Travis Hunter wants to become the NFL’s Shohei Ohtani, and, if it's up to his head coach, he just may become that player.
The two-way Colorado star parlayed his offensive and defensive skills into becoming the Heisman Trophy winner, playing well over 1,000 snaps this season.
He also won both the Biletnikoff Award as the nation’s best receiver and the Bednarik Award as the defensive player of the year.
Experts have him playing cornerback in the NFL. But after Hunter caught 92 passes for 1,152 yards and scored 14 touchdowns on offense, Deion Sanders says whoever drafts him better let him put his abilities to full use.
"He’s gonna do that, or they shouldn’t draft him. Don’t do that," Sanders told "The Rich Eisen Show" this week.
"And I’m gonna make sure of that. Don’t draft him if you’re not gonna give him the opportunity to play on both sides of the ball."
Sanders said a team could be "creative" with Hunter.
"He don’t have to do what we did with him here and play every snap," Sanders added.
Hunter played 670 snaps on offense and 686 snaps on defense while also playing 24 special teams snaps. As a corner, Hunter had 31 tackles, 11 pass deflections and four interceptions, anchoring Colorado’s defense.
Despite projecting as a cornerback in the NFL, he might have actually been better on offense this year.
Hunter is expected to be an early selection in April's NFL Draft, and there's a chance his quarterback, Shedeur Sanders, Deion's son, could be the top pick.
"Oh, that’s a good one. I have no idea. It depends on who is consistently losing --" Deion started before being cut off.
The conversation then changed to who currently has the No. 1 overall pick, the New York Giants or Las Vegas Raiders, with Jones posing a question to Deion.
"The Giants' pick number one, who’s the number-one pick?" Jones asked.
"Shedeur is going to be the number-one pick," Deion responded.
The Colorado head coach believes the Giants will not trade out of the top pick in the draft, should they end up with it.
"The Giants are not going to give up their pick. They’re not going to give up their pick. The Giants are not giving up their pick. I know that for a fact," Sanders stated.
Giants’ general manager Joe Schoen and assistant general manager Brandon Brown were seen in a video posted to X attending a Colorado practice, presumably scouting Shedeur and Hunter.
Whether the Giants or Raiders have the top pick, both teams need a franchise quarterback.
The Giants cut Daniel Jones in November, and neither Tommy DeVito nor Drew Lock is under contract for next season.
The Raiders have Aidan O’Connell and Garnder Minshew under contract for multiple seasons, but neither of those players would stop the team from drafting Shedeur Sanders or Miami quarterback Cam Ward.
The Raiders and Giants are both 2-12, and if both teams lose out, the tiebreaker deciding which team receives the number-one overall pick comes down to their strength of schedule.
A win for either team down the stretch would send each team tumbling down the draft board, as five teams currently have three wins and, due to strength of schedule, would pick ahead of the Raiders and Giants.
This season, Sanders has completed 69.3% of his passes while throwing for 3,926 yards with 35 touchdowns and eight interceptions. The star quarterback helped lead Colorado to a 9-3 record this season, a big improvement after finishing 4-8 last season.
Sanders won the 2024 Johnny Unitas Golden Arm Award, which is given to the nation’s top quarterback who best exemplifies character, scholastic and athletic achievement.
Sanders also was named the Big 12 Offensive Player of the Year.
Colorado is playing BYU in the Valero Alamo Bowl on Dec. 28, where Sanders and Hunter are both expected to play.
Deion Sanders will not be following his son to the NFL. In fact, the Colorado Buffaloes head football coach confirmed Tuesday that he has no plans on leaving Boulder for the foreseeable future.
As the coaching carousel continues to turn in the NFL, Sanders has been a name floated around with some proposing him as a good potential candidate for his former team, the Dallas Cowboys.
Sanders has shot these rumors down in the past, but during a recent appearance on "The Pacman Jones Show," he doubled down on his commitment.
"I love where I am. I’m elated [about] where I am. I’m happy where I am. I can’t wait to see what the future holds with where I am, and I love Boulder, Colorado," Sanders said.
"I have every intention, every plan in the world to be coaching for the Colorado Buffs from here on. I want to finish here. I want to put the flag — I want my name on the mountains out there. I want to put my flag down in Colorado."
Sanders has already etched his name in the Colorado history books.
