Deion Sanders proclaims Travis Hunter 'the best football player in the nation'

Travis Hunter was one of the most dynamic players in college football last year for the Colorado Buffaloes. Highly touted as one of the nation’s top recruits coming out of high school, Hunter did not disappoint in his first year for the Buffaloes. Despite missing three and a half games due to injury, the two-way star played more snaps from scrimmage in the regular season than any other player in college football.

In an exclusive interview with ESPN’s Pete Thamel at Big 12 Media Days, CU head coach Deion Sanders didn’t do anything to slow the hype train around his superstar. He’s got Hunter penciled in as an early first round pick in the NFL Draft.

“(He can improve) consistency,” Sanders said. “We’re praying that he stays away from injury that you saw last season. But the kid is, to me, the best football player in the nation. And I think we have two of the top football players in the nation, and I think we’re going to — you’re gonna see a couple more catapult themselves into that early first round. We have those type of players in our locker room.”

Hunter saw the field a total of 1,102 snaps, including 475 on offense, 631 on defense, and 32 on special teams. That’s an average of 114.7 per game. On offense, he caught five touchdown passes and on defense, he snatched three interceptions. Hunter became the first player to accomplish such a feat since Champ Bailey did it in 1998. He brought home the Paul Hornung Award as the nation’s most versatile player. And the Georgia native was also named first team All-American from numerous outlets across the country.

Before joining Colorado, the superstar shined at Jackson State, racking up 19 tackles, eight pass deflections, two interceptions, and one defensive touchdown. On the offensive side of the ball, Hunter hauled in 19 catches for 190 yards and four touchdowns.

In the 2022 cycle, Hunter was ranked as the No. 2 overall player in America and a five-star prospect, according to the On3 Industry Rankings. He was the No. 1 rated athlete in the country and one of the most highly coveted two-sport stars in college football recruiting history.

Colorado will open up their 2024 campaign with a team that has a history of upsets in their arsenal. They’ll face the North Dakota State Bison, a team that has dominated the Division I-AA ranks for the past 15 years. NDSU and Colorado will face off on Thursday, August 29th. Kickoff is set for 8:00 PM EST.