While growing up, Travis Hunter would play college football video games with his cousins with a specific strategy.
“We always had a team full of (players rated) 99 overalls, trying to make them win the Heisman and win all the good trophies and the big trophies during the little season we used to play,” the Colorado star said during a Zoom interview with reporters on Thursday.
During that time, however, he never saw himself as a Heisman Trophy-winning player.
“Nah, I never envisioned this would happen for me,” CU’s junior cornerback/receiver said with a smile. “But I’m happy to be sitting right here. … A lot of people say they dreamed of moments like this but I can’t say I dreamed of this moment.”
Hunter, of course, hasn’t won the Heisman Trophy yet, but he’s on track to do so, as he helps lead the 16th-ranked Buffs (8-2, 6-1) into this week’s road test at Kansas (4-6, 3-4) on Saturday (1:30 p.m. MT, Fox).
The Buffaloes’ dynamic, two-way star is the odds-on favorite, per BetMGM.com. As long as he remains healthy and continues to do what he’s doing, Hunter could be the Heisman winner when it’s announced Dec. 14.
Win it and Hunter could technically come back in 2025 and join Ohio State’s Archie Griffin (1974, 1975) as the only two-time winners, but that’s not going to happen.
Asked if he is certain about entering the 2025 NFL Draft, Hunter said, “Yeah, that’s definitely for sure.”
One of the other top candidates for the Heisman is the man throwing Hunter the ball, Shedeur Sanders. While Sanders isn’t likely to win the award – as of Thursday, he’s tied for eighth in the running, per BetMGM – he could find himself in New York City as one of the finalists.
“He definitely deserves to be in New York and even if he’s not invited, he’s invited,” Hunter said with a laugh.
The 1982 season was the first in which Heisman finalists were invited to New York for the presentation ceremony. In that time, only three Buffs have ever been invited: Darian Hagan (1989), Eric Bieniemy (1990) and 1994 Heisman winner Rashaan Salaam.
It would be historic for CU to get Hunter and Sanders both to New York, but Sanders has no doubt about who should win the award.
“Travis Hunter should win the Heisman,” Sanders said during Tuesday’s Zoom. “That’s it. That’s really it. I think he’s deserving of it and if it’s between me and him, I would want him to get it because he does a lot of amazing things and things that ain’t never been done before. I’m not a selfish guy. I know what he’s capable of, so I’d rather him win it.”
Hunter is one of the nation’s best receivers, with 74 catches for 911 yards and nine touchdowns. He’s also one of the nation’s best cornerbacks and he’s posted three interceptions and eight pass breakups.
Often referred to as a “unicorn” in college football, Hunter was asked about that term.
“You know, a unicorn is just different; different from everybody else,” he said. “You know, it’s just hard to do what the unicorn can do.”
Nobody else in college football is doing what Hunter does, not only playing full-time on both sides of the ball, but dominating while doing it.
“I’m super confident and I believe that I can do it at the next level,” he said. “I’m not gonna let anyone tell me that I can’t do something that I’ve already done. They said I couldn’t do it in college. I ended up doing it in college. So a lot of people tell me I can’t do it in the NFL, but I’m gonna still do it in the NFL.”
By Hunter’s side is Sanders, who is one of the nation’s top quarterbacks, completing 72.9% of his passes (2nd nationally) for 3,222 yards (sixth) and 27 touchdowns (second).
Considered by many as the top QB prospect in the 2025 NFL Draft, Sanders took it a step further on Thursday.
“I feel like I was the best quarterback in last draft, too,” he said. “Ever since I was draft eligible, I knew I’m the best quarterback. … Week in, week out, I handle my business. I do what I’m supposed to do. And the main thing now is, just, you either see that or you don’t.”
Hunter certainly sees it and said he’d be just as happy to see Sanders win the Heisman.
They also both know they’re in the Heisman conversation because they have a talented team around them that has CU in position for a conference title and more.
“If I win, then everybody helped me to get to the goal,” Hunter said. “We’re not gonna leave anybody out, you know. We’re just super proud to have two people from our school to be able to be in the race.”
Along with the Heisman race, CU has a shot to get to the 12-team College Football Playoff and compete for a national title. Those are both secondary, however, to the goal right in front of the Buffs.
“The main thing is winning the Big 12 championship,” Sanders aid. “That’s the main thing we’re focused on. That was on the schedule before the year started. So that’s the main thing we got to do. We can’t look at playoffs. If you drop a game, (the playoff) is not even a question.”
Continue winning, however, and both of CU’s stars could land in New York on their way to leading the Buffs into the playoff.
“We know what comes with success at the end of the day,” Sanders said. “At the same time, we’ve got to stay consistent and not really look too far ahead.”