In his second season with the team, he coached the Buffaloes to a 9-3 record and the program's first bowl game since 2020. He coached two-way star Travis Hunter on to win the Heisman Trophy and his son, quarterback Shedeur Sanders, is expected to be a top pick in this year’s draft.
"He ain’t going nowhere," Hunter said of Sanders' future on Friday. "He’s going to be right where he's at right now."
Colorado will face BYU in the Alamo Bowl in San Antonio, Texas on Dec. 28.
The fiancée of Colorado Buffaloes star Travis Hunter broke her silence amid a wave of criticism she has received over the last week for her interactions with the football player.
Leanna Lenee received the brunt of wild online criticism as of late for her reactions at specific moments. She posted a video on her TikTok account to try and quell the outpouring of negativity.
"I’m tired, emotionally and mentally. I’ve seen people trying to make me out to be a person that I am not," Lenee said in the near 8-minute clip. "But what’s a testimony without a test of faith?"
Lenee went over her relationship with Hunter from the beginning and addressed each moment of criticism she received from clips posted online.
She explained that after Colorado’s last win over Oklahoma State, security was afraid of fans storming the field and would not let fans, or even family, go down with the players. Lenee said that was what she was upset about then.
"It was not deeper than anyone made it out to be," she said.
At the Adidas event where she was accused of saying, "What am I supposed to do just sit here?," she said she was asking Hunter whether she should stay with him or go with his family. She said the clips that surfaced online were of Hunter taking photos with Adidas reps for social posts.
"The things that I see people make up is truly crazy because that’s not what happened. I just think people are finding every single little thing and making it something it’s not," she said of the criticism. "Bird-brained individuals are just accepting what they see online."
Finally, she addressed the negativity around her response to Hunter winning the Heisman Trophy in the frazzled moment his name was called. Lenee got teary-eyed as she said that Hunter was "perfect" in her eyes.
"When his name was called, I instantly was going to get up — if you watch the video, his mom didn’t get up, so I was like, ‘Oh, maybe I don’t get up, I just sit here,’" she said. "… As soon as I seen Travis get up, then I thought it was appropriate to stand up, greet him, congratulate him.
"But then, there was a camera right in front of Coach Prime and I knew they were going to film that moment and, because of how people are online, I was like, I don’t want to be in that shot, so I sat down.
"I got out of the camera, purposefully, so they can have their moment. That’s all it was. No one told me to stand up, no one had to tell me to celebrate with him. I was just sitting there crying, I wanted to take it in — I was super excited for him. But I wanted the moment to be about him and his family."
"You ain’t never had no girl so why are y’all talking about me," he said. "Find someone else to talk about. … Go talk about your girl. Go find a girl. Go find a life. Stop worrying about what I got going on. I know what I got.
"My girl been with me for five years. y’all are just now starting to talk about me… y’all go do something else with y’all life. Clickbait pages stop, y’all better stop I’m telling y’all. Something bad is gonna happen to y’all [if you] keep doing that. Y’all better stop that. I ain’t playing."
Colorado Buffaloes star Travis Hunter should be celebrating winning the Heisman Trophy, but instead, he was forced to fire back at online trolls who had criticized his fiancée.
Leanna Lenee faced scrutiny for how she seemingly behaved during an event for Hunter. However, all she appeared to be doing was sitting on the couch as the football star did a meet-and-greet with fans.
Hunter sounded off on the criticism in a Twitch livestream, according to the New York Post.
"You ain’t never had no girl so why are y’all talking about me," he said. "Find someone else to talk about. … Go talk about your girl. Go find a girl. Go find a life. Stop worrying about what I got going on. I know what I got.
"My girl been with me for five years. y’all are just now starting to talk about me… y’all go do something else with y’all life. Clickbait pages stop, y’all better stop I’m telling y’all. Something bad is gonna happen to y’all [if you] keep doing that. Y’all better stop that. I ain’t playing."
Hunter explained he and Lenee were talking about their plans for the rest of the evening. He also said she got drunk and cried all night as the criticism trickled in.
"I thank God, man. I never thought I'd be in this position," Hunter said when accepting the award.
Hunter received 552 first-place votes, beating out Jeanty's 309. They were, by far, the top two finishers in the vote, and it was the closest vote since 2009.
Hunter, 21, had one of the most prolific seasons in college football history, playing both wide receiver and cornerback for Colorado.
