When Deion Sanders took the head coaching job at Colorado, it was met with fanfare and excitement. Of course, Primetime tends to draw the spotlight, but Sanders was also bringing in some big-time talent to Boulder.
At the forefront was Travis Hunter, the two-way star who stunned college football fans the year prior when he flipped to Jackson State after initially committing to Florida State. Hunter became the first five-star recruit to choose an FCS school since 2006, according to ESPN.
He played well as a true freshman at Jackson State, registering 20 tackles, 10 pass breakups, and two interceptions at corner. He caught 18 passes for 188 yards and four touchdowns as a receiver. He took his game to new heights in 2023 with Colorado. He had 30 tackles, five pass breakups, and three picks on defense while hauling in 57 passes for 721 yards and five touchdowns on offense.
The hype has been justified. Hunter is a legitimate playmaker on both sides of the football. He was a finalist for the Jerry Rice award, given to the top freshman in the FCS, during his 2022 campaign and earned first-team All-American honors in 2023. Talent and production are not the problem for Hunter.
However, a prevailing issue for Hunter has been injuries. He missed four games as a freshman due to an undisclosed injury. As a sophomore, Hunter was the victim of a dirty hit against Colorado State. He suffered a lacerated liver and missed the ensuing three games.
injuries are hard to avoid and even harder to predict. There is no doubt though that Hunter is at a higher risk for injury due to his increased workload. He played 116 or more snaps in five games during the 2023 season, topping out at a whopping 149 against Stanford. That is double if not triple what most players wind up playing in a given game.
Hunter is something of an ironman; a throwback to a forgotten era where this was commonplace. Chuck Bednarik famously played both sides of the line for the Eagles. Bednarik was one of the NFL's last "60-Minute Men" and he retired in 1962.
The problem is that Hunter is not built to withstand the punishment that comes from playing so many snaps. At 185 pounds, he has a slender frame and takes on a lot more contact than most players who play either receiver or corner would.
NBC Sports Draft Analyst and host of "NFL Stock Exchange" Connor Rogers compared it to the wear and tear of playing running back. The NFL has notoriously devalued the running back position in recent years because it is such a physically demanding position that leads to players breaking down rather quickly. Top linemen, corners, and defensive backs can regularly play into their early 30s while running backs typically start to see a decline in production around age 29.
That could wind up being a factor for NFL team's when evaluating Hunter. I think it is highly unlikely he will play both offense and defense at the NFL level. Perhaps he will have a sub package of players to be involved on the offense if he commits to cornerback full-time, but that feels like where that experiment would end.
Another major issue stems from Hunter's development. He is one of the best athletes in the country, but he also has a split focus. He is trying to learn the techniques and nuances of two different positions at once. The old saying goes, "Jack of all trades, master of none" for a reason. Trying to do both limits Hunter's ability to focus on his craft. He will not have the same opportunities to work on his route running or release package because he will also be worried about learning the defensive playbook and his tackling form.
As a two-way player, #Colorado WR/CB Travis Hunter (6-0, 181) is one of the most unique prospects that I’ve ever evaluated. There aren’t many NFL comps because of that.
— Jordan Reid (@Jordan_Reid) June 20, 2024
One that could be used often, Champ Bailey had 7 games where he played 100+ snaps during the 1998 season. pic.twitter.com/B1WogVS7Ik
Hunter will still end up being one of the top players selected in this draft and feels like a lock to be a first-round pick. However, his draft stock would likely be higher if he committed to one position over the other. I think he could challenge Will Johnson as the top cornerback in this draft class if he made the move to playing the position full-time. The same thing goes for challenging Luther Burden III to be the top receiver if he made that decision instead.
It is highly entertaining to watch and makes for an incredible story, but Hunter is hurting his draft stock and potentially his future. There is something admirable about doing everything he possibly can to help his team win, but at some point soon, he will have to start weighing the financial impact of these decisions, both in the short term and the long term.