Travis Hunter Receives Surprising Ranking From Joel Klatt

Klatt’s list began with a two-for-one special featuring Ohio State standouts Marvin Harrison Jr. and JT Tuimoloau. In a game against Penn State, the pair delivered a dominant performance on both sides of the ball.

Harrison showcased his hands and elite route-running, while Tuimoloau wreaked havoc on defense. Their combined effort helped solidify the Buckeyes' playoff push that 2022 season and left a lasting impression on Klatt.

4. Aidan Hutchinson, Michigan

In the fourth spot, Klatt chose Michigan edge rusher Aidan Hutchinson. His disruptive performance in 2021 helped the Wolverines snap an eight-game losing streak to rival Ohio State, signaling a cultural and competitive shift in the Jim Harbaugh era.

Hutchinson’s relentless motor and leadership on the field earned him second-place honors in Heisman voting and the No. 2 overall pick in the 2022 NFL Draft.

3. Baker Mayfield, Oklahoma

Landing at No. 3 was Oklahoma quarterback Baker Mayfield, who lit up the scoreboard in a back-and-forth Bedlam showdown against Oklahoma State.

Mayfield passed for nearly 600 yards with six total touchdowns, securing a win in one of the most heated rivalries in college football and further cementing his legacy as one of the most electric playmakers in Sooners history.

2. Travis Hunter, Colorado

At No. 2, Klatt chose a performance Buffs fans will never forget.

In Week 1 of the 2023 season, the spotlight was firmly on Colorado as coach Deion Sanders made his Power Five debut after flipping the Buffs’ roster and bringing top talent with him from Jackson State.

Among the prized "Louis luggage" that "Coach Prime" brought with him from Jackson State was Travis Hunter, a former five-star recruit and the No. 1 overall player in the 2022 class.

Colorado entered as heavy underdogs against a TCU squad that had reached the national championship just a season earlier. By contrast, the Buffaloes team "Coach Prime" inherited had finished 1–11 the year before.

On the road, in 100-degree-plus Texas heat, critics raised questions about Hunter’s ability to play both ways, especially at the FBS level.

Those doubts didn’t last long.

Hunter silenced every critic that day, logging 152 total snaps in blistering conditions. He hauled in 11 catches for 119 receiving yards, recorded three tackles on defense, and made a game-changing red-zone interception that shifted the entire complexion of the game.

“What you won’t see in the stat sheet is that on that series, he ran down the TCU running back on a 74-yard run, and from the opposite side of the field, Hunter runs him down,” Klatt recalled. “He played 152 total snaps in 130-degree heat. He's got 11 catches for 119. He's got an interception, he's chasing people down. I'd never seen anything like it.”

The performance helped Colorado pull off a shocking 45-42 upset over the Horned Frogs and marked a new chapter in Buffs football.

More than that, it was Hunter’s formal introduction to the nation, and a notice that he could dominate both sides of the field against elite competition.

“From that day forward, I knew immediately that this guy was a star," Klatt said, "if not the best player in college football.”

1. Tavon Austin, West Virginia

So who could possibly top that performance?

Klatt gave the No. 1 spot to running back/wide receiver Tavon Austin, who dazzled in a 2012 shootout between West Virginia and Oklahoma. Despite the Mountaineers losing the game, Austin’s jaw-dropping stat line of 344 rushing yards, two touchdowns, and over 500 all-purpose yards cemented it as one of the most unforgettable individual performances in college football history.

Still, regardless of ranking, Travis Hunter’s debut against TCU remains one of the most unforgettable performances in recent Buffs memory, and one that helped usher in the "Coach Prime" era in Boulder.