The Colorado superstar played a whopping 1,380 total snaps this season, rarely leaving the field.
Hunter played 670 snaps on offense and 686 snaps on defense while also playing 24 special teams snaps.
As a wide receiver, Hunter had 92 catches for 1,152 yards and 14 total touchdowns. Hunter won the Biletnikoff Award as the nation’s top wide receiver.
Hunter also won the Bednarik Award as the nation’s best defensive player, becoming the first player ever to win both the Bednarik and Biletnikoff.
As a corner, Hunter had 31 tackles, 11 pass deflections and four interceptions, anchoring Colorado’s defense.
Hunter and quarterback Shedeur Sanders led Colorado to a 9-3 record, and the team fell just short of making the Big 12 championship game.
Jeanty came in second place after the Boise State running back had one of the best seasons for a running back in college football history.
Jeanty’s numbers were out of a video game. He ran for 2,497 yards and 29 touchdowns on 344 carries, averaging 7.3 yards per carry.
Jeanty helped lead Boise State to the No. 3 seed in the College Football Playoff, which includes a first-round bye. Boise State will play the winner of SMU and Penn State.
The 2024 Heisman Trophy finalists were announced on Monday, and two frontrunners are officially in the mix.
Colorado’s two-way star Travis Hunter and Boise State’s bruising running back Ashton Jeanty are considered the two favorites to win the award, while quarterback Dillon Gabriel of Oregon and Cam Ward of Miami round out the quartet.
This has been a thrilling college football season in the first year of the expanded College Football Playoff. But while his Buffaloes won’t be playing for a national title, Hunter’s efforts alongside the potential first overall pick in the 2025 NFL Draft, Shedeur Sanders, has led to a successful Colorado season.
Hunter is the heavy favorite to win the Heisman, as he’s simply doing something that no one in college football has: play on both sides of the ball.
Hunter played full-time on offense and defense, and he finished in the top five in receptions, receiving yards, receiving touchdowns and passes defended. Pro Football Focus also gave him the top coverage grade this season as well.
On offense, Hunter had 92 receptions for 1,152 yards and 14 receiving touchdowns over 12 games, averaging 96.0 yards through the air per game. And on defense, he defended 11 passes while collecting four interceptions and 32 combined tackles over the same set of games.
Despite Hunter being the overwhelming favorite, it’s simply been a blast to watch Jeanty lead the Broncos all the way to a Mountain West Conference title while earning a bye in the College Football Playoff as the No. 3 seed.
Jeanty led college football in rushing yards (2,497), rushing touchdowns (29), total touchdowns (30) and rush attempts (344) as the Broncos’ offense truly ran through the junior, who is also projected to be a first-rounder come April.
His argument for winning the award over Hunter is the fact that he took a Group of Five school to a CFP bye in his historic season. If he breaks Barry Sanders’ all-time rushing record (2,628), who knows how the voting should shake out.
But there’s only a single No. 1 seed this year in the CFP, and Gabriel’s Ducks are it as his sixth collegiate season has led to more elite production.
Gabriel had 3,558 passing yards and 28 passing touchdowns over his 297 attempts through the air to help the Ducks to an undefeated regular season at 13-0.
The Hawaii native’s best game came against No. 2 Ohio State, where he had 341 yards passing and three total touchdowns, proving Oregon was the team to beat in the Big Ten in its inaugural season in the conference. Oregon went on to beat Penn State to win the Big Ten, and now they’re looking for an undefeated season with a national title attached to it.
Ward, another potential first overall selection in 2025, is about as cool and collected as a quarterback can be in the pocket, which has led to numerous come-from-behind victories for the Hurricanes this season.
He’s also a fantastic college football story, starting at Incarnate Word out of high school, his only offer, and ultimately leading college football with 36 passing touchdowns and finishing second with 4,123 passing yards this year.
Miami wasn’t able to make the CFP this year, but an argument can be made that Ward was the best quarterback in the game this season, which earned him a trip to New York.
Several college football stars have announced they will enter the transfer portal in hopes of finding greener pastures at another school – whether that means playing for a national championship, getting a better NIL deal or increasing chances of playing professionally.
Colorado Buffaloes head coach Deion Sanders, who has regularly used the transfer portal to bolster his roster, had a message for those deciding to enter the fray.
