Travis Hunter shares where Deion Sanders impacted him most during college career

Travis Hunter has one game left playing for Colorado, presuming he plays in the Buffaloes bowl game, something head coach Deion Sanders said will happen. But no matter what, Hunter’s time in Boulder is winding down, as he gears up for the 2025 NFL Draft.

And that means Hunter won’t be coached by Sanders for the first time in three years, ending what has been a fruitful coach player relationship. It’s a relationship that will surely leave a lasting impact on Hunter, who has developed into a two-way star and Heisman candidate in large part because of what Sanders instilled him in.

One thing, though, supersedes the rest, Hunter said.

“Belief. You’ve gotta believe in yourself. That’s the main thing he instilled in me. You just gotta believe. You gotta have that dog mentality and always be ready,” Hunter said during a brief interview on SportsCenter on Thursday evening.

Both player and coach are quite similar and have admitted as such, giving Sanders a clear window into what life might be like as a two-way star and being a center of attention.

And it goes behind the football comparisons.

Hunter shared on Thursday that he and Sanders both love to fish. Though there will probably be debate between the two about one aspect.

“We like to fish a lot. We’re both great fishermen. We’ll he not great. I’m great, he good. But we like to fish a lot. That’s all we talk about, really,” Hunter said.

Hunter discussed his connection with quarterback Shedeur Sanders

Rarely do you find a quarterback-wide receiver connection going on for three years. But Colorado has it with Shedeur Sanders and Hunter. One season was spent at Jackson State before moving to Boulder and watching the success grow.

Just one game remains for the duo before likely being first-round picks in the 2025 NFL Draft. Colorado head coach Deion Sanders confirmed they would play in the program’s bowl game instead of opting out. Before then, Hunter reflected on the connection he has with Shedeur Sanders and how it’s impacted his success throughout college.

“It’s been very, very good, like you said, because I know a quarterback that I’ve been sticking with for three years,” Hunter said Thursday on SportsCenter. “He knows exactly where I like the ball placement. I know exactly how he wants me to run the route. So, it’s definitely put me in a spotlight where I can get more catches, more targets, and more touchdowns.”

Numbers for Hunter have only gotten better throughout the years. This season will wind up being the best, already surpassing 1,000 receiving yards. His 92 receptions are No. 5 in college football and 14 touchdowns in good enough for second.

No matter how talented of a receiver you are, putting up those numbers against power conference competition is not possible without a solid quarterback. Sanders has put up eye-popping numbers himself, throwing for 3,926 yards, 35 touchdowns, and eight interceptions while completing 74.2% of his throws.