Colorado Buffaloes Football

Colorado head coach Deion Sanders told reporters on Tuesday that he realized Travis Hunter had a Heisman Trophy in his future from his very first practice three years ago at Jackson State.

"When he went out there at receiver and did his thing, then went from receiver to defensive back and shut it down. I knew right then it was something special," he said (4:20 mark). "It's one thing to watch highlights of a young man in high school, it's another to see it in person. And when you know the game, you know athleticism, you know what I know, you come where I come from—you know when you see something that is abnormal. This kid, from day one, has been abnormal with an appetite to dominate."

Hunter's 2024 season has been the stuff of legends—92 catches for 1,152 yards and 14 touchdowns on offense and 31 tackles, four interceptions, 11 passes defensed and one forced fumble on defense.

Almost every conceivable award followed, with Hunter earning the Heisman Trophy, Walter Camp Award (college player of the year), Biletnikoff Award (best receiver) and the Bednarik Award (best defensive player).

More importantly, Colorado went from 4-8 in Sanders' first year as the head coach in 2023 to a 9-3 record this season, the No. 20 ranking to close the year and a berth in the Alamo Bowl against BYU on Saturday, Dec. 28.

Yes, the Buffaloes blew the chance to reach the Big 12 Championship Game—which would have given them a chance at the College Football Playoff—by losing to Kansas on Nov. 23. But the 2024 season was nonetheless a resounding success.

As for Hunter's personal success, he attributed a ton of it to the coaching of Sanders and the quarterback play of Shedeur Sanders.

"Coach Prime, Shedeur, y'all changed my life forever," he said during his Heisman speech.

"Coach Prime told me this journey would be bigger than anything before," he added. "He believed in me, not just as a player but as a person."

That faith was more than rewarded.

Former Alabama Crimson Tide defensive tackle Jehiem Oatis has committed to Colorado and head coach Deion Sanders, according to ESPN's Pete Thamel.

Oatis was the top overall defensive lineman in the in the transfer portal, according to 247Sports.

The junior transfer started 13 games for the Crimson Tide during his first two years. He recorded 57 tackles, 1.5 sacks, and five passes defended.

Oatis played in just four games for Alabama this season before opting to redshirt and not participate in the remainder of the season, per Thamel. He recorded two tackles and one pass defended.

Oatis has said that playing time was a big reason for his decision to part ways with the Alabama program, per Thamel.

"He's been battling injuries, not been able to perform or produce in the way that any of us would like," Alabama defensive coordinator Kane Wommack said back in October, per Tide Illustrated's Jack Knowlton. "But my focus is on the players that are going to do everything they can to help us win football games. So that's really where my focus is right now."

Oatis did not appear in Alabama's 40-25 loss against Vanderbilt on Oct. 5, solidifying his decision. Head coach Kalen DeBoer expressed that he was not surprised by the choice, according to Knowlton.

"Jaheim, it felt like it was going that way," DeBoer said, per Knowlton. "I think you also have to understand there's other elements to this. There's health elements, there's life elements. I love these guys, they work hard and Jaheim's choices, there's reasons for that. He has notified and continued to be in communication here with us. Kinda felt like it was maybe going in that direction, not just today or yesterday but just here in the last few days. We move forward with the guys that really are able to help us win and focused on our program."

The Crimson Tide stand at 9-3 ahead of their bowl game against the Michigan Wolverines. Despite being a highly touted team, Alabama failed to make the 12-team playoffs.

2024 Heisman Trophy winner Travis Hunter's impact on Colorado has been immeasurable both on and off the field.

During an appearance on Zero 2 Sixty, Buffaloes videographer Deion Sanders Jr. revealed that Hunter doesn't receive any money from the program's NIL collective and actually contributes to the collective himself.

"God-given character for sure. You know he receives no NIL from the collective, and he's one of the biggest donors to the collective? He's paying a lot of other people's NIL on this team," Sanders said at the 18:45 mark.

Sanders added that Hunter is paying "at least 10 to 15 guys'" NIL money this season.

