Big 12 Football

Shedeur Sanders and Travis Hunter have played their last game for Colorado.

The Buffaloes stars' college careers ended on Saturday night with a 36-14 loss to BYU in the 2024 Alamo Bowl.

The contest in San Antonio was an emotional occasion for head coach Deion Sanders, who coached his sons Shilo and Shedeur Sanders for the last time in their college careers.

But the occasion ended in a blowout loss for Sanders' team, highlighted by his son's 43-yard touchdown pass to Hunter in the third quarter.

A dominant performance by the BYU defense was capped off when Sanders was picked off in the fourth quarter. Linebacker Isaiah Glasker celebrated by imitating Deion Sanders' signature touchdown dance.

Sanders recorded the final touchdown pass of his college career with a short throw to Sav'ell Smalls in the final minutes of the loss.

A bowl game loss won't stop Colorado's starting quarterback and the reigning Heisman Trophy winner at aiming for a spot in the first round of the 2025 NFL Draft this April.

Sanders has made it clear that he wants to be the No. 1 pick in the draft, a goal he emphasized by wearing custom New York Giants cleats ahead of the bowl game.

That earned Sanders some ribbing from fans after he moved the Buffs back 23 yards on a sack that put his team out of field goal range in the second quarter.

Sanders finished the game having taken four sacks as his struggles with pressure from the BYU defense led some viewers to question how high he will go in the upcoming draft.

Other fans were impressed by Sanders' decision to stay in until the end of the blowout, especially in the light of prospective top pick Cam Ward's decision to sit out the second half of Saturday's Pop-Tarts bowl after setting the all-time DI career touchdown pass record in the first.

Miami went on to lose 42-41 to Iowa State with Ward on the sideline.

Hunter recorded four receptions, including the second-quarter touchdown catch, to rack up triple digit receiving yards for the eighth time this season.

Whatever the results of the upcoming draft, Sanders and Hunter will depart from Deion Sanders' program having successfully led the Buffaloes from a 1-11 season two years ago to a winning record and bowl game this winter.

Colorado football head coach Deion Sanders will coach his sons, quarterback Shedeur and safety Shilo, as well as Heisman Trophy winner Travis Hunter for the final time on Saturday when his team plays No. 17 BYU in the Alamo Bowl.

It will obviously be an emotional evening for Sanders in San Antonio, and the Pro Football Hall of Famer understandably isn't sure how he'll handle it just yet.

"It's gonna be something to behold," Sanders said, per Brent Schrotenboer of USA Today.

"I don't know how I'm gonna handle it. I know Travis is gonna trigger me. I know it because he always does, and he's gonna bring tears out of my eyes. But I don't look forward to it. But I do, because that means they're going to another level, another chapter of life. And they're gonna soar."

The quartet has been together for four years, first at Jackson State (2021-2022) before heading to Colorado last season. The Buffaloes were 1-11 in 2022 but has since improved to 9-3 in 2024 with a No. 20 ranking in the Associated Press poll. A win over BYU will certainly cement a Top 20 finish, putting the exclamation point on a tremendous program comeback.

Sanders definitively said on the Pacman Jones Show that he's staying at Colorado despite speculation connecting him to the NFL or other college programs.

But Shedeur and Shilo Sanders and Hunter are now headed to the pros. In fact, it's certainly possible that Shedeur Sanders and Hunter end up going one-two (in some order) in the NFL draft, or at least very high up.

For now, though, they'll all finish out the season in Texas. Kickoff on Saturday is scheduled for 7:30 p.m. ET.

Colorado two-way phenom Travis Hunter received a vote of confidence from head coach Deion Sanders ahead of Saturday's Valero Alamo Bowl against BYU.

During a recent practice, Sanders called Hunter to the middle of the huddle to remind him who he is and how much he means to the Buffaloes.

"I want you to know this in front of everybody: you know we love you, we got you, we appreciate you. You are him," Sanders said.

Hunter has dealt with a wave of chatter on social media about his personal life after he won the 2024 Heisman Trophy earlier this month. However, Saturday's game will be the last of his college career before he enters the 2025 NFL draft, so he will be motivated to end things on a good note.

While splitting time between receiver and cornerback, Hunter led Colorado with 92 catches, 1,152 yards, 14 touchdowns, 11 passes defended and four interceptions. He also had 31 total tackles and a forced fumble on defense and a rushing touchdown on offense.

Hunter is the No. 1 player on B/R's NFL draft big board. He has a bright future at the next level, but for now, he's focused on finishing off the 2024 season the right way in the Alamo Bowl.

