Travis Hunter quickly made a case for being the best player in college football. The Colorado junior showed off his game-changing talents at both wide receiver and cornerback in a spectacular performance in the season opener against North Dakota State. It's hard to imagine a more impressive performance from the two-way threat in Week 1.
As a wide receiver, Hunter caught three touchdown passes from QB Shedul Sanders. The third touchdown was a work of art. On third-and-goal, Sanders found Hunter on a fade route, and Hunter, despite being completely surrounded by defensive backs, managed to catch the ball and land on the ground. If Hunter wins the Heisman this season, this highlight will immediately go to the front of the reel.
It gets even better when you look at it from a different perspective.
That would be a wild touchdown for any wide receiver, but of course Hunter isn't just a star wide receiver. He's arguably even better as a defensive back, and he played essentially every snap in this game on both the defensive and defensive end. We've seen two-way stars in college football before — Charles Woodson and Champ Bailey come to mind — but we may never have seen one as dominant on both the defensive and defensive ends as Hunter.
Hunter's ability to gain yards after the catch is a joy to watch. It's an art form.
Travis Hunter has never played in a game where he wasn't the best athlete on the field, and the scary thing is we don't know if he'll be able to be that best athlete at the next level. pic.twitter.com/prezWvaByO
— Grant Poulsen (@granthpaulsen) August 30, 2024
The Buffaloes have been a mixed bag under Coach Dion, but everyone can agree that Travis Hunter is fantastic.
