take notice.

It certainly will have that effect on the Nebraska coaches and players heading to Boulder this week.

Heisman Trophy voters should be doing the same.

Rob Rang is an NFL Draft analyst for FOX Sports. He has been covering the NFL Draft for more than 20 years, with work at FOX, Sports Illustrated, CBSSports.com, USA Today, Yahoo, NFL.com and NFLDraftScout.com, among others. He also works as a scout with the BC Lions of the Canadian Football League. Follow him on Twitter @RobRang.