The 31-28 loss against Kansas State isn’t the only heartbreak for Deion Sanders and Colorado. Travis Hunter’s injury put the Buffs HC in an unforeseen hot seat. Somehow, he was blamed for endangering the two-way star’s health who is going to be a huge impact in the NFL next year. Despite the criticism, Deion Sanders gave out reasons to validate the situation of playing Hunter in both offense and defense. 

Deion Sanders received hate from the public for playing Travis Hunter on both offense and defense in nearly every snap. But in a new YouTube episode on Coach Prime’s Playbook with Romi Bean on October 17, he gave his verdict on Travis Hunter’s injury. He said, “It don’t make sense because hurt is hurt. Hurt does not know offense and defense. It’s just straight pain. You just got hurt. It wasn’t because you was on offense or you’re on defense.” 

Indeed, offensive and defensive injuries are inevitable. Every player will face injuries at some point in their playing career. But what Deion Sanders seems to be missing out here is that as a two-way player, Travis Hunter is on the field for the majority of the game on both sides of the football. This makes him 2x more vulnerable to injuries than other players. 

In addition, if you take a look at how many snaps he’s playing this season, you’ll be surprised. Out of around 689 snaps this season on both offense and defense, Travis Hunter played a whopping 620 snaps. In their last K-State loss, he appeared for 44 of 45 snaps in the game before the hit from the Wildcats safety Daniel Cobbs that led to a right shoulder injury. But then, let’s also explore the second part of Deion Sanders’ statement. 

Should Travis Hunter play both ways?

Deion Sanders is aware of the injury concerns with more exposure, but he sees beyond the danger as he said, “Sure he’s exposed to many more plays but he’s exposed to making more plays as well. That’s the way you got to think.” In a way, Deion Sanders is right. Being able to play both ways allowed Hunter to rack up impressive stats with 49 receptions for 587 yards and six TDs in six games. On defense, he recorded 16 tackles, three passes defended, two interceptions, and one forced fumble. 

However, there’s still a ‘but.’ While this strategy is beneficial, it could hamper his “$200M NFL future” as Jason Whitlock observed. Travis Hunter is a favorite first-round pick in the 2025 NFL Draft, including being the No. 1 overall pick by ESPN NFL Draft analyst Mel Kiper Jr. And yes, let’s stop putting the hate on Deion Sanders’ for Hunter’s misfortunes. The kid knows what he wants, and he loves doing what he does, i.e., playing both ways. “Nobody do what I do. It’s just that simple. I know a lot of people try to hate on me, but I’ve been humble for too long,” he said. Hunter will be back on the field this Saturday against Arizona, possibly playing both ways. Hopefully, he’s fully recovered from the injury and is back to prove naysayers wrong.