"To many of the Portal Young Men that’s looking & searching for the right situation," Sanders wrote on X. "You’re gonna get vetted thoroughly by us and then I pray u know the difference of being offered a bag & being offered a BLESSING. Ask Grandma-nem what I mean."
Sanders used the transfer portal when he took over the team to bring his sons, Shedeur and Shilo, and Heisman Trophy candidate Travis Hunter over from Jackson State.
Colorado has had a quietly great season in Sanders’ second year. Colorado went from four wins in 2023 to nine wins in 2024. The Buffaloes are on the verge of their first 10-win season since 2016 under Mike MacIntyre.
Since 2000, the team has only had two 10-win seasons.
Sanders said late last month the team’s best players will compete in the bowl game.
"Our kids are going to play in our bowl game because that’s what we signed up to do," he said. "We’re going to finish. We're not going to tap out because that throws off the structure of next season."
Colorado star quarterback Shedeur Sanders wanted to celebrate with both his parents on senior day Friday.
He wanted this so much he went to find his mom, Pilar, and convinced her to participate in the event, even though his father, head coach Deion Sanders, was there, according to dialogue between Shedeur and brother Shilo in a video posted to the official Shilo Sanders YouTube channel.
"My brother [Shedeur] just got my mom from the stands cause of the senior day, and we didn’t know we had to walk. They’re not gonna. That’s like World War III trying to get them to walk together," Shilo said.
Shedeur and Shilo walked with Deion across the field during their celebration, and they met their mother on the other side, according to the video. Deion patted his sons on the back when they got close to Pilar, then walked away quickly.
Pilar then hugged her boys at the middle of the field as they celebrated and posed for photos.
Colorado won its last home game 52-0 against Oklahoma State.
Deion and Pilar got married in 1999. At the time, she was a model, and he was an NFL star at the height of his fame as a player. Together they had Shilo, Shedeur and daughter Shelomi.
The couple filed for divorce in 2013. It was Sanders' second divorce. He split from his first wife, Carolyn Chambers, in 1998, one year before marrying Pilar. Deion and Chambers had two children together — Deion Jr. and Deiondre.
In his 2013 divorce with Pilar, Sanders won custody of all three of the couple's children initially, and Pilar was awarded visitation rights. Still, there were custody battles later.
Prior to the divorce being finalized, Pilar alleged a prenuptial agreement between her and Deion was forged in 2012. She was seeking to get more money in alimony and child support payments from the Pro Football Hall of Famer.
"It's greed," Deion said in court at the time. "You signed the contract. We had a prenuptial, and now you don't like the terms of it because of the realization that it's over, your lifestyle will no longer be the same way. It's greed."
The judge who oversaw the dispute said Pilar Sanders signed the agreement, that she did so voluntarily and that she cannot bring a claim that it is invalid before the court again.
"It's David and Goliath," Pilar's attorney, Larry Friedman, said, according to NBC Dallas-Forth Worth. "We stay the course. We're the underdog, and it's hard to win when you play by the rules."
"I didn't marry hm for money, obviously," Pilar told NBC Dallas-Forth Worth. "I've been married to him for 14 years. My intent was to marry forever, but, obviously, it wasn't his."
Deion also filed a defamation lawsuit against Pilar, claiming she tarnished his reputation with allegations of domestic violence. Deion won that lawsuit, and an investigation found no evidence to support Pilar's claims.
Pilar later won custody of her two youngest children, Shedeur and Shelomi, in 2017. Still, Deion has been a heavy presence in Shedeur's life throughout his college career as his head coach at both Jackson State and Colorado.
Deion has said he devoted himself to Christianity shortly after his first divorce. Sanders opened up about his devotion to Christ during an interview on "Running Wild" with Bear Grylls in November 2023.
"That's when I went through my first divorce in which the only things that I knew that truly loved me were my two kids. Now they're gone, now they've been taken away. It was devastating, and I went through suicidal thoughts, a suicidal period," Sanders said.
"I ran this car off the side of the highway, and, at the bottom, I thought this car would just flip, and it didn't flip. And I was still there. Shortly after that, I just had to come to the Lord with my hands up and say, 'I'm done. I can't do it anymore. You got me. I give up. God, you take me.'"
Colorado football stars Shedeur Sanders and Travis Hunter both had impressive performances Friday in the Buffaloes' rout of Oklahoma State.
