Travis Hunter Returns To Colorado Buffaloes, Visits Deion Sanders After NFL Draft

“Congratulations, sir,” Sanders said. “They got some good fishing there. Really good fishing.”

The visit demonstrated the strong relationship that Hunter and Sanders have and the support they will continue to show each other. Hunter has had nothing but praise for Sanders as a coach since being drafted by the Jaguars.

Sanders gave Hunter the opportunity to play both sides of the ball. Playing both offense and defense helped Hunter win the Heisman trophy, and the former Colorado star is going to work toward playing both in the NFL.

“It’s a blessing to be able to play for him. It got me this far and I was also able to, you know, win a Heisman Trophy and win a lot more awards you know on the offensive side of the ball and the defensive side of the ball,” Hunter told Jaguars team reporter Kiani Stevens. “He let me go out there and just do my thing. So, he let me be able to be myself and that got me in a good place.”

While Hunter may be moving on to the NFL and no longer playing for Sanders, the support the two have for each other will continue. 

Hunter is coming off a season where he had 96 receptions for 1,258 yards and 15 touchdowns. Defensively, Hunter had 35 total tackles, 11 pass breakups, one forced fumble, and four interceptions. The main debate regarding Hunter heading into the draft was what position he would be playing in 2025.

On the night of the draft, Hunter revealed he spoke to both coordinators on the phone after being selected. The expectation is that Hunter is a wide receiver first, but the Jaguars will get him on the defensive side of the ball occasionally.

The Jacksonville Jaguars selected quarterback Trevor Lawrence in the 2021 NFL Draft with the No. 1 overall pick. Drafting Lawrence came with the expectation that the Jaguars offense was going to be one of the top in the league, but they have not gotten to that point.

Drafting Hunter could change that. The Jaguars will have second-year wide receiver Brian Thomas Jr. returning to the team next season. Hunter and Thomas could make the Jaguars offense much more explosive.

The Jacksonville Jaguars finished the 2024 season with a 4-13 record. With a new coach, Liam Coen, and now Hunter, Jacksonville will look to be a competitive team in 2025.