Colorado Buffaloes cornerback/wide receiver Travis Hunter, who’s a favorite to win the Heisman this season, is hours away from knowing the results of the award. He’s in the race for a prestigious honor alongside Boise State running back Ashton Jeanty, Oregon quarterback Dillon Gabriel, and Miami quarterback Cam Ward.
After a tremendous college season, Hunter already has his sights on becoming a Pro Football Hall of Famer one day. His benchmark is Deion Sanders and then some.
Travis Hunter’s Lofty Goals Involve Outdoing What Deion Sanders Did
Sanders has never spoken as less than confident in his whole professional career, and among the many traits Hunter has learned from Sanders, this is one of them. No wonder Hunter is a student of Coach Prime, who is worth $45 million, according to Celebrity Net Worth, undoubtedly a part of Sanders’ legacy Hunter will aim to match.
On Saturday morning, during ESPN’s morning interview, the cornerback/wide receiver said he would like to do even better than what Sanders achieved in his career.
“I just want to be better than him,” Hunter said. “Me getting hurt last year was a little setback for my stat sheet and how my career went last year. So, I definitely wanted to be better than him, do things that he has done but do it better. So, just looking ahead and seeing that I can do that and go out there and dominate, that just makes me want to do it even more when I’m healthy.
“When I was healthy this season, I did all I can show, and hopefully, there’s more in store, which is more in store, but I’m going to keep dominating as much as I can to be better than my coach.”
🔥 It's Heisman Day. Travis Hunter's ESPN Morning Interview. Talks Coach Prime
"I just want to be better that Coach Prime. Do the things that he has done, but do it better. I'm gonna keep dominating to be better than my coach"#HE12MAN
📽️ @espn pic.twitter.com/mdx1cEBKL2— JaKi 🇺🇸 (@JaKiTruth) December 14, 2024
Sanders’ Legacy as Hunter Aims To Match and More
Hunter has an uphill task to do something even close to what Coach Prime did during his NFL career.
A two-time Super Bowl champion, Sanders starred in victories with the San Francisco 49ers in Super Bowl 29 and the Dallas Cowboys in Super Bowl 30. As a cornerback and return specialist, he was an eight-time Pro Bowler, a six-time first-team All-Pro, and the 1994 NFL Defensive Player of the Year.
Sanders was named to the NFL’s 1990s All-Decade Team in two positions — cornerback and punt returner — and was later celebrated as one of the greatest players in history on the NFL 100th Anniversary All-Time Team. His induction into the Pro Football Hall of Fame cemented his place among football’s legends.
Hunter has a lot to match to live up to the legacy Sanders left behind. While he’s full of confidence, Hunter’s career will continuously be monitored and compared with the Hall of Famer’s legacy.