Travis Hunter made a strong impression in Colorado's season-opening win over North Dakota State on Thursday night.
The Buffaloes wide receiver had three touchdown catches, including one in the fourth quarter that was described by the ESPN broadcast team as “miraculous, unbelievable, impossible catch.”
Hunter finished the game with 132 yards on seven receptions, but his longest catch was a 41-yard touchdown reception in the first quarter.
Hunter made a short catch and then broke free of a tackle and raced into the end zone with no one around, eliciting a frenzy from the home crowd on the Buffaloes' opening drive of the first quarter.
But Hunter's first touchdown catch was lost on a fourth-quarter touchdown catch that gave the Buffaloes a little breathing room as their lead remained at just four points.
Colorado quarterback Shedur Sanders turned and threw a pass to Hunter in the corner of the end zone, and while struggling with a North Dakota defender, he managed to get around the defensive back's arms and make a spectacular catch.
The catch became a social media sensation, with some of the biggest names in the sport in awe of the receiver's play.
“Travis Hunter is amazing!!” Basketball superstar LeBron James wrote on X:.
“It doesn't matter who gets the first pick, if you need a lineman or a quarterback, Travis Hunter is the one,” Dolphins wide receiver Tyreek Hill wrote:
“Shedul Sanders is not a top-five pick. Travis Hunter is not a top-five pick. They're both deserving of being the No. 1 pick in the NFL Draft.” Robert Griffin III has been added to X. We discussed both Hunter and Sanders, who also had a big game.
Sanders threw four touchdown passes, including a 70-yard touchdown pass, and finished the game with 445 passing yards.
With Colorado facing Nebraska in the second week of the college football season, all eyes will be on Hunter to see if he can build on his impressive performance earlier in the year.