Sanders threw five touchdowns in the 52-0 win over the Cowboys, and Hunter caught 10 passes for 116 yards in Colorado's regular-season finale. The two-way star also intercepted one of Oklahoma State quarterback Maealiuaki Smith's passes.
Before the game, Shedeur and his brother and teammate, Shilo Sanders, were escorted onto the Buffaloes' home field by their father, Colorado head coach Deion Sanders.
Shedeur is widely projected to be one of the first players selected in next year's NFL Draft. Hunter, a Heisman Trophy contender, is also likely to be a first-round draft selection.
Shedeur and Hunter's NFL prospects have sparked some speculation about whether the star players would skip Colorado's yet-to-be determined bowl game. But the Buffaloes' signal-caller says he'll play in the bowl game.
"It’s a team thing," Sanders said Friday. "If me and T and a couple of other players aren’t out there, the Buffs aren’t going to look the same. We understand the pieces we are to the team, the leaders we are overall and the amount of players that would sit out if we weren’t out there doing it."
Colorado needs help Saturday to make it to the Big 12 title game. If the Buffs don’t get it, they will be a good bet to make the Holiday Bowl Dec. 27 or the Alamo Bowl Dec. 28. It will be Colorado's first bowl game in a non-COVID season since 2016. The Buffs haven’t won a bowl game since 2004.
Bowl games have declined in popularity and importance since the introduction of the College Football Playoff, and the system is expanding from four to 12 teams this year.
Though many top players choose to skip the second-tier bowl games, coach Sanders said the Buffs will all show up and play.
"Our kids are going to play in our bowl game because that’s what we signed up to do," the Pro Football Hall of Famer said. "We’re going to finish. We’re not going to tap out because that throws off the structure of next season."
Sanders played at Florida State before making it to the NFL. Last season, the Seminoles got snubbed from the four-team playoff despite their undefeated record. A number of players opted out of the Orange Bowl, and the Seminoles lost 63-3 to Georgia.
Sanders' odds of becoming the first pick in the 2025 NFL Draft have grown recently, while Hunter has become more likely to win the Heisman Trophy.
The Colorado stars, who could be the top two selections in April, may have those in the bag after dominating in what's likely to be their final game in Boulder.
Sanders, the son of head coach Deion Sanders, completed 34 of his 41 passes for 438 yards and five touchdowns — Hunter caught three of those — as the Buffaloes dominated Oklahoma State, 52-0.
Hunter said recently he is "for sure" entering the NFL Draft, but Deion has said both will play in whatever bowl game they make, assuming the Buffaloes fall short of the College Football Playoff. That'd be a rarity in today's college game with top picks, but Coach Prime has a different mindset.
Scouts think Hunter is more likely to be a cornerback in the NFL, but he has not shied away from wanting to play both sides, and who can blame him?
With Friday's performance, he finished the regular season with 92 catches for 1,149 yards and 14 touchdowns. He also scored a rushing touchdown, all while being a lockdown corner.
Sanders will finish his regular season with a career-high 3,926 yards and 35 touchdowns while completing 74.2% of his passes.
The New York Giants brass recently paid a trip to Boulder to meet with Sanders and will likely select a quarterback in the draft. The 2-10 Giants own the top selection in the draft at the moment.
Colorado had controlled its College Football Playoff destiny heading into last week, but a loss hurt its chances. Now, the Buffaloes need losses by two of three teams — BYU, Arizona State and Iowa State — to get into the Big 12 title game.
But head coach Deion Sanders said his guys seemed to be getting a little too excited.
"We started smelling ourselves a little bit," Sanders said after the game. "That’s what I just told our team. We got intoxicated with the success. We got intoxicated with the multitude of articles and the assumption that we’re this and the assumption that we’re that. And we did not play CU football. Therefore, we got our butts kicked."
Well, Deion's own son, quarterback Shedeur, didn't necessarily agree with the sentiment.
"Personally, I’m just an overconfident person myself," Shedeur said. "So I can’t spot that on anybody else and say they’re overconfident. I’m not sure. It was really … we all did our job preparing and doing that, so whatever people did in their personal side, like mentally, you won’t be able to know, we won’t be able to know. I’m focused on plenty of other things than how somebody is thinking at all times."
When asked how the Buffaloes could "sober up," referencing his father's comments, Shedeur replied, "I don't know. No comment."
