Stephen A. Smith makes case for Travis Hunter as Heisman, Deion Sanders as Coach of the Year

ESPN’s Stephen A. Smith is all aboard the Travis Hunter train. Smith also believes Hunter’s head coach should be in consideration for some pretty big hardware, too.

“I want to be on the record saying this,” Smith said Monday on “First Take” before heaping praise on Colorado’s two-way star. “I think that Travis Hunter should be the leading candidate for the Heisman Trophy, I really do.

“On both sides of the ball, this brother is special. He’s a playmaker on both sides of the ball, a difference maker on both sides of the ball. He can be a lockdown defender when you ask him to as well. From the cornerback position, the brother’s spectacular. And it’s so ironic that his coach is ‘Primetime’ Deion Sanders because he was one of the brothers that could do that on both the collegiate and professional level, obviously in his Hall of Fame career. That’s what Travis Hunter brings to the table.”

Hunter is coming off another head-turning performance, this time in a 48-21 domination of UCF. He continued to make “wow” plays at both wide receiver and cornerback, catching a touchdown and intercepting a pass as the two-touchdown underdog Buffaloes rolled in Orlando.

Hunter now has two interceptions to his name this season — not to mention his game-sealing forced fumble in an overtime win against Baylor — and 16 total tackles.

Plus, he’s piled up 46 receptions for 561 yards and six touchdowns this year. He’s eighth nationally with 112.2 receiving yards per game, and his 46 grabs are tied for the third most of any player in the country.

“The brother’s spectacular,” Smith reiterated. “[Colorado’s] Shedeur Sanders is going to be one of the top quarterbacks picked in the NFL Draft. He should be. But the best player on this team is Travis Hunter, maybe the best player in the country. And by the way, I’m giving him the edge over [Alabama quarterback Jalen] Milroe right now, at this particular moment in time.”

Colorado is off to a 4-1 start, with its lone loss coming to a previously-ranked Nebraska squad. The Buffs have already won as many games as they did last year. They’re 2-0 in Big 12 play after going 1-8 in Pac-12 competition in 2023, Deion Sanders’ first season at the helm.

“I also want to say this: ‘Prime Time’ Deion Sanders has made the case to be Coach of the Year,” Smith said. “I don’t think anybody’s noticed this or not, but when you consider what was projected … they were projected to finish 11th [in the Big 12]? People were wondering whether or not they were going to win three or four games. They 4-1.”

Smith added: “I don’t think he’s gonna pull it off. … “[But] everybody thought they were gonna get crushed by UCF. They didn’t beat them, they beat their ass. There’s a difference. You look at the way they’re playing. Of course, in Prime Time’s case, they’d have to continue to play this way — and they gotta make a bowl game — in order for him to get those kind of accolades. But Travis Hunter? Heisman.”