Per On3.com, Hunter has an NIL valuation of $5.2 million, which ranks second in all of college sports behind only his teammate Shedeur Sanders, as the Colorado quarterback is making $6.2 million. Hunter's known NIL deals include companies like Adidas, United Airlines, 7-Eleven and Celsius.

In addition to his selfless act of contributing to the NIL collective, Hunter is also gearing up to join his teammates one last time for the Valero Alamo Bowl against BYU on Dec. 28. Despite winning the Heisman Trophy and being one of the candidates to be selected No. 1 overall in the 2025 NFL draft, he still chose to suit up for his final chance to play for Colorado.

"It's definitely important, because I started this thing with Coach Prime, and Shedeur, and most of the coaches on the coaching staff, so I wanted to finish it off right," Hunter said of his decision last week. "I didn't give them a full season my first year, so I'm gonna go ahead and end this thing off right. It's going to be our last game together, so I'm going to go out there and dominate, and show loyalty that I have for them.

That type of attitude is sure to endear Hunter with fans as he prepares for his NFL career and transitions to the next level.

Colorado linebacker Nikhai Hill-Green is planning to enter the transfer portal, according to Pete Nakos of On3.com.

Hill-Green initially transferred to Colorado after spending the 2023 season with Charlotte, earning All-Big 12 Second Team honors in his lone year with head coach Deion Sanders' program.

He was a key member of a Buffaloes defense that made improvements across the board from 2023 to 2024, helping the team progress from 4-8 to 9-3.

In 12 appearances, Hill-Green racked up 82 tackles, 12 tackles for loss, two sacks and two interceptions.

Dealing with losses in the transfer portal isn't new for Sanders, as the team underwent roster turnover ahead of his first season in 2023 as well as the 2024 offseason. Portal additions such as Hill-Green have been key to the Buffaloes' turnaround this year, and Coach Prime doesn't appear to be worried about navigating through an eventful offseason again.

Colorado also received some good news on Monday, as linebacker Jeremiah Brown chose to withdraw from the transfer portal and return to the school in 2025 (via Nakos). Brown has tallied 17 tackles and a pass defensed in 16 appearances over the past two seasons and could be in line for a larger role following Hill-Green's departure.

The Buffaloes will likely look vastly different in 2025, as quarterback Shedeur Sanders and Heisman Trophy winner Travis Hunter are both expected to hear their names called in the NFL draft.

In order for Colorado to remain a contender in its second season as a member of the Big 12, continuing to improve on the defensive side of the ball will be crucial.

The Buffaloes have allowed 353.7 yards per game in 2024, the eighth-highest mark in the conference.

Colorado head coach Deion Sanders is reportedly set to host one of the best players in the transfer portal for a visit.

Per ESPN's Pete Thamel, former Alabama defensive tackle Jehiem Oatis is in Boulder on Monday to visit with Sanders and the Buffaloes. Thamel ranks him as the No. 1 defensive player in the transfer portal.

In October, Oatis opted to redshirt the 2024 season and enter the transfer portal at the end of the year. After starting 13 games over his first two years with the Crimson Tide, his playing time decreased significantly under new head coach Kalen DeBoer, and he cited that as a reason for his decision to transfer.

"Getting the reps and looks that I'm getting, I feel like it's better for me to move on somewhere new," Oatis told Thamel at the time.

Oatis underwent three offseason surgeries on his shoulder, knee and ankle, but he's been healthy since the end of training camp. Alabama defensive coordinator Kane Wommack said during a news conference in October that injuries had hindered Oatis and he had "not been able to perform or produce the way that any of us would like."

Oatis was a 4-star recruit and the No. 12 defensive lineman in the class of 2022 in 247Sports' composite. He has career numbers of 57 total tackles, five passes defended and 1.5 sacks.

Colorado is set to look different next year with the impending departures of quarterback Shedeur Sanders and 2024 Heisman Trophy winner Travis Hunter. Coach Prime will surely be looking to add star power through the transfer portal, so Oatis would be an instant impact player if he lands with the Buffaloes.

For the next several months, the debate surrounding Travis Hunter's future in the NFL will be firmly centered on whether he should primarily play cornerback or wide receiver.

Jay Glazer of Fox Sports said he spoke with 13 different general managers and head coaches regarding that topic and said the "overwhelming" consensus was that Hunter should focus on cornerback.