Colorado now needs a win at home against Oklahoma State and some sort of combination of losses by Iowa State (home vs. Kansas State), Arizona State (at Arizona) and BYU (home vs. Houston) in order to play in the Big 12 title game, which is now their only avenue at making the College Football Playoff.
A tick after Sanders let go of the ball, Kansas' Dean Miller hit Sanders below the knees, causing the quarterback to flip backward and fold up upon contact with the field.
"I just don't know how that's legal overall. I understand that. It is what it is. There's a couple plays like that, but… yeah," he said in his postgame press conference after the game.
Sanders wasn't the only one to voice his opinion on the hit – former NFL quarterback Robert Griffin III also was not thrilled.
"At any level of football this is a late and dirty hit on Shedeur Sanders. No place in the game for this," Griffin said.
Another X user wrote, "If Shadeur's cleat was in the ground, that could have been a life-altering injury."
Added Warren Sharp, "how is this not roughing the passer??? dirty play to take out Shedeur Sanders knees."
Miller is listed at 235 pounds and three inches taller than the 215-pound quarterback.
Sanders wasn't so innocent himself later on in the game, when he pushed a referee from behind following a scrum between players from both sides.
Colorado would need a win at home against Oklahoma State and some sort of combination of losses by Iowa State (home vs. Kansas State), Arizona State (at Arizona) and BYU (home vs. Houston) in order to play in the Big 12 title game.
Entering Saturday, No. 16 Colorado controlled its own destiny for the College Football Playoff. Now, the Buffaloes face a steep hill.
The Buffaloes lost to unranked Kansas, 37-21, in their quest to earn an automatic bid in the 12-team postseason bracket.
The Jayhawks got out to a 17-0 lead on their Senior Day. But, early in the third quarter, the Buffaloes cut the deficit to two points after Travis Hunter's second touchdown, which included a Heisman pose.
But Kansas responded with a 10-play touchdown drive, then forced a three-and-out and found the end zone again to lead 37-21 in the fourth quarter. Running back Devin Neal scored all four Jayhawks touchdowns.
Colorado's next drive resulted in a turnover on downs, all but icing the game.
In the third quarter, there was a scrum between players, and officials intervened.
While that was happening, Shedeur Sanders shoved one of the officials from behind, prompting rules analyst Mike Pereira to suggest Sanders was "lucky" he didn't get ejected.
It was a microcosm of what was a frustrating day for the Buffaloes, who lost their third game of the season.
Kansas' win marked the first time in FBS history a team with a losing record won three straight games against ranked opponents. The Jayhawks are 5-6 on the season.
It remains to be seen what Colorado's path is for the College Football Playoff.
Arizona State, now 9-2 with a 6-2 conference record, jumped Colorado (8-3, 6-2) in the Big 12 standings by beating BYU. BYU and Colorado share the same conference record, and BYU's overall record is 9-2. Iowa State (8-2, 5-2) faces Utah at 7:30 p.m. ET and would jump Colorado with a victory.
Colorado would need a win at home against Oklahoma State and some sort of combination of losses by Iowa State (home vs. Kansas State), Arizona State (at Arizona) and BYU (home vs. Houston).
Travis Hunter made a pair of proclamations Thursday: He's for sure entering the NFL draft after this season, but not until he sees Colorado all the way through the College Football Playoff — if the Buffaloes make it there.
The first was already a given for the draft-eligible junior who plays both receiver and cornerback, and says he wants to do the same in the NFL. The second is a risk-reward play for a projected high first-round pick who averages around 120 snaps a game.
In years past, it took two extra postseason wins to capture a national title. Now, it could take up to four additional contests. That’s more of a chance to shine, but also more chance for an injury.
"I don’t think nobody will opt out because you’re showing NFL teams that you’re more focused on something else, other than the team goal," Hunter said of the expanded 12-team College Football Playoff. "So I don’t think players are going to opt out of the playoffs."
Hunter and quarterback Shedeur Sanders chatted Thursday in a set of Zoom calls about turning around the program at Colorado (from 4-8 last season to bowl eligibility), chasing a Big 12 title, turning pro — Hunter acknowledged he will "for sure" — and, of course, the Heisman race, where Hunter is currently the odds-on favorite in an award each wants to see the other win.
"He’s deserving of it, and if it’s between me and him, I want him to get it," said Sanders, whose 16th-ranked Buffaloes (8-2, 6-1 Big 12, No. 16 CFP ) travel to Arrowhead Stadium to face Kansas (3:30 p.m. ET on FOX and the FOX Sports App) this weekend. "He does a lot of amazing things that have never been done before."
