Dual-threat phenom Travis Hunter attracted numerous offers from college teams in 2023 due to his status as one of the highest-ranked prospects. Notably, the 21-year-old Florida native eagerly jumped at the chance to join Deion Sanders’s Colorado Buffaloes after his time at Jackson State Tigers. Since making that decision last year, he hasn’t looked back for a second.
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In the Tuesday episode of The Richard Sherman Podcast, Hunter shared how Deion’s interactions with his three-member family convinced him that Colorado was the best option for his career. He explained the reasons for choosing the Colorado team during the podcast:
“He (Deion Sanders) made my family feel comfortable. I am a family person; he made my family feel comfortable first before he even made me feel comfortable. So, him just making my mom feel comfortable, this is the best idea, the deal for us to train under somebody who actually did it.”
Hunter also shared that his mom, despite not being a football fan, backed his call. Meanwhile, his brother and stepdad also supported his decision to join Colorado. The common thread in their decision-making was clear—Deion Sanders.
“Even though my mom don’t watch football, she knows who Coach Prime is. So, it is kind of crazy. My stepdad knew who Coach Prime was. My brother plays football, so he obviously knew who he was,” Hunter added.
Hunter had two more reasons for joining the Colorado Buffaloes football program: 1) Deion played on both sides of the ball, and 2) Deion keeps his family around, and with Shedeur and Shilo already on the team, a more friendly atmosphere was available. Overall, it looked like the “best idea and best deal for me,” Hunter concluded.
Since then, the player-coach relationship between Hunter and Coach Prime has flourished, contributing to Colorado’s impressive performance in the 2024 season. Furthermore, this relationship has deepened, as Hunter further revealed how Deion Sanders takes on the role of a life coach.
Travis Hunter recalls Coach Prime’s life advice
Off the field, Deion is renowned for providing life advice to players and fans through one-on-one conversations and social media. While Hunter didn’t specify the topics they discussed, he noted that their two-hour conversation last week was incredibly productive. He shared:
“Him just giving me more advice outside of football. Life advice. Last week before we left UCF, we talked before practice for like 2 hours. It wasn’t even about football. We were talking about life.”
It’s clear that Deion’s advice is having a positive impact on Hunter’s game. In the 2024 season, he racked up impressive stats with 46 receptions for 561 yards and three touchdowns on offense. On the defensive side, Hunter contributed significantly with 16 tackles, two interceptions, and three pass breakups, strengthening his Heisman Trophy candidacy.
Deion’s influence on dual-threat Travis Hunter spans multiple dimensions—as a football coach and as a life coach. The duo aims to continue Colorado’s winning streak as they prepare to face Kansas State on Saturday Night Football this week.
