Warren Sapp marvels at Travis Hunter's potential, compares to NFL legends

During his first year on Deion Sanders’ staff at Colorado, Warren Sapp got a front-row seat to one of the all-time great college football seasons. Travis Hunter dominated on both sides of the ball as he brought home the Heisman Trophy and became one of the top prospects in the 2025 NFL Draft.

As for just how special the 2024 campaign was, Sapp went so far as to compare Hunter to some all-time greats. He also saw just how much work the two-way sensation put in to his craft.

Sapp reflected on his time coaching Hunter during an appearance on The Rich Eisen Show ahead of Super Bowl LIX. He brought up some notable names to show how Hunter is in a class of his own, as far as work ethic goes.

“Rich, his appetite for the ball and to just be on the field, I’ve never seen anything like it,” Sapp said. “And I’ve been around some battles. Jerry Rice, Randy Moss, Derek Brooks, Ray Lewis – I raised Ray Lewis. I’m telling you, this kid’s … unreal. I just marveled at it every day.

“I said it one time in a meeting – he was in there, in a defensive meeting, and he made a couple plays and we were looking at it. And I said, ‘It’s an absolute m-n-f’ing pleasure to watch you work every day.’ And our d-coordinator [Robert Livingston] paused and and said, ‘I was trying to figure out how to say it, Warren. I think you just did.’ It was just a pleasure to watch him work every day, Rich. It was unreal.”

Warren Sapp saw Travis Hunter’s Heisman potential early

Hunter electrified college football this past season en route to a Heisman Trophy. He totaled 1,258 yards and a Big 12-leading 15 touchdowns on offense while adding 36 tackles and four interceptions on defense as a cornerback – cementing himself as a bona fide two-way star.

Sapp knew early on Hunter was capable of bringing home college football’s top honor, though. The calendar had just flipped to September when he made the bold prediction.

“I called a friend of mine Week 2 and I said, he’s going to win the Heisman,” Sapp said. “I have never seen anything like it. And I know I was a dawg in college – I know I was. Can’t touch him.

“Cover a nine-route, turn around, run a D and run all the way to the end zone. Every time, he’s scoring. Play after play, and the joy in his face. Just his enthusiasm about the game was just infectious, Rich, it was sick. It was sick.”