Colorado quarterback Shedeur Sanders teased new custom cleats and seemed confident about going No. 1 overall in April's NFL draft during a conversation with his brother, safety Shilo Sanders, that was caught on camera during a practice leading up to the team's Alamo Bowl game against BYU on Saturday.

Deion Sanders Jr.'s Well Off Media captured the interaction, which begins at 5:23. The talk about the custom cleats and the No. 1 pick in particular starts at 6:24.

"We know where we're going, baby...We know where we're going, baby," Shedeur Sanders said. "You'll see them in the cleats later on this week."

Shilo Sanders then replied: "You don't know where you're going...bro, the team might trade up."

Shedeur Sanders then said: "You can't get higher than one."

Right now, the New York Giants hold the No. 1 pick in the NFL draft. They are certainly in need of a quarterback, especially after releasing Daniel Jones midseason.

Then there are five teams at 3-12, and right now, they are picking in the following order from No. 2 to No. 6: New England Patriots, Jacksonville Jaguars, Tennessee Titans, Cleveland Browns and Las Vegas Raiders.

The Pats and Jags are solid at QB with Drake Maye and Trevor Lawrence. The other three teams, for various reasons, will be in the market and could potentially trade up if needed.

At the moment, it appears to be a two-man race for QB1 between Sanders and Miami's Cam Ward, and that in turn could be a sprint to be the No. 1 overall pick in the 2025 NFL draft given the amount of losing teams in need of a quarterback.

Right now, Ward is No. 8 overall (QB1) on the B/R NFL Scouting Department big board, and Sanders is No. 9 overall (QB2).

So it'll be a fascinating race to see who emerges as the top QB, or if a wild card can come into play. It seems Sanders (and his father, Colorado head coach and Pro Football Hall of Famer Deion Sanders) are confident in the No. 1 overall pick prospect, though.

For now, fans await to see what cleats Sanders will be sporting for the Alamo Bowl, which will go down Saturday at 7:30 p.m. ET in San Antonio.

Former USF safety Tawfiq Byard committed to Colorado on Tuesday, according to Hayes Fawcett of On3.com.

Byard is coming off a breakout sophomore season with the Bulls and still has three years of eligibility remaining.

He previously visited Colorado and met with head coach Deion Sanders on Friday, per SI.com's Zack Nagy. Byard also visited Virginia Tech, LSU and Vanderbilt before making his commitment decision.

He confirmed the transfer decision in a post on X.

Byard revealed that the Buffaloes' coaching staff, including defensive coordinator Rob Livingston, influenced his final choice.

"The defensive coordinator Rob Livingston we speak the same language," Byard said, via Steve Wiltfong of On3.com. "He's an NFL guy who coached a lot of good safeties. Also the staff Coach Prime hired. They make you feel welcomed and loved. To the academic people to Coach Prime himself everyone was welcoming!"

In 12 appearances with USF during the 2024 season, he racked up 54 tackles, eight tackles for loss, two sacks and one interception.

He's also the brother of Chicago Bears safety Kevin Byard.

The younger Byard should immediately contribute to a Buffaloes secondary that exceeded expectations in 2024 despite dealing with some inconsistency down the stretch of the season. Colorado finished with the sixth-best pass defense in the Big 12.

While Sanders' program hasn't been as active in the transfer portal compared to the end of his first season in Boulder, the Buffaloes' 2025 transfer class still ranks No. 14 in the country (via 247Sports).

Byard, Carter Stoutmire and Savion Riley are expected to compete for Colorado's starting safety positions next season.

Star players opting out of non-playoff games has become a regular occurrence in college football, but Colorado stars such as Shedeur Sanders and Travis Hunter will be suiting up for Saturday's Alamo Bowl against BYU.

Head coach Deion Sanders spoke to reporters about the situation Monday and explained players such as his son and Hunter will receive injury insurance for the game:

The decisions from Hunter and Sanders to play in the game stand out in particular, as they could be the top-two picks in the 2025 NFL draft. Tankathon projected just that to happen in its latest mock draft with Sanders going No. 1 overall to the New York Giants and Hunter going No. 2 overall to the New England Patriots.

B/R's NFL Scouting Department ranked Hunter as the top prospect and Sanders as the ninth-best prospect in its latest big board released last month.

Colorado will take the field Saturday after a nearly monthlong break between games. The Buffs closed out the regular season on Nov. 29 with a 52-0 shutout of Oklahoma State, which improved their record to 9-3.

