“If you were voting for The Heisman Trophy, you’d probably have to vote for him.” To receive such a level of praise from Joel Klatt, Travis Hunter has to be one heck of an athlete. Hunter’s exploits in the new season for the CU Buffs have not only excited the college football realm but also created ripples in the basketball community. Last month, he left LeBron James in awe after the opening game of the season and now has the WNBA world gushing over him.

The Buffs completed a remarkable comeback in their Big 12 debut against the Baylor Bears. Trailing 24-31 with two seconds to go, Shedeur Sanders’ Hail Mary tied the game. An inspired CU would then go on to win in overtime, with Hunter forcing a game-saving fumble that would take over social media.

After running back Micah Welch scored from one yard out and Alejandro Mata’s PAT, the Buffaloes had a 38-31 lead. Baylor responded quickly and looked set to level the scores but for Hunter’s timely intervention. Hunter punched the ball out with Bears’ running back Dominic Richardson on the one-yard line. The ball rolled into the end zone, resulting in a touchback and a win for Colorado. This sensational win means we could see WNBA legend Dawn Staley in a Buffs jersey soon.

She took to X to share and tagged the Buffaloes in a post. She outright asked them, “Hey @CUBuffsFootball….I need a Travis Hunter jersey asap! I ain’t hard to find! (laughing emoji) Thank you in advance!”  Interestingly, Staley has been following the Buffs this season and appeared on ESPN’s  “College GameDay” at Gamecock Park. She predicted that the Buffs would win against rivals Colorado State in Week 3 which was exactly what they did.

Meanwhile, barely a minute after Staley’s tweet, UConn Huskies’ rising star Paige Bueckers also chimed in, appreciating the footballer’s athleticism. She tweeted, “Travis Hunter is not real.” By the looks of it, one can imagine Travis Hunter heading to the 2025 NFL Draft as a top 5 prospect. The catch wasn’t the only way that he contributed though.

The two-way star, who can play as a cornerback and a wide receiver made two major tackles to help limit Baylor’s passing to 148 yards. On the other side, he had seven receptions for 130 yards with his late 31-yard grab in the third quarter leading to the Buffaloes leveling the game at 24-24.

This was also his fifth 100-yard receiving game in a row, making him the first Colorado player to achieve that feat. The win was something that Travis Hunter, and the rest of the Buffaloes lineup, certainly needed after the fiasco against Nebraska. While an impressive squad created hype for Colorado quite early on, all was diminished after facing a 28-10 loss against the Cornhuskers in the second week. Although they bounced back with a win over Colorado State, this sensational win would certainly get their adrenaline pumping.

After the Nebraska game, there was pressure on Hunter and the Buffs, and with two wins in a row, they responded in perfect fashion. Speaking after the game Hunter revealed what transpired after the Buffs went ahead. “Shedeur told me to go out there and get the ball once we scored. So I told him, ‘I got you.’ And I kept my word. I mean, I knew I had to tackle. You could see me putting in my mouth piece late on the play. So, I was already ready.” 

He then talked about his last-second play that helped his side get over the line, “I knew they was coming at me. They don’t think I could tackle, so I had to show em’.”

These sorts of performances will strengthen the claims made by Buffs insider Joel Klatt. Fox Sports analyst Klatt urged fans to strongly consider Hunter when voting for the Heisman Trophy. Speaking on “The Herd” he said, “Travis Hunter – who’s, by the way, fabulous,” said Klatt. “If you were voting for The Heisman Trophy, you’d probably have to vote for him.”

Hunter is proving himself worthy of the praise and promise. The 21-year-old has also received appreciation from NBA legend LeBron James after his first showing of the season.

LeBron James praised Travis Hunter’s season opener performance: “RIDICULOUS!!!!!”

Late August saw the Colorado Buffaloes kicking off their college season run against the North Dakota State Bisons. For anyone wanting to know whether the team’s offensive side would be better off this time around, the duo of Travis Hunter and Sheduer Sanders is the answer. The latter’s initial 41-yard pass to Hunter helped to kick off the scoring.

He then went on to catch 7 balls for 132 yards, and made 3 touchdowns. The 21-year-old’s TDs certainly helped a lot, as the Buffaloes won the game by a close margin of 31-26.

Watching the game, LeBron James was stoked! He immediately took to X, posting, “MAN TRAVIS HUNTER IS RIDICULOUS!!!!! WOW.” Among other fans, he also marveled at what the Hunter-Sanders partnership was able to achieve, stating “Shedeur to Hunter for 6! Going to be seeing and hearing that a lot this season i bet!”

While the hooper’s message would have gotten lost amongst the other praises sent by Tyreek Hill, Ryan Clark, Maxx Crosby, J.J. Watt, etc, this helped to remind NBA fans of the deep love that the NBA champion held for football. Believe it or not, but the Laker was a renowned footballer in his high school days. Over two years, the then 6’8″, 232 lbs athlete, made a total of 103 catches, ran 2065 yards, and accumulated 23 receiving touchdowns.

But right now the focus and attention is on Travis Hunter who is making a name for himself and his popularity has begun to transcend the realm of college football.

Before you go, remember to check out this crossover between BG12 and Georgia Bulldogs star Silas Demary Jr.