Countered Hunter: "I know he wants me to win it, but I also want him to win as bad as I want to win it."
Hunter is a generational talent shining on both sides of the ball. As a receiver, he has 74 catches for 911 yards and nine touchdowns. On defense, he has picked off three passes, even though teams are reluctant to throw his direction.
Like he did in high school and now in college, he believes he can do both on the next level. But he understands the trepidation of the NFL team that picks him.
"They don’t want their top pick to go down too early," Hunter said. "I like when people tell me I can’t do it, because they just motivate me to continue to do what I want to do."
Sanders is turning in a stellar season as well with 27 touchdown passes, one away from tying Sefo Liufau for the most in a single season in program history. He's projected to be one of the first QBs off the draft board.
The future certainly looks bright at Colorado thanks to the legacies Sanders and Hunter will leave under coach Deion Sanders. But that's a point to ponder later.
"I can’t think too much forward past Saturday," Shedeur Sanders cracked. "The main thing is winning the Big 12 championship. That’s the main thing we’re focused on."
Lewis is the No. 2 overall recruit in ESPN’s recruiting database. The quarterback was initially the top recruit in the class of 2026 but was reclassified to the 2025 class in January.
Lewis, 6-foot-1, 195 pounds, is in line to succeed Shedeur Sanders as Colorado’s current quarterback, as Sanders is set to be a top pick in the 2025 NFL Draft.
"Of course, it was big for me just coming in after Shedeur, just seeing what he’s done to Colorado and what he’s turned it into. It’s definitely a blessing getting put into this position coming after him with his dad. I couldn’t beat it," Lewis said during the show.
Lewis said part of the reason for choosing Colorado is that Deion Sanders said that the best players are going to play, giving Lewis potentially the chance to start as a freshman.
Colorado securing Lewis’ commitment means the Buffaloes are unlikely to aggressively recruit somebody through the transfer portal.
Sanders' name has been in NFL head coaching rumors, but Lewis' commitment signals that Colorado's head coach might not be departing for the NFL anytime soon.
Lewis is from Carrollton, Georgia, and recently had an unofficial visit to the Georgia Bulldogs, along with showing interest in Indiana before committing to Colorado.
Colorado is currently 8-2 and has a path to being in the College Football Playoff. If the No. 16-ranked Buffaloes get a win over Kansas along with a No. 12 BYU loss to No. 21 Arizona State, it would give the Buffaloes the Big 12 lead.
The Big 12 lead would put Colorado in automatic-bid territory. It would be up to the committee to name the Buffaloes a No. 4 seed, but they would still need to win the Big 12 title game to ensure a spot.
Struggling NFL teams looking to poach their next head coach from the college football circuit can count Colorado’s Deion Sanders out after the Buffaloes head coach addressed the recent speculation linking him to one of his former teams at a press conference on Tuesday.
Only two NFL teams have called it quits with their respective head coaches this season, but Dallas Cowboys head coach Mike McCarthy has found himself in the hot seat following their fifth-straight loss to the Houston Texans on Monday night.
Sanders' name has recently been floated — Cowboys great Michael Irvin was the latest to suggest the move on X, but Sanders shut down those rumors this week.
"I’m happy where I am, man. I’m good," he told reporters during his weekly press conference ahead of Colorado’s game against Kansas on Saturday.
"I’ve got a kickstand down. You know what a kickstand is? A lot of people in here are not of age, they don’t know what a kickstand is. It means I’m resting, I’m good, I’m happy, I’m excited, I’m enthusiastic about where I am. I love it here. I truly do. Next question."
Despite their struggles, Cowboys owner Jerry Jones essentially ruled out firing McCarthy midseason when he spoke to reporters on Monday.
"I've made a change early and on a coach with Chan Gailey [when he went 18-14 in 1998 and 1999 combined], and I've always regretted that. I've made a change during the season (with Wade Phillips in 2010), and I've regretted that," Jones said, via CBS Sports. "That's the music I'm listening to."
Monday’s loss marked Dallas' longest losing streak since a seven-game slide in 2015. They are 0-5 at home for the first time since 1989, and they become the first team in NFL history to trail by at least 20 points in six straight home games.