It was quite the turnaround from last year's 4-8 campaign, and Colorado will look to close out the season on a high note with its star players taking the field against BYU.

Heisman Trophy winner Travis Hunter has high hopes for his NFL career, and high hopes for his Madden rating, too.

The Colorado two-way star and likely top-five pick in the 2025 NFL draft told Chad Johnson and Paul Burmeister of NBC Sports that he believes he should be an 85 overall when he hits the league next year.

Johnson, an official Madden ratings adjustor, countered that the best he could do for Hunter was a 76 as a rookie. Hunter, unsurprisingly, did not seem thrilled with that response.

It will be interesting to see how much Hunter's future NFL team allows him to play both ways. And, by proxy, how his Madden ranking stacks up as both a cornerback and receiver.

More than likely, Hunter will be a full-time cornerback and have some packages drawn up for him at wideout. But if anybody was going to play substantial snaps on both sides of the ball, it would be Hunter.

After putting on a show on the football field this season, Shedeur Sanders and Travis Hunter showcased their chemistry on the court.

The Colorado stars showed up prior to a men's basketball victory over Bellarmine on Saturday, with Sanders throwing an alley-oop off the backboard to Hunter.

Both players also received custom Buffaloes basketball jerseys.

The teammates helped lead Colorado to a 9-3 record this season, with the school appearing in a bowl game for the first time since 2020.

The Buffaloes will take on BYU in the Alamo Bowl on Dec. 28. Both players are expected to start in the matchup.

On Saturday, Hunter was recognized by the school for his recent Heisman Trophy victory. He was honored with a short presentation involving the trophy before the opening tip and the entire football team took the floor for a final send-off before heading to San Antonio for the upcoming bowl clash.

Hunter showed off his athleticism by throwing down several impressive dunks, catching the attention of Memphis Grizzlies star Ja Morant.

While the two-way standout has become known for his efforts at both cornerback and wide receiver on the field, he previously played point guard on his high school basketball team at Collins Hill.

Hunter is wrapping up an incredible 2024 campaign in Boulder, catching 92 passes for 1,152 yards and 14 touchdowns. He also racked up 32 tackles, 11 passes defensed and four interceptions to go along with a forced fumble.

Sanders also made strides throughout his second year with the Buffaloes, completing 74.2 percent of his passes for 3,926 yards and 35 touchdowns compared to eight interceptions. He finished No. 8 in 2024 Heisman voting.

The pair of teammates are on track to hear their names called early in the 2025 NFL draft, but they stopped by the CU Events Center to have some fun on the court first.

Deion Sanders says NFL teams shouldn't consider drafting reigning Heisman Trophy winner Travis Hunter this spring unless they are willing to play him at both wide receiver and cornerback.

"Travis could definitely do that." Sanders told Rich Eisen on Friday about Hunter playing two positions in the NFL (3:12 mark of the video below.) "I mean, he's gonna do that, or they shouldn't draft him. Don't do that.

"And I'm going to make sure of that. Don't draft him if you're not going to give him an opportunity to play on both sides of the ball."

Sanders continued: "Now, you can be creative, he don't have to do what we did with him here, and play every snap. But, just say he's starting the corner, he's going to have to be on your nickel packages, or your spread packages on the offense.

"Because he's going to be probably your best receiver, and you're going to look like an idiot with your best receiver sitting on the bench, and you can't get open, you can't get the ball down the field. Or vice versa. Your best corner isn't on the field, and they're bombing you right now, and he's on the sideline with you."

Hunter claimed the Heisman Trophy as the best player in college football after playing 84 percent of Colorado's snaps last season.

He took 669 snaps on defense and 687 on offense, in total taking more than 400 snaps more than the next closest FBS player.

Fox Sports' Jay Glazer reported earlier this week that he had asked 13 head coaches and general managers where they believed Hunter would play in the NFL.

Out of those surveyed, 12 expected him to primarily work as a defender while making some contributions on offense, according to Glazer.

"They all said, even though we'd start him at cornerback, we'd definitely find packages we'd play for him on the offensive side of the ball," Glazer said.

Sanders primarily played as a defensive back during his own 14-season NFL career. His best campaign as a two-way player came during the 1996 season for the Dallas Cowboys, during which he made 33 tackles while also recording 36 receptions.

It sounds like Sanders is hoping Hunter will find a similar path to success on both sides of the ball after the Buffaloes' two-way star enters the upcoming NFL draft as a potential No. 1 pick this April.