Charles Woodson was the last player to play both sides and win the Heisman, and he had high praise for Travis Hunter and his ability to do the same. The former Michigan Wolverine appeared on a podcast to talk about Hunter and couldn’t stop showering him with praise — not just for playing on both sides of the ball, but for the level at which he does it.
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“Man, I just love watching this dude,” Woodson stated on the latest episode of Get Got Pod. Host Marshawn Lynch then cut Woodson off to offer his congrats to the Heisman winner.
“I got a chance to congratulate him this morning on our FOX show. Just impressed because we all played both ways in high school… But when you go to college, you conform to one side of the ball.”
It’s one thing to play both ways, it’s another to catch the attention of one of the few who ever did it successfully. Hunter is that exception.
Interestingly, Hunter came into his career knowing he wanted to play both sides. But not Woodson. The former football safety went on to explain how he came about playing both ways at Michigan. He noticed the team lost some key offensive receivers, which prompted him to ask the coach for a position on the offense.
“Hey man, let me play some offense. He was like ‘Alright’ so I did a little bit in the Spring,” Woodson detailed. The answer came to the surprise of co-host Michael Robinson. He always thought the coaches pushed Woodson to play both ways, but that’s not the case.
“No, no, I went to the coach. Like ‘You guys can use me on offense, I still got some in me’,” Woodson clarified.
Woodson would go on to win the 1997 Heisman Award for his talent on both sides of the ball. What Hunter is doing is astronomically more impressive, though, and Woodson recognizes that. He asserted that Hunter isn’t just playing both ways, but he’s doing it at a high level.
Every game Hunter is asked to be the focal point of the offense, and then turn around and guard the other team’s best receiver. As Woodson says “anyone can go out there and run around all day.” But the level at which Hunter is running around is unmatched by anyone, and it’s not even close.
Can Hunter go two-way in the NFL?
Hunter and his coach Deion Sanders have remained adamant about him playing both ways at the NFL level. Deion even went as far as to say that he would not allow a team to draft Hunter if they don’t play him both ways. Not sure how that would work out, but it shows the passion the legendary coach has for his player’s ability to accomplish something only a few players (including him) did in the NFL.
When Woodson went to the league, he transitioned to a full-time cornerback. But it was also a completely different situation. Woodson wasn’t featured in the Michigan offense the year he won the Heisman. He only caught 11 balls for two touchdowns. He also returned a punt for a touchdown. But Woodson won because he was doing something that wasn’t common, and producing.
Hunter just put up a 1200-yard, 15-touchdown season. While also getting four interceptions on defense. A nickel corner is a coveted position to have in the NFL, but Hunter might end up working out better as a receiver because of his size. Regardless, he’s going to give both a shot. It’ll be interesting to see if he fits into one spot or continues to prove everyone wrong and play both ways 100% of his career.