McCarthy might be safe until the end of the season, but if the Cowboys can’t turn it around, his future in Dallas could be in trouble.
In case you still need a refresher, five automatic bids will go to conference winners, with the top four seeds going to the conference leaders in order of their CFP ranking with a bye.
The other seven bids go to at-large teams based on their place in the rankings. A team's playoff seeding may not be the same as its committee ranking due to the bracket system.
With that, here is the current playoff seeding:
1. Oregon — Big Ten leader (11-0, 8-0)
2. Texas — SEC leader (8-1, 4-1); ranked third
3. Miami — ACC leader (9-1, 5-1); ranked eighth
4. Boise State — Mountain West leader (9-1. 6-0); ranked 12th
12. BYU — Big 12 leader (9-1, 6-1); ranked 14th
The Boise State Broncos, led by Heisman contender Ashton Jeanty's 1,893 rushing yards, are now ranked ahead of Big 12 leader BYU (No. 14) in the CFP polls, giving them the No. 4 seed. But because BYU still leads its conference despite not being ranked in the top 12, it has a playoff spot.
5. Ohio State (9-1, 6-1); ranked second
6. Penn State (9-1, 6-1); ranked fourth
7. Indiana (10-0, 7-0); ranked fifth
8. Notre Dame (9-1); ranked sixth
9. Alabama (8-2, 4-2); ranked seventh
10. Ole Miss (8-2, 4-2); ranked ninth
11. Georgia (8-2, 6-2); ranked 10th
This all means that, despite being the 11th-ranked team in the country, Tennessee is on the outside looking in, along with No. 13 SMU.
Colorado is ranked 16th in the country, but it controls its own destiny to a College Football Playoff appearance. Just about everyone else needs a lot of help.
A Colorado win over Kansas and a BYU loss to No 21 Arizona State would give the Buffaloes the Big 12 lead, which would put them in automatic bid territory. It would be up to the committee to name the Buffaloes a No. 4 seed, but they would still need to win the Big 12 title game to ensure a spot.
Oregon has been the top seed in all three playoff projections. It is the only team in the country whose playoff seed matches its CFP ranking.
A Miami loss to Wake Forest, matched with an SMU win over Virginia, would almost certainly cost the Canes an automatic bye for the time being, but it could also knock them out of the bracket entirely.
Oregon is off this week, so it will hold onto the No. 1 seed, even if the undefeated Hoosiers take down the Buckeyes in Columbus.
Colorado head coach Deion Sanders was joined by a special guest at his weekly press conference Tuesday — Peggy Coppom, or, as Buffaloes fans endearingly call her, Miss Peggy.
Miss Peggy celebrated her 100th birthday Tuesday, which followed the celebration Saturday in Boulder, where thousands of fans at Folsom Field sang happy birthday to the Colorado legend.
"I haven’t even comprehended it yet, but I cried," Miss Peggy told reporters when asked what that moment meant to her. "I just thank God for my life and for all the friends and for everything that’s happened to me."
Miss Peggy and her twin sister, Betty Hoover, were born in Walsenburg, Colorado, Nov. 19, 1924. According to Colorado’s website, Miss Peggy attended the university for one year before deciding to get married and start a family. Both sisters married pilots in the Army Air Corps.
The sisters became local icons for their unwavering support. According to the university, Miss Peggy has missed just three home games since she and her husband first bought season tickets in 1966.
Miss Peggy lost her sister in 2020 to an illness. On Tuesday, she remembered her sister and what this season would’ve meant to her.
"I just wish my twin sister were here. It all started because we were twins. I can’t deny that we’ve been loyal fans, but I said to get all this attention for just having a good time is unbelievable," she said as the room of reporters broke out in laughter.
Sanders has already dedicated Colorado’s season to bringing Miss Peggy to a bowl game. He now hopes to bring her to a national championship game.
"It’s amazing that God would find two people from two different walks of life, two different generations and bring them together as He has," Sanders said Tuesday.
"She’s always greeted me with love, compassion, support, stability and hope. I’m thankful to know her, I’m thankful she can get to me any time she desires to and I'm thankful to be celebrating her 100th with her. She is the epitome of CU Buffs. She’s the epitome of Buff nation. She is the rock that holds us all together, and I’m thankful to know her. I really am."
Colorado improved to 8-2 with a 49-24 win over Utah and faces Kansas next.
