There are things Travis Hunter will admit are a challenge. And then there are things the Colorado Buffaloes phenom, who has redefined what it means to be a two-way player, will say are easy. Playing both sides of the ball at the NFL level? “You got to go out and work for it,” Hunter said. “So I don’t think it’s ‘easy’ to play any position.” But juggling the mental workload of wide receiver and cornerback in the same week? “That,” Hunter says with a cool confidence only he can pull off, “is super easy for me, super simple.” The debate isn’t whether Hunter is a generational talent—it’s what side of the ball he’ll make his full-time home on. And with his recent comments, that choice carries more weight than ever.

Joel Klatt, Fox Sports, and an ex-Colorado QB, has watched Hunter’s development closely, and he made his stance crystal clear this week on his namesake show. “He’s a remarkable talent. I love his instincts. He plays both positions with incredible instincts, with incredible ball skills, and he’s got elite quickness and suddenness,” Klatt said. “And yet he understands how to – what I would call like ‘tempo’ players on both sides of the ball.” Then came the part that turned heads. “Here’s where I sit when it comes to playing on each side: I think that at the next level—and please correct me if you think I’m wrong or you’re hearing differently—I think that he’s going to be a full-time defender. Because he should be. Because it’s really tough to find a guy with those type of traits as a cover corner.”

Klatt didn’t stop there. His vision for Travis Hunter’s future is rooted in balance—strategic utilization, not overexertion. “I think you can slot him in very easily as a two or three wide receiver, probably more of a three, in order to limit 15 to 18 snaps a game from him. And you can do that on the offensive side. So he’s a full-time defensive player, as a number three wide receiver, but a number three wide receiver is probably only going to get… I would say 30 to 35 snaps pending big formations, short yardage—you know, whatever goes on from a game situation standpoint. And that’s a way that you can limit him to 80 to 95 snaps versus the 125 that he was playing at Colorado.” Klatt even addressed the elephant in the room that’s rarely discussed: meeting room logistics.

“Meeting rooms go on at the same time. You’re going to have to be in one or the other. So he’s going to have to major, at least in a meeting standpoint, on one side of the ball versus the other. It’s always been major in defense, minor in offense. You have a package of plays on offense, but you’re a full-time defensive player,” said NFL Network’s lead Draft Analyst Daniel Jeremiah. That, of course, runs headfirst into what Travis Hunter himself has made crystal clear: his heart is in playing both. He doesn’t just want a shot at being a full-time offensive contributor—he expects it.

And he’s not afraid to push the envelope if teams don’t listen. “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.”

Hunter’s tone may be calm, but the underlying message is anything but casual. He’s long said he doesn’t just play offense—he is a receiver. As Klatt acknowledged, “He lists himself as a wide receiver who plays DB, not the other way around.” And if the league tries to fit him into a corner-only box? Hunter’s already suggested he could walk away from the game entirely. So hopefully someone does grant the man’s wish because that’s something you and I don’t want. A threat that carries real weight when it’s coming from a reigning Heisman winner.

Soon enough, some NFL GM will put pen to paper and call Hunter’s name on draft night.

New York Giants GM open to Travis Hunter’s two-way superstar dream

Travis Hunter’s dream of being a modern-day NFL Ironman just got a major green light. Straight from New York Giants GM Joe Schoen. If the Giants land the electric Colorado standout in next week’s draft, don’t be surprised if he’s making plays on both sides of the ball.

Schoen didn’t hold back his excitement when asked about the two-way sensation: “He’s fun to watch. It’s unique that [he has] the ball skills, the route ability, and then also the ability to go to the other side and play corner. You just don’t see that very often.”

That’s high praise, especially with Hunter expected to be a top-five pick. The buzz is building that it might come down to whether the Browns or Giants pull the trigger at No. 2 or 3. Either way, one thing’s clear—Schoen sees a unicorn.

“A lot of times, if these guys can’t catch or they can’t play receiver, then they get moved to DB,” Schoen said. “But this guy can do it all… he’s also a great kid. So, it’d be hard to keep him off the field, and he’s motivated to play both ways.” The two-way wish has finally been granted, it seems.