Tag: Travis Hunter

Colorado star Travis Hunter named First-Team AP All-American

Travis Hunter was named Colorado’s first First-Team AP All-American since 2010

With postseason college football awards being handed out on a near-daily basis and the Heisman Trophy going to Jayden Daniels this past Saturday, the Associated Press released its 2023 All-American teams on Monday.

Colorado Buffaloes two-way star Travis Hunter was named to the First Team as an all-purpose player. Hunter was also named First-Team All-Pac-12 on defense.

The Pac-12 Conference had three other players on the First Team: center Jackson Powers-Johnson (Oregon) wide receiver Rome Odunze (Washington) and edge rusher Laiatu Latu (UCLA).

Michael Penix Jr., the Huskies’ QB, was named to the Second Team, and Oregon QB Bo Nix was named to the Third Team.

Hunter looks to be an early Heisman Trophy contender next season, and his numbers would’ve been even better if he didn’t get injured.

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Two CU Buffs make list of way-too-early 2024 Heisman contenders

Colorado owns two legitimate Heisman Trophy contenders heading into next season

The 2024 college football season won’t kick off for a long time, but with the transfer portal already swirling out of control, the conversations about next year are beginning.

On Saturday night, LSU quarterback and former Arizona State starter Jayden Daniels was named the 2023 Heisman Trophy winner. The 2024 Heisman field should be full of talent once again with Oklahoma State running back Ollie Gordon, new Oregon QB Dillon Gabriel and Texas QB Quinn Ewers among the most popular early candidates.

After Daniels won the prestigious award, ESPN’s Mark Schlabach compiled a list of way-too-early 2024 Heisman Trophy candidates and two Colorado players were featured: Travis Hunter and Shedeur Sanders.

Hunter and Sanders emerged in the Heisman conversation earlier this year when the Buffs got off to a 3-0 start, but things fizzled out. Hunter got injured and Sanders was plagued by poor offensive line play.

Here’s what Schlabach wrote about Colorado’s starting quarterback:

Sanders is considered a potential first-round pick in the NFL draft, so it’s unclear whether he’ll return to play for his father, Deion, for another season. Sanders showed plenty of guts playing behind a dreadful offensive line this past season, throwing for 3,230 yards with 27 touchdowns and three interceptions. If he comes back to school — and the Buffaloes can cobble together some protection — he might contend for the Heisman Trophy and be the No. 1 pick in the 2025 NFL draft.

As for Hunter, the two-way star is undoubtedly going to be a popular pick for the Heisman heading into next season. If it weren’t for an injury, his 2023 numbers would’ve been even more impressive.

Schlabach also gave high praise to Hunter:

Another Colorado player who captured the sport’s attention early in the 2023 season, Hunter won the Paul Hornung Award as the most versatile player in the FBS. On offense, he had 57 catches for 721 yards and 5 touchdowns. On defense, Hunter had 30 tackles, 3 interceptions and 5 pass breakups. Hunter missed three games because of injuries but still logged 1,032 snaps, the most of any player in the FBS.

The Buffs have already addressed the offensive line, which is huge for Sanders. Head coach Deion Sanders’ staff also looks different with Sean Lewis (and others) going to San Diego State.

Nonetheless, the Buffs have a pair of legitimate Heisman candidates heading into the 2024 season.

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Travis Hunter earns 2023 Paul Hornung Award, All-Pac-12 honors

Travis Hunter was named the 2023 Paul Hornung Award winner

The Colorado Buffaloes’ 2023 season ended with a 4-8 record, which was tough after a 3-0 start and an AP Top 25 ranking. But, the future is bright in Boulder.

On Tuesday, the Pac-12 All-Conference awards were released and several Buffs popped up on the list. The most notable one was Travis Hunter being named First-Team All-Pac-12 on defense and second-team all-purpose.

Hunter was also named the 2023 recipient of the Paul Hornung Award, given annually to the most versatile player in college football.

The two-way star’s first season at Colorado was sensational. After a hot start, he emerged in Heisman Trophy conversations. But, he got injured in the Colorado State game and missed time before returning and making a statement again.

All-Pac-12 honorable mentions included quarterback Shedeur Sanders, safety Shilo Sanders and punter Mark Vassett, and Dylan Edwards was an honorable mention for the Pac-12 Freshman of the Year.

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Looking back at Travis Hunter’s sensational first season at Colorado

Take a photographic look back at Travis Hunter’s first season with the Buffs

Travis Hunter was an absolute joy to watch in his first season wearing a Colorado Buffaloes uniform. The two-way star made several jaw-dropping plays on both sides of the ball and should only get better heading into 2024.

As Hunter said on his Bleacher Report show earlier this week, “We coming different next year.” After seeing what he did in 2023, next year can’t come soon enough.

Defensively, Hunter finished his inaugural campaign at Colorado with 30 tackles, three interceptions and five pass breakups. And he was just as impressive on offense, totaling 721 receiving yards and five touchdowns despite missing three full games.

Take a photographic look back at Hunter’s first year with the Buffs:

Travis Hunter confident that Colorado will rebound in 2024: ‘We coming different next year’

Travis Hunter is fully confident that Colorado will rebound next season

The Colorado football team finished the 2023 season with a 4-8 record. After starting the season 3-0, you can’t help but feel a little disappointed in how things ended for Coach Prime and the Buffs.

