Travis Hunter’s Heisman campaign — and Colorado’s dream of becoming a surprise playoff contender — took a hit Saturday night, as the Buffaloes’ two-way superstar left a back-and-forth 31-28 loss early with an apparent right shoulder injury. Hunter returned to the Colorado sideline after halftime, still in uniform but without a helmet, and did not see any action in the second half.
How’d Hunter play before exiting? An updated look at his 2024 production and 2025 NFL Draft hopes:
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Three catches for 26 yards; one tackle
Colorado ran 14 plays in the first quarter, but Hunter didn’t see his first target from QB Shedeur Sanders until the early stages of the second quarter. Hunter hauled in all three of his targets, for gains of 6, 6 and 14 yards, part of a stretch of 16 completions by Sanders. However, Kansas State also sacked Sanders three times during that run, and — more relevant to our focus here — Hunter exited the game following his third reception.
On that play, as Hunter hauled in a crossing route, he took a hit to his right shoulder from Kansas State safety Daniel Cobbs. Shortly after, Hunter took himself out of the game and eventually headed to the Colorado locker room with a trainer. He twice attempted to return to the game, only to exit for good with about five minutes remaining in the first half. At that point, he reportedly headed toward the “medical center portion” of Colorado’s stadium.
Hunter had averaged 9.2 receptions for 112.2 yards through five games, so Saturday night’s injury-impacted output was by far his lowest of the season.
Travis Hunter left the game after suffering an apparent injury.
He has yet to return. pic.twitter.com/tNEF0fXOH1
— ESPN (@espn) October 13, 2024
Snap count
23 snaps on offense; 21 snaps on defense
Before suffering the shoulder injury, Hunter was on track for his usual workload — he was on the field for 44 of Colorado’s first 45 combined offensive and defensive snaps; he’d been averaging around 120 total snaps per game heading into the weekend.
The worry now is that Hunter’s shoulder injury will linger. Last season, Hunter missed three games (and around a month of the season, in total) after suffering a lacerated liver on a late hit by Colorado State’s Henry Blackburn.
Could an extended absence — and another Colorado loss or two — nudge Hunter toward sitting out the remainder of the season to preserve his health ahead of the 2025 NFL Draft?
Signature moment
This play certainly won’t lead Hunter’s highlight reel, but NFL personnel figure to love it.
On the Buffaloes’ first touchdown, a 25-yard pass from Sanders to LaJohnty Wester, Hunter hustled toward Wester after the catch and signaled his teammate to cut back toward the middle of the field. Hunter then disrupted the path of Wester’s defender and threw a block after Wester cut back again, helping usher his teammate into the end zone.
Bobbin’ and weavin’ from Wester 💨
The @CUBuffsFootball receiver navigates traffic to put the home team on the board first.#Big12FB | 📺 ESPN pic.twitter.com/h76N7MJpqy
— Big 12 Conference (@Big12Conference) October 13, 2024
Thoughts on Hunter’s draft stock
Hunter is universally viewed as one of the top prospects in the 2025 NFL Draft by scouts. Whether he plays offense, defense or both at the next level, Hunter will be a very early pick — maybe the first non-quarterback drafted — because of his athletic traits and instinctive ball skills, which lead directly to impact plays. He was No. 3 on my preseason top 50, and there is a better chance of him being higher than lower in the midseason update.
The number of snaps he plays per game, though, has left scouts crossing their fingers that the additional exposure won’t lead to injuries. That issue caught up with Hunter last season, and it hit again Saturday night. He is a whisker over 6 feet tall but weighs only 180 pounds with a very lean-muscled frame, and he isn’t shy about playing physical and throwing his body around. His game and heavy workload invite wear and tear. — Dane Brugler
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For me, the only thing left for Hunter to prove in college is how wide a margin he’s going to put between himself and the next guy who tries to play both ways like this. It’s been downright effortless in ways I’m not sure everyone really understands.
When Charles Woodson did this during his Heisman run in 1997, for example, he was a full-time defender who got periodic packages on offense. His route running was erratic, and it took weeks before he made a major impact in a game on offense. Woodson had just 11 catches that year. And still, he became the first (and only) primarily defensive player to win the trophy. Hunter, who’s also a full-time defender, now has 49 receptions on the year.
Hunter is truly in uncharted waters, as you can talk yourself in circles trying to decide whether he should stick at WR or CB in the NFL. You could make a case for him being an instant-impact player on either side. Aside from Hunter’s health, that is what I’ll be watching for the rest of the way: Will we have a clear answer as to what his best NFL position will be or will a team need to let him come in and see what happens?
I still lean toward Hunter ultimately playing (primarily) defensive back. His ball skills, instincts, recovery speed, length, frame and endurance would put him in the upper echelon at the position immediately. But every time he goes off offensively, I nearly change my mind. — Nick Baumgardner
(Top photo: Christopher Hanewinckel / Imagn Images)
