What comes first in your mind when you hear the Colorado Buffaloes dual-threat Travis Hunter’s name? The happy face with the ear-to-ear grin, right? Yes, we are all used to seeing that jolly side of Hunter. Surprisingly, the two-way star had to break free of his signature personality. But only for a bit. He was again back to his original self. After all, he is running high on emotions. Finally, FINALLY, he was lucky to have the much-awaited bronze trophy, the Heisman, in his hands. Looks like Hunter could not let go of the big stage to reveal a secret. But about whom? The very special guest for the evening, the Grammy Award-winning rapper Lil Wayne for winning Hunter’s lady love, Leannaa Lenee’s heart.

December 14 has been a dream come true moment for Hunter. After all, the Buffs two-way star is coming off strong with awards. He became the first player in his history to be a finalist for both the Biletnikoff Award (top receiver) and the Bednarik Award (top defensive player). That was not the end. The two-way star grabbed the much-coveted bronze trophy, the Heisman. The evening was star-studded, as legends were in attendance to witness Hunter’s prized moment. There Wayne was spotted sitting beside the Buffs HC Deion Sanders and his son Shedeur. So in his speech, Hunter thought of including Wayne’s name. However, it came off as a surprise for the Lollipop star. 

We all know that feeling – you do something for your sweetheart, even if you’re not sure about it at first. Like listening to their favorite band that you’ve never heard of. But then you end up loving it and kicking yourself for not discovering it sooner. That’s exactly what happened with Hunter. As the Buffs two-way star confessed, “Wayne, you don’t know how you came into our life. Man, my fiancée love you. And I didn’t know none of your song.”

The Heisman winner then said, “She let me know cause I don’t listen to music. She told me you gotta listen to this, you need to listen to Wayne. From that day on, those the songs that I listen to.” And Wayne was all flattered to have become Hunter’s favorite. The dual-threat further topped the praise by singing, “Six-foot, seven-foot, eight-foot bunch.”

Once, he even went out of his way to post a pic in his Colorado jersey, using Wayne’s ‘Bless’ as the background music. His fiancée, Lenee, quickly commented, “I love you,” totally smitten by him and his music choice. And get this, even that $170 million rapper, Wayne, wished Lenee a happy 23rd birthday! He posted a collage of her and Hunter with the caption “HBD Luv.” It was a special night for Hunter, for sure. Having his fiancée and her favorite rapper made it perfect for him. But there was still a little void on Saturday eve. 

The heartfelt void in Travis Hunter’s big moment 

Yes, the legends were present for the Heisman Trophy ceremony. But somehow that was not enough for Hunter. Applauds started to rain, but a man crucial to the Buffs dual-threat’s journey was not present. That’s his father, Travis Hunter Sr., who didn’t travel to the ceremony in New York as his son bagged North American sports’ most famous award.

This was the reason the otherwise chirpy and jolly Hunter broke down in tears. Blinking back his tears, the two-way star said, “Dad, I love you. All the stuff you went through, man…. look at your oldest son. I did it for you, man. All the times you ain’t get to see me, and the times that you came to see my games.” After all, his father has been there like a pillar in his college football journey, from the time when Hunter got lucky to appear in only two games in high school to playing for the Buffs and being on TV. Hunter Sr. has seen it all. However, his good wishes have always been there with the player.

A few days back, Travis Hunter Sr. told Tom D’Angelo of The Palm Beach Post, how he has never doubted his son and never will. He confidently stated, “I really don’t feel no different because I always know he could win, if he put his mind to win. He’s always had that… since he started playing football when he was four years old.” The only thing that could have made Travis Hunter’s special evening more memorable would have been his father by his side.