The majority cited Hunter's "elite ball skills" and noted that it's "just so hard to find a shutdown corner like that. However, they all said—even though we start him at cornerback—we'd definitely find packages and plays for him on the offensive side of the ball."

Hunter's two-way impact ultimately earned him the Heisman Trophy, alongside a slew of other awards this season.

On the offensive side of the ball, he caught 92 passes for 1,152 yards and 14 touchdowns. Defensively, he notched 31 tackles, four interceptions, 11 passes defensed and a forced fumble despite opposing quarterbacks often ignoring his side of the field.

In the modern game, Hunter's true two-way status is incredibly unique.

"They sprinkled me out there [on offense] when they needed a play. I didn't do a whole lot of offense," Charles Woodson—who won the Heisman Trophy back in 1997 as a cornerback, receiver and returner—told Ralph D. Russo of The Athletic. "Travis actually plays both sides of the ball. You can say he's a two-way player that played defense, but I'm still the only defensive player to win it."

Playing full-time on both sides of the ball feels unrealistic in the NFL game, however. For one, it's a longer season playing against the biggest, strongest and fastest players on the planet. The physical toll is real.

But the NFL game is also complex, and expecting Hunter to handle the intricacies of both an offensive and defensive game plan would be a major ask. Most college programs wouldn't have allowed Hunter to do what he's done, but Deion Sanders and Colorado offered him that freedom, and it worked out quite nicely.

It does seem most likely that Hunter will be drafted as a cornerback and teams will build a nice package of plays for him on the offensive side of the ball. Sanders was used in a similar fashion in his Hall of Fame NFL career. Not a bad path for Hunter to follow.

Troy Aikman got a firsthand look at how successful a Sanders can be in the NFL, and he believes Shedeur Sanders will follow in his father's footsteps and thrive at the next level.

"I do think he's a franchise quarterback," the former Dallas Cowboys quarterback and current Fox broadcaster told TMZ Sports when discussing the Colorado signal-caller. "I love his game. I've obviously been watching him for a number of years, I know his father intimately well. What Shedeur's been able to do is remarkable."

He added that he believes Sanders is "going to have a hell of a career" in the NFL.

Aikman and Deion Sanders were teammates with the Cowboys for five seasons from 1995-99 and won a Super Bowl together during the 1995 campaign. It was Aikman's third Lombardi Trophy and Sanders' second.

The older Sanders is now the head coach of Colorado, and the Buffaloes improved from 4-8 in his first season to 9-3 in his second in large part because of his son at quarterback.

Shedeur Sanders completed 74.2 percent of his passes for 3,926 yards, 35 touchdowns and eight interceptions and finished in eighth place in Heisman voting. His teammate, Travis Hunter, took home the coveted award after an excellent season as both a wide receiver and cornerback.

Both are surely eyeing the next level at this point, and B/R's NFL Scouting Department listed Sanders as the No. 9 overall player and No. 2 quarterback behind Miami's Cam Ward in its latest big board of NFL draft prospects.

Sanders is also listed as the most-accurate passer and most pro-ready quarterback.

It is likely only a matter of time before Aikman is calling his games from the broadcasting booth, and the former Cowboys signal-caller has big expectations for the younger Sanders.

Colorado quarterback Shedeur Sanders must've had a crystal ball when he pitched Travis Hunter on playing for Jackson State.

After Hunter was named this year's Heisman Trophy winner, Sanders shared a direct message exchange they had in November 2020. He said at the time that Hunter should follow him and his dad, Hall of Fame cornerback Deion Sanders, to Jackson State, where he could "do something that hasn't been done before."

That ultimately proved true for Hunter at Colorado.

In his two seasons with the Buffs, the two-way standout has 1,873 receiving yards and 19 touchdown receptions along with 43 tackles, seven interceptions and 16 pass breakups. You have to go back a long way to find a college player who impacted the game on both offense and defense to this degree.

Hunter is also the first defensive player to win the Heisman since Charles Woodson in 1997. Woodson's candidacy that year was likewise boosted by the fact he lined up on defense and special teams.