However, the struggles down the stretch should not damper the enthusiasm of the Colorado fan base heading into the 2024 season. With several star players likely making their return to Boulder, next season could be huge for the Buffs.

One such star, Travis Hunter, let the country know earlier this week that the Buffs will be ready to make some noise in the Big 12 next season.

Watch as Hunter sends a message to those who don’t believe while streaming on his Bleacher Report show:

Hunter doesn’t lack confidence in himself or his team and Buffs fans shouldn’t either.

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Colorado at Utah: Social media reacts to Pac-12 refs robbing Travis Hunter of a touchdown

Just about everyone disagreed with the Pac-12 refs overturning Travis Hunter’s TD catch

Colorado probably should’ve been leading Utah entering halftime on Saturday afternoon.

Late in the second quarter, the Buffs were driving when quarterback Ryan Staub appeared to hit Travis Hunter for a 29-yard touchdown. Hunter laid out for the pass and it looked as though he maintained possession when he hit the ground.

However, the infamous Pac-12 refs reviewed the play and determined that Hunter did not have full control throughout the catch. Colorado then settled for a field goal and entered the locker room down 13-10 at the break.

College football fans on X (formerly known as Twitter) were quick to criticize the questionable call:

Travis Hunter inks NIL deal with American Eagle

Travis Hunter inked another major NIL deal

The hype around Travis Hunter has not gone away one bit. He began the year as a Heisman Trophy candidate but after being injured in the Colorado State game, he missed some time.

He returned against Stanford and made waves with a terrific touchdown, and he has been excellent on both sides of the ball. Also, Hunter had a great moment with LeBron James during the Denver Nuggets’ opener against the Los Angeles Lakers last week.

On Friday, Hunter inked an NIL (name, image and likeness) deal with clothing brand American Eagle, as he revealed on his Instagram account.

Ever since following CU head coach Deion Sanders from Jackson State, Hunter has landed a lot of NIL deals, and it makes sense considering his name value. He has deals with the following companies: Actively Black, Michael Strahan Brand, NXTRND and SoHoodie. Hunter has also signed with Gary Yamamoto Custom Baits, KastKing and WaterLand Co. in a few fishing-type agreements.

On top of all that, star NFL wide receiver Odell Beckham Jr. recently wore a Hunter shirt prior to a game. Many others have also shown their support for Colorado’s two-way star and he should earn more NIL deals in the near future.

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WATCH: Travis Hunter lays out for unreal interception against UCLA

Travis Hunter didn’t look human on this first-quarter interception

With the exception of UCLA’s first scoring drive, the brand of football that Colorado is playing against the Bruins reminds me of how the Buffs came out in their Week 1 win at TCU.

Quarterback Shedeur Sanders, under constant pressure, is getting the ball out quickly to his playmakers and the defense is coming up with big plays when needed. Colorado’s most impressive play of the first quarter came courtesy of two-way star Travis Hunter, who came out of nowhere to intercept an Ethan Garbers pass on the Bruins’ first offensive drive.

Hunter’s pick was his first since that TCU game, and the two plays even looked quite similar.

Early in the second quarter, however, Colorado trails UCLA, 7-6.

Check out some of the best social media reactions to Hunter’s ridiculous interception:

Travis Hunter absolutely freaked out after he and Shedeur Sanders met LeBron James courtside

Hey, you’d freak out too if you met LeBron James!

Colorado football standouts Shedeur Sanders and Travis Hunter got the VIP treatment at Tuesday night’s Los Angeles Lakers – Denver Nuggets game.

With Sanders and Hunter not too far away from where Denver plays, the two got courtside seats to take in the opening-night contest between the two Western Conference heavyweights.

LeBron James’ minutes restriction is actually a huge (but smart!) risk for the Lakers

Lakers superstar LeBron James actually went over after the game to greet Sanders and Hunter and express his admiration for the two college football players, as Colorado has gotten plenty of new fans this season with new head coach Deion Sanders leading the charge.

Well, Shedeur Sanders and Hunter both looked elated to have met James in this way, with Hunter delightfully freaking out at the interaction.

Sanders and Hunter could be NFL superstars one day we’re betting, and they’ll likely give some folks that reaction when they meet them throughout their careers

However, the two Colorado football stars were just fans on Tuesday night, fans who were incredibly excited to meet the best basketball player around.

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WATCH: Travis Hunter and Shedeur Sanders share moment with LeBron at Nuggets game

WATCH: Travis Hunter was in awe after meeting LeBron at the Nuggets game

The reigning NBA champion Denver Nuggets kicked off their new season on Tuesday night by beating LeBron James and the Los Angeles Lakers at Ball Arena. In attendance and sitting courtside were Colorado football stars Travis Hunter, Shedeur Sanders and head coach Deion Sanders.

After the game, James made sure to stop by and show Shedeur Sanders and Hunter some love.

James has been a known supporter of Coach Prime and he has even tweeted about the Buffs a few times.

Check out the video below of James sharing a moment with Shedeur Sanders and Hunter, who had a great reaction to meeting the NBA’s all-time scoring leader:

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