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HomeTrendingTravis Hunter Tracker: Potential No. 1 NFL Draft pick closes regular season in style

Travis Hunter Tracker: Potential No. 1 NFL Draft pick closes regular season in style

November 29, 2024

With Colorado’s College Football Playoff hopes hanging in the balance, Friday afternoon may have been Travis Hunter’s last chance to impress Heisman voters and NFL scouts. Needless to say, he didn’t disappoint.

In his final regular season game, Hunter – who, to no one’s surprise, has already confirmed he will enter the 2025 NFL Draft – delivered his fourth interception and fourth multi-touchdown performance of the season in a 52-0 victory over Oklahoma State . Hunter has scored in every game he caught a pass this season, which is staggering and a rather unprecedented feat.

Colorado will need help from Arizona, Houston, Kansas State and possibly even West Virginia this weekend to compete in the conference title game. But Deion Sanders insisted this week that both Hunter and QB Shedeur Sanders will play in a bowl game, whether it’s part of the College Football Playoff or not.

More on Hunter’s latest gig…

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Stat line against Oklahoma State

Ten receptions for 116 yards and three touchdowns; one tackle, one INT, two pass breakups

While Hunter once again played over 100 snaps, he delivered an epic performance. The seriousness began on the third play from scrimmage when Hunter got into zone coverage and blocked a missed throw from Oklahoma State QB Maealiuaki Smith.

Hunter added the first of his three touchdown receptions later in the first quarter, an 11-yard toss from Shedeur Sanders. He then scored on an 8-yard catch to give Colorado a 35-0 lead in the third quarter and capped his eventful day with this insane grab:

Hunter’s overall offensive record this season: 92 receptions for 1,152 yards and 14 touchdowns. He added one rushing touchdown, four interceptions and 11 pass breakups.

Signature moment

Compared to most of his big plays, the difficulty level of Hunter’s first touchdown on Friday was low. But look at the dance – a nod to Deion Sanders’ “Prime Time” celebration from his playing days.

What it means

They say that if you had to explain college football to an alien, it might take you a decade. There’s a lot that doesn’t make sense.

Take Jim Thorpe. The legendary multi-sport icon truly made a name for himself as a running back – but his name is tied to a trophy (the Thorpe Award) given annually to college football’s top defensive back. Thorpe, of course, also played in the secondary and was outstanding. However, his true legacy is that he was able to carry (and overcome) many hats.

Also think about Hunter. He may be the closest to Thorpe’s ability in decades, but apparently that wasn’t good enough to make it into the final round of this year’s Thorpe Award – Georgia’s Malaki Starks, Texas’ Jahdae Barron and Ohio State’s Caleb Downs were named as finalists.

An absurd college football premise.

Despite Thorpe’s snub, Hunter’s sensational Heisman campaign continued in full force as Colorado crushed Oklahoma State. The 52-point loss also marked Hunter’s final home game in Boulder, Colorado, and it’s fair to wonder if it was Hunter’s final college football game Period. The answer could depend on how things shake out for the Buffaloes in the Big 12 title race.

On Senior Day at Colorado, Hunter made a splash in the first half with his fourth interception of the season – and the ninth of his career – once again putting him in the rarest of positions. ESPN showed a graphic during the game that Hunter is now the first college football player in “over 30 years” to record at least nine interceptions and 20 touchdown catches in his career. Not even legendary Holy Cross running back/defensive back Gordie Lockbaum — a member of the College Football Hall of Fame and one of the sport’s last true two-way ironmen — could do it.

If Colorado doesn’t make the Big 12 title game (and thereby end any kind of playoff bid), the Buffaloes could face a second-division bowl game.

Aside from the question of whether or not Hunter will play in a non-championship game for Colorado, one can also wonder how much he will show NFL teams during the upcoming pre-draft process. To date, six Colorado players have accepted invitations to the 2025 Shrine Bowl, including Shedeur Sanders, WR Will Sheppard and WR LaJohntay Wester. A recent change in NFL rules now allows non-seniors to participate in postseason all-star games, meaning Hunter can join his teammates at the Shrine Bowl or go to the Senior Bowl.

Rather? Not only will he skip both, but teams will also be lucky if Hunter does anything at the NFL Combine – including medical exams. Hunter, not unlike Caleb Williams a year ago, is clearly the best college player in America, and his value to NFL teams has been evident for some time. Williams opted to skip the medical exams in Indianapolis and instead hold them separately only for interested teams. Hunter should have the punch if he wants to use it.

Anyway, Friday afternoon may have been the last time we saw Hunter play football for a while. I hope you didn’t blink. — Nick Baumgardner

Required reading

(Top photo: Dustin Bradford / Getty Images)

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