Oct 11, 2025; Boulder, Colorado, USA; Colorado Buffaloes head coach Deion Sanders during the first quarter against the Iowa State Cyclones at Folsom Field. Mandatory Credit: Ron Chenoy-Imagn Images Ron Chenoy-Imagn Images

NFL Hall of Famer Deion Sanders in Awe of Dodgers' Shohei Ohtani

Originally posted on Los Angeles Dodgers on SI
By Patrick Warren | Last updated Oct 22, 2025 7:00 PM ET

Few if any people in this world can relate to Dodgers starting pitcher and designated hitter Shohei Ohtani.

What Ohtani does is unprecedented. Not even baseball legend Babe Ruth played a full season as a two-way player and Ohtani is doing so against far better competition.

One player in today's day and age is perhaps the closest to being able to relate to Ohtani. Jaguars cornerback and wide receiver Travis Hunter has averaged around 60 percent of the team's offensive snaps and 40 percent of their defensive snaps through seven games. He's racked up 298 receiving yards and a touchdown while adding 15 total tackles and three passes defensed.

Nonetheless, Hunter's former head coach, Deion Sanders of the Colorado Buffaloes, is in awe of Ohtani's ability to play multple pppositions at such an elite level.

"Can they just hand him the MVP during the game?" Sanders said Tuesday of his NLCS Game 4 performance. "That's ridiculous man."

The performance Sanders was referencing is an instant contender for the lofty title of the most impressive performance in a sporting event of all time. Ohtani tossed six scoreless innings while going 3-for-3 at the plate with three home runs in a win that sent the Dodgers to the World Series.

However, Sanders wasn't ready to say Ohtani's performance was the best ever.

"I've seen some wonderful things that have transpired in sports. It's hard for me to say that, but that is unbelievable," Sanders said. "He's doing something that's unfathomable."

Sanders knows a thing about versatility himself. The Pro Football Hall of Famer was a full-time cornerback for 14 total seasons while also playing as a wide receiver part time. In 1996, the only year Sanders received more than 11 targets, Sanders caught 36 passes for 475 yards and a touchdown.

The two-time Super Bowl champion — who also had a nine-year MLB career — said he hopes Ohtani will pave the way for future two-way players.

"There are many pitchers that can do both, but they’re never allowed to do so," Sanders said. "Because they put (players) in a pocket and say, ‘You just need to do that.’ So hopefully he opens the doors for others."