Cam Newton, a former Heisman Trophy winner and quarterback, had distanced himself from the Heisman ceremony in the past due to a feud. However, he returned to the event last year for Colorado Buffaloes’ two-way star Travis Hunter, an athlete who had been part of Newton’s player development program, C1N.
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Cam Newton on His First Meet With Travis Hunter
Before Hunter became the Heisman-caliber athlete he is today, Newton had him under his tutelage. The former QB had invited Hunter to join his program when he was in high school. At the beginning, he wasn’t too sure, so Newton personally reached out to him.
Hunter and Newton sat down on “The Travis Hunter Show” on Feb. 8, and the former asked Newton about his first memory of meeting him. He shared how he first heard about Hunter from a friend and then saw him play.
Hunter’s incredible outing during a scrimmage had people asking for selfies with him, as Newton put it. When he visited Newton’s house the same day, the former NFL quarterback laughed, remembering, “I don’t really bring people to my house. I brought him to my house, and I’m like, ‘Where this dude at?’ He’s literally asleep. The whole time.”
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Hunter plays both cornerback and wide receiver and has been an ironman on the field, playing nearly every snap at his position — 709 offensive snaps, 713 defensive snaps, and averaging 118 snaps per game.
There isn’t a player in college football who could’ve used more rest than Hunter who’s been at it since his high school days.
“But that showed me, like, bro, he’s really tired,” Newton added, referring to the scrimmage. “He’s really resting.”
Further on, Newton spoke on his faith in Hunter: “There are certain players that are good, and there are other players that make others around them good. The difference between Travis and a lot of you other players is he didn’t need to tell you or remind you how good it was. He showed it, but everybody around him picked up their level of play.”
Hunter is expected to be a top-five pick in the 2025 NFL Draft. In his latest mock draft for PFSN, Owain Jones projects him to be selected by the New England Patriots at No. 4 overall. Hunter had 1,258 receiving yards and 15 scores from 96 receptions last season. On defense, he defended 11 passes, made 35 tackles, and four interceptions.