Travis Hunter injury: Deion Sanders shares big update on Colorado star's health vs. Cincinnati

Deion Sanders shared a big update Tuesday when it came to the health of two-way star Travis Hunter and his status against Cincinnati.

In the win over Arizona Saturday, Hunter sat out the second half as a precaution. Colorado won 34-7 despite not having Hunter at full strength.

In a pivotal Big 12 game against the Bearcats, Hunter’s presence would give the Buffaloes a boost. It seems like he’s due for a bigger role this weekend, according to Sanders.

“Travis is better than last week,” Sanders said. “(I) think he’ll have more productivity because he’s feeling much better than last week. You can just tell with his little giddy up and the way he goes about life. Little more pep in his step today. I think he did some conditioning today, for sure, to make sure he’s on point with his conditioning because he never tires and we want to keep that what it is. But I certainly think he will certainly contribute a lot more than he did a week ago because he’s healthier.”

Hunter suffered the injury last week in a 31-28 loss to Kansas State and did not return after leaving the game toward the end of the first half. Sanders could tell that he wasn’t quite himself in the first half as he recorded only two catches for 17 yards.

That ultimately led to the coach’s decision to shut him down with the lead in hand.

“The first fade we threw to him, he couldn’t extend and go get it,” Sanders said. “He kind of reacted late. That’s not Travis. I said, ‘Man, that’s not you. What are you doing? Are you OK?’ He didn’t want to come off the field. You know how he is. But I’m proud of him. The kid is phenomenal. He’s a competitor and he just wanted to play.”

Hunter has been a valuable piece for the Buffaloes this season with 51 catches for 605 yards and six touchdowns in addition to 19 tackles, two interceptions and three passes defended. However, he has just five catches for 43 yards over the past two games.

Travis Hunter should be expected to play next week as it doesn’t seem the injury is too serious. Colorado improved to 5-2 (3-1 Big 12) and will face Cincinnati at 10:15 p.m. ET on Saturday.

Kaiden Smith contributed to this report