The path that Travis Hunter chose to tread in his career was quite unconventional. In fact, it was almost revolutionary. For the no.1 recruit in the country to thwart offers from some of the more prestigious programs and go to Colorado was unprecedented. But unprecedented is synonymous with 2-way phenom Hunter at this point. 

Hunter acknowledges the impact of his head coach, Deion Sanders, in breaching this milestone. When Deion Sanders took the helm at Jackson State, he had the foresight of this trajectory for Hunter, a trajectory that has risen the tide for Coach Prime’s stature in the game as well. As the 21-year-old received official confirmation of his status as a Heisman Finalist, he kept his traversal to this juncture in perspective.

In the wake of his nomination, Travis Hunter guested on The Pivot Podcast. Amidst a plethora of introspective questions, he was asked, “How would your experience be without Coach Prime in your life?” And for Hunter, the answer was simple; he said, “I think I asked him this question, like two months ago. I said, ‘What would we be if I didn’t decide to go [to Jackson State]?’ I still don’t know the answer…He’s more than just a coach. He’s a father…I don’t know where I would be [without him].”

Their relationship is not lost on the college football followers, as the head coach and his recruit do share a special relationship, which had its origin right from Hunter’s high school recruitment. Being the 5-star prospect that Hunter was, it was only natural for him to attract offers from esteemed programs like Florida State, Alabama, and Clemson. And like most of you know, Hunter initially committed to the Seminoles but later flipped to Jackson State, where the coaching position was held by Sanders. This was considered to be a rather shocking move in the college football recruiting scene as Hunter became the first 5-star prospect to sign with an HBCU. Well, the rest is history.

Further, he expanded upon his feelings towards Coach Prime and his reverence for him. “I try not to figure it out, I try not to think too much [about] it because, you know, we got one more game, and it’s gonna be our last together. It gets you kind of emotional because it changed my life forever. I texted him a couple of games ago, like, ‘Coach, you changed my life forever.’ Just being able to see where I’m at now, I don’t know where I would have been if I went to Florida State,” he said. With how much of a rollercoaster FSU has been in the past couple of years, you’d think the decision has proven to be the correct one.

Hunter’s collegiate career begrudgingly never transpired into a playoff run. However, he still has a Bowl game to look forward to. He’ll hope that his final escapades in Buffaloes’ colors bear fruit. Coach Prime has outwardly spoken about the importance of his and other seniors’ participation in the game, alongside firing some subliminal shots at their mutual exes- The Florida State Seminoles.

Deion Sanders’ disdain for FSU boils over in a conversation pertaining to Travis Hunter

Deion Sanders’ maneuver to lure Travis Hunter away from FSU was two-fold. Not only did he secure himself a superstar, he deprived his alma mater of one as a byproduct. Sanders holds a perceived grudge towards the Seminoles. It is alleged that the front office rejected the 57-year-old for the vacant head coaching capacity in the past. With this underlying facet in the backdrop, he took a subtle jab at their recent peril.

Players who are entering the draft often skip Bowl games to avoid injury. This is something FSU sanctioned last year and bore the brunt of. Speaking to the media after Colorado’s last regular season game, Coach Prime said, “Our kids are going to play in our Bowl game, because that’s what we signed up to do… It’s a couple teams [that should] take note. They laid an egg in the bowl game, and they haven’t recovered since.” An unbeaten FSU lost the Orange Bowl 63-3 to the Georgia Bulldogs last season. This year, they finished at the bottom of the ACC with a 2-10 record. Talk about a downturn!

The veneration that Sanders has for Hunter is very much reciprocated. His partaking in the Bowl game was pretty much a foregone conclusion. The Colorado Buffs will take on the BYU Cougars in the Alamo Bowl. With this occasion marking his farewell to the program, expect fireworks from Travis Hunter. Or just his routine, standard performance- as if there’s any discrepancy between the two.