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The best wide receiver in college football forced a fumble on the goal line to give his team the win in overtime. Under normal, reasonable circumstances, the above sentence would make no sense.
But it was a typical Saturday night for Travis Hunter, America’s most talented, versatile football player.
Well, maybe it wasn’t another Saturday for Colorado. The Buffaloes fell behind Baylor on their home field, and panic began to set in in Boulder as the country’s most polarizing team faced a potential second loss.
Then, quarterback Shedeur Sanders connected with LaJounte Wester on a Hail Mary, tying the game as regular time expired. (Sanders had nearly connected on a Hail Mary on the previous play.)
Then, after Colorado scored first in overtime, Hunter stripped the ball from Baylor’s Dominique Richardson, causing him to fumble and end the game.
Colorado 38, Baylor 31. Just like that.
It was another thrilling night for the best team in college football. For the best player in college football, it was proof that we’ve never seen a player like him before.
Hunter becoming a superstar, of course, should come as no surprise. Before he was a star for Deion Sanders at Colorado, he was a star for Sanders at Jacksonville State. Before that, he was considered one of the best—if not the best—high school football players in the 2022 class.
Years later, Hunter’s stardom has transformed into something entirely new. It’s not just about excellence; this is an athlete who is being asked to do more than any player in recent times.
For a program lacking depth and a star-studded lineup, Hunter is one of the key components to the team’s success. While Saturday night’s result may have been shocking, Hunter’s contributions were not.
Hunter, who excels at both wide receiver and cornerback, has such an impact on games that it seems only fitting that the player who played the most snaps of any player on the field ultimately finished the night the way he did.
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Before that, Hunter did what he (probably) does best. He caught the football.
Hunter caught seven passes for 130 yards, though he nearly completed several acrobatic attempts, including one late in the fourth quarter that nearly had Hunter grab the ball from a defender.
In Colorado’s four games this season, Hunter has passed for over 100 yards in each. He’s also intercepted a pass while playing elite cornerback, showcasing skills and endurance that college football has never really seen.
Regardless of one’s feelings about Colorado in Year 2 under Deion Sanders — overrated, over-covered, under-delivered — there’s little to argue about about Hunter. As we’re still trying to figure out how the Buffaloes will factor into the Big 12 and beyond, here’s everything we know about a player who’s worthy of early Heisman buzz.
In a sport that is increasingly defined by the quarterback, he is the most compelling, most unique and most talented player on the football field. He plays multiple positions and the majority of snaps in an individual game. And when he does so, he performs well.
He catches touchdowns. He shuts down wide receivers. Obviously, he forces fumbles in overtime to end football games.
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All of these skills have sparked a new conversation slowly coming to a boil. In a time when wide receivers are being drafted, paid and respected more than ever before, could Hunter, who will be eligible to enter the NFL Draft later this year, possibly play both cornerback and wide receiver at the next level?
In short, who cares? Only time will tell.
Right now, after perhaps the most thrilling win of the college football season, Hunter is one of the stars of the show. He’s healthy, capable and everywhere.
He is the Shohei Ohtani of football — not just college football, but all of football. He is worth the admission fee and your undivided attention, regardless of what you think of a football team that is still trying to figure out what it will become in 2024.
There’s no need to question what Hunter is at this point. He’s a true unicorn, a player we can celebrate and marvel at every week.
He is one of the best players in all of football, at any level. And when he ends a thrilling football match early, one can’t help but wonder what’s coming next for him.