Is Travis Hunter better as a cornerback or as a wide receiver? Fans may differ on which position he excels in, but they can all agree on one thing: he is great on both offense and defense. This rare versatility is what helped him win the Heisman Trophy last year. But with his skill set, could he also take on the role of a quarterback?
Advertisement
The hypothetical came into being on the latest episode of The Travis Hunter Show, when a fan posed an intriguing question to the Colorado Buffaloes star: What would he do if an NFL head coach asked him to start as a QB with no prior practice?
Despite acknowledging his inefficiencies in the position, Hunter responded with confidence.
“I’d just go out there and play,” said the Heisman winner, before revealing that if such a scenario were to occur, how he would rely on his playground experience as a quarterback to step into the role.
And as for routes? Hunter has a solution for that too!
“You know how we used to be when we were little kids? Like, ‘Hey, this is your route right here.’ I’d just draw the routes up on the center—‘You line up here, you go there.’ If they line up in Cover 2, we know exactly where to attack. I’d just call out the coverage; we already had plays set for that,” explained the two-way star.
Arguing that he could do relatively well at the position, Hunter pointed out his ability to launch deep throws as his biggest strength as a QB.
“But yeah… You need me to play quarterback? That’s easy. I can throw the ball a good 80 yards. As long as they can run past 80 yards, we’re good,” said Hunter.
So, how realistic is this transition? Sorry to disappoint fans, but the chances of Hunter thriving as a QB are slim. He might be able to fill in for a game or two, but anything beyond that would be a long shot—perhaps even impossible.
In recent memory, no wide receiver has successfully made the switch to quarterback, as NFL teams reserve the position for their best playmakers. Experimenting with players from other positions at QB simply isn’t how the league operates. However, if we switch it up, players like Julian Edelman, who played as a QB in college, excelled at wide receiver in the pros. But, even that is rare.
As for filling in at QB, we saw that with Kendall Hinton, a college QB who transitioned to receiver in the pros. During the COVID era in 2020, he was forced to step in at quarterback, but he struggled to make much of an impact. He has not been part of an NFL team since 2022.
Hunter, however, seemed confident that he was ready to take on any challenge thrown at him on the gridiron. But off it? For the Heisman winner, some challenges simply aren’t worth the effort.
A challenge Travis won’t accept, not even for $20 million
Another hypothetical scenario Hunter was presented with was this: Would he stay in a haunted hotel for a year in exchange for $20 million?
Short answer — no. This is where he draws the line.
Initially, he did try to make a case for himself, wondering if he could pass the time fishing in the lake and sleeping outside. But he quickly dismissed the idea.
After all, 12 months is a long, long time — long enough for Hunter to lose his sanity.
“A year? I gotta stay there? Nah, I ain’t staying there. I’d be fishing every day, sleeping out on the lake. But $20 million to stay in a haunted hotel for a year? They can keep that. I’m sorry, bro—I can’t do it. I can’t bring my brain cells back after that,” said Hunter.
Clearly, the Heisman winner is prepared to do everything for his team — just don’t ask him to share rooms with ghosts!
