As the No. 1 prospect coming out of high school, Travis Hunter put his faith in Deion Sanders when he joined him at Jackson State in 2022. Then, when Coach Prime took on the reigns of the Colorado Buffaloes, Hunter was his treasured transfer, helping to take the program from the dredges to a 9-3 record this year.
Hunter, with his dual-threat abilities, became the front-runner for the Heisman Trophy alongside Boise State running back Ashton Jeanty as the regular season was winding down. It was anyone’s game until Hunter heard his name called in New York, making him only the second Colorado player to win the award after Rashaan Salaam in 1994.
Deion Sanders’ Heartfelt Moment With Travis Hunter at Heisman Ceremony
Sanders has been a cornerstone in Hunter’s college career, and their relationship has proven fruitful. When his name was called at Lincoln Center, the wide receiver/cornerback was overcome with emotion as he and his head coach shared a long hug.
WHOLESOME: This moment between Travis Hunter and Deion Sanders after he won the 2024 Heisman Trophy.
Tears. Tears. Tears.@DeionSanders means the world to Travis.
🥹🥹🥹
pic.twitter.com/WOFylHGuRQ— MLFootball (@_MLFootball) December 15, 2024
Hunter won 552 first-place votes with 2,231 points, while Jeanty was a close second with 309 first-place votes and 2,017 points. Quarterbacks Dillon Gabriel and Cam Ward had 24 and six first-place votes, respectively.
Before the ceremony, Hunter lauded Coach Prime for the role he played in his college career:
“I just want to be better than him. So, 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 and do things that he hasn’t done but do it better. So, just looking ahead and saying, ‘I can do that and can go out there and dominate.’ That just makes me want to do it even more when I’m healthy.
“So, 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. He handed me the crown, but I still don’t have a gold jacket, so I still have more to do, still have more to prove.”
Last October, Hunter sustained a shoulder injury, which limited him to nine games and finishing the 2023 campaign with 721 receiving yards, 57 receptions, and five touchdowns.
This year, he gave it his all on the field. Hunter accumulated 1,152 yards, 92 receptions, and 15 total touchdowns.
According to Pro Football Network’s latest mock draft by Owain Jones, the Colorado star is taken No. 5 overall by the Jacksonville Jaguars.