In his acceptance speech Saturday, Hunter shouted out Deion and Shedeur Sanders and said they "changed my life forever."

Florida State fans, meanwhile, were left to ponder what could've been.

Hunter, the No. 1 player in 247Sports' composite rankings for 2022, originally committed to the Seminoles before backtracking and signing with Jackson State. He then followed Deion Sanders to Boulder after the Hall of Fame cornerback took the Colorado job in 2023.

Whereas a different coach might've thought it best for Hunter to pick one position over the other, Sanders has fully embraced his two-way abilities and steadfastly refused to box him in as a receiver or cornerback exclusively.

When he first joined Jackson State, Hunter couldn't have possibly imagined his college career would reach these kind of heights.

Heisman winner Travis Hunter has his fiancée to thank for introducing him to Lil Wayne.

The 21-year-old admitted during his 2024 Heisman Trophy acceptance speech on Saturday that he was unfamiliar with Lil Wayne's music before meeting his fiancée, Leanna Lenee.

"Wayne, you don't know how you came into our life. My fiancée loves you," Hunter said as the rapper sat alongside Colorado coach Deion Sanders and teammate Shedeur Sanders. "I didn't know none of your songs until she let me know because I don't listen to music. She let me know, she told me, 'You gotta listen to this. If you're going to listen to (music), listen to Wayne.'"

As he pumped himself up for games where he averaged 96 yards per game offensively and dominated on defense, Hunter admitted he was plugged into Wayne's music.

"From that day on, that is all I listen to," Hunter said. "Pregame music, those are the songs I'm listening to. When I get in that TRX and I blast that music, I'm listening to Wayne."

The Colorado Buffaloes star was born in 2003, making him just five-years old when Wayne's best-selling album "Tha Carter III" was released. It would be three more years until Hunter's acclaimed favorite song, 6 Foot 7 Foot was released on "Tha Carter IV."

"It's crazy. 6 Foot, 7 Foot, 8 Foot... That's my song," Hunter added. "I respect you for coming out here and supporting me man."

Wayne, a five-time Grammy Award winner, was recently passed over for the 2025 NFL Super Bowl halftime performance in favor of Kendrick Lamar, much to Hunter's dismay, as he shared on his podcast, The Travis Hunter Show.

"Kendrick Lamar being the halftime Super Bowl 59 halftime performance, it's gonna be in New Orleans, which is kind of crazy cause I was thinking it was gonna be Lil Wayne all the way, and I'm about to be out there running on the field 'six foot, seven foot, eight foot bunch. Tryna go out there and be lit with Lil Wayne."

Colorado two-way star Travis Hunter received a historic College Football 25 ratings boost following his Heisman Trophy win on Saturday night.

Hunter's overall rating increased to 99 following the award ceremony, according to EA Sports.

Previously ranked at a 97 OVR, Hunter was celebrated as the best player in college football after excelling at both wide receiver and cornerback in his junior season.

Hunter grew up playing EA Sports college football games, where his strategy was "filling his roster with players with 99 grades," ESPN's Mark Schlabach recently reported.

He has now achieved the 99 OVR for himself after making 92 catches for 1,152 yards and recording 15 total touchdowns through 12 games.

Hunter also recorded 31 tackles and 11 passes defensed while snagging four interceptions on the other side of the ball. He led the FBS in total snaps after logging 688 on defense and 672 on offense.

Just 24 total players earned a 99 overall rating in NCAA Football games between 2003 and 2014, according to Fox College Football.

The last player to earn a 99 OVR in NCAA Football was South Carolina defensive end and future No. 1 pick Jadeveon Clowney in 2014, per Fox Sports' RJ Young.

Hunter will look to follow in Clowney's footsteps by entering the 2025 NFL Draft as a prospective top selection. Before then, however, Hunter has said he plans to compete in one final game for the Buffaloes when Colorado takes on BYU in the Alamo Bowl on Dec. 28.

Heisman Trophy finalist and Boise State running back Ashton Jeanty currently holds a 97 OVR. The other two finalists for the award, Miami quarterback Cam Ward and Oregon quarterback Dillon Gabriel, each boast a 93 OVR.