There are things Travis Hunter will admit are a challenge. And there are things the Colorado hybrid receiver/defensive back categorizes as easy.
Playing wideout, secondary or both at the NFL level?
“You got to go out and work for it,” Hunter says, “so I don’t think it’s ‘easy’ to play any position.”
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But structuring his time strategically to manage both positions’ cognitive responsibilities?
That, the reigning Heisman Trophy winner said, is no sweat.
“It’s not as complicated as people may think it is or may make it seem,” Hunter told Yahoo Sports last week. “I’ve been doing it for a long time, so it is super easy for me, super simple. I just go in there and watch a lot of film, study a lot of guys, study a lot of film.
“I love watching football, so it’s kind of easy for me.”
An NFL club will decide, as soon as by the end of this month at the NFL Draft, whether Hunter will play on offense, defense or both at the professional level.
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Hunter is coming off a collegiate season in which he caught 96 passes for 1,258 yards and 15 touchdowns. Defensively, Hunter posted 25 tackles, 11 pass deflections and four interceptions in 13 games.
Hunter believes his production shows that he’s capable of transitioning his two-way skills to the next level just as he did from high school to college. He hopes his next team — the Cleveland Browns or New York Giants are a strong bet — agrees.
“I knew I was going to be different,” Hunter said, speaking in conjunction with Snickers to promote his namesake Travis Hunter Two-Pack. “Just excited to be able to have the opportunity.”
NFL not the first to question Hunter’s ability to balance
When a high school-age Hunter was recruited, playing two ways was not the routine pitch he received. Hunter says only Deion Sanders, then coaching at Jackson State, believed in the vision.
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“I think he was probably the only one even on the coaching staff that actually [thought] I’d be able to do it,” Hunter said.
But rare fitness and understanding of his limits empowered Hunter to play both ways. He missed eight total games across 2022 and 2023 due to ankle and liver injuries, but starred when healthy. A regiment emerged.
Hunter woke up at 5 a.m. this past season to receive treatment on his body before team meetings, which he would attend. He attended quarterback meetings on all meeting days, but alternated whether he’d go to receiver or defensive back meetings before practices. After practice, Hunter met with coaches one-on-one to catch up on the position group whose meeting he missed.
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“You learn a lot,” Hunter said of those one-on-one meetings.
He studied offensive concepts and formations beyond his own responsibilities, also leveling into defensive coverages. Film study entailed watching an opponent on one side of the ball, and then the other, and afterward a game in whole.
Hunter considered where his conceptual knowledge could help him make plays.
Recognizing an earlier formation allowed him to force the game-winning fumble against Baylor in 2024, he said.
It also helps him understand whether critics actually have a point about his Colorado quarterback, Shedeur Sanders, patting the ball at pro day.
Travis Hunter on Shedeur Sanders critics: ‘They don’t understand’
NFL players and media members questioned whether Sanders’ habit of patting the ball would hurt him at the pro level.
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Would defenders read tells and pick off more balls? Would offensive players find themselves on different time clocks than Sanders because his pat slowed down his release?
Coaches and evaluators overwhelmingly told Yahoo Sports Sanders’ patting does not concern them as long as the release is timely.
Hunter has caught hundreds of passes from Sanders as well as studied quarterbacks from a defensive perspective.
So trust him when he says it’s rare a defensive back will jump a route because of a pat.
“You got to have a clear vision on the quarterback and you got to be [in] zone,” Hunter said. “He’s not 6-8 to see him stand above the offensive linemen.”
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Instead, Hunter the defensive back would focus on other cues that are more actionable and distinctive. Patting the ball meets neither criteria in his eyes.
“People say patting the ball is bad, but they don’t understand all the quarterbacks do it,” Hunter said. “It’s just a thing that the quarterback’s doing. When you’re playing football and you’re in the game and in the zone, you’re not looking at him patting the ball. You don’t even see it. Most of the time if you see him patting the ball, that means you’re not in the right spot.”
Hunter hopes his two-way film study will allow him to be in the right spot at a lot of spots.
He defied expectations and bucked the system at the college level. Consider him confident he can do the same as a professional.
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“I mean, it’s your full-time job; it’s pretty simple,” Hunter said. “No school, you just have football all day.
“It’s nothing but ball all day. So I’m pretty sure if you miss a couple things, you have a lot more time than you think.”
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