For the first time in over 20 years, the Colorado football team has been ranked in consecutive seasons, and there are three men who deserve the majority of the credit for this remarkable two-year turnaround. First, head coach Deion Sanders, who through sheer force of personality has built a team that plays with a swagger that Boulder hasn't seen in some time. Then there's Shedeur Sanders, who may be the first quarterback off the board in the 2025 NFL Draft. And last, but certainly not least, is Travis Hunter.

At the time of this writing, Travis Hunter is one of the top Heisman Trophy candidates in the country, trailing only a pair of QBs — Dillon Gabriel and Cam Ward — who are putting up big numbers for undefeated top-five programs. Hunter is unique in that, along with ranking top ten nationally in receptions (60), receiving yards (757), and receiving touchdowns (8), he is also an every down defensive back for the Buffs. In eight games this year, he's notched 21 tackles, 7 passes defended and 2 interceptions.

So for good reason, on Sunday night, Deion Sanders took to Instagram to post a photo of himself and Hunter with a simple description: “appreciation post.”

 

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Aside from the fact that Travis Hunter is one of the most unique and gifted college football players alive, Deion Sanders has good reason to appreciate the two-way superstar. Hunter was the top-rated player in the high school recruiting class of 2022, and after initially committing to play for the Florida State Seminoles, Hunter flipped his commitment and became the first five-star recruit to sign with an HBCU or FCS program when he joined Deion Sanders at Jackson State.

It was Hunter's signing, which came just one year after Shedeur Sanders won the Jerry Rice Award as the most outstanding FCS college football player, that put Deion Sanders on the radar of essentially every FBS program out there. No matter what you thought about him as a head coach, it was clear that the bravado he carried himself with on the field translated off the field as well.

If Travis Hunter does win the Heisman Trophy this year, he'll be the first defensive player — or two-way player — to do so since Charles Woodson claimed the award in 1997.