What’s the first thing that comes to mind when you hear Travis Hunter? An ear-to-ear grin and a take-no-nonsense attitude. That’s how the Colorado Buffaloes’ dual-threat star exudes confidence. This attitude is something every sportsperson should possess. As J.D. PicKell says, “You need that in life and sports, PERIOD.” However, Hunter, like Shedeur Sanders, is often labeled as overly confident. Despite his somewhat shaky NFL Draft stock, Hunter remains unfazed.

In fact, his confidence level just got 100x more. A special someone’s high praise fueled Hunter’s own self-assessment, leading the two-way phenom to speak highly of himself. This, in turn, prompted college football fans to offer harsh commentary, attempting to ground him.

Travis Hunter floating on cloud nine

Hunter is juggling everything, and still, that smile’s glued on. It sure seemed like he was cruising to the NFL at first. He wrapped up his college football career with a record of 1979 total yards and a Heisman Trophy in hand. However, what turned out to be his biggest USP in college became the biggest turndown for him in the NFL. While the Cleveland Browns and Tennessee Titans had shown interest in landing Hunter, both of them wanted to land him in any one position. For the Browns, it’s the WR, while the Titans believe it’s the cornerback. Meanwhile, the New England Patriots too are about to turn their back as they might go for LSU Tigers’ star bookend Will Campbell. But there is someone who still holds a positive outlook for Hunter.

That’s none other than former Jacksonville Jaguars HC and now-turned-commentator Urban Meyer. The Big Noon Kickoff analyst made an appearance on Colin Cowherd’s podcast. There he came up with a big shoutout for Hunter. “It would be hard for me to not take Travis Hunter with that first pick. I love that guy. I think he’s a once-in-a-generation, once-in-a-lifetime player. He can do things that I’ve not seen people do. His stamina, the quality of kid [he is]. I’ve done some homework on him.” On the March 19th episode of The Travis Hunter Show, Hunter’s brother-in-law, Kaden Sonnabend, presented the two-way star with a clip of Meyer’s interview. This clip was subsequently shared on Instagram on March 21st, with the caption: “Everyone knows Trav’s a generational talent 😮‍💨 @overtimeszn @db3_tip @kadensonnabend #travishunter #travishuntershow.”

It also showed how Hunter is floating on cloud nine after Meyer’s comment. He shared his gratitude,  “I appreciate that. I wish you did had a first pick so you could come pick me up. I would love to be coached by. That goes to show that at least somebody believes in me…he was one of the people to go out there and speak about it. So I appreciate it.” Yes, Hunter still considers himself the first pick; such is the extent of his self-confidence. Now he is on a mission to prove himself.

“I have to show him I have to keep showing people, you know that I can do what.” The proving part is okay; Hunter’s remarks might have inadvertently triggered an “ATTACK” mode amongst fans. 

Fans backlash after Travis Hunter’s confidence level got an oomph

Well, Hunter never gets rid of his cockiness. Last December, he went viral with his ‘You’ve never seen a player like me’ comment after the Heisman nomination. But in the end, he did prove himself by bagging the prize. But the pro league is a lot different. The fact that nobody supports Hunter in this tough time, a fan believes, is just a false statement from Meyer. “bro said at least somebody believes in me💀💀💀 pick me ahh everybody been glazing u.”

In fact, one of his biggest believers is his own Buffs HC Deion Sanders. He has been advocating for a long time that his two-way skills will make waves in the pro league. “Just because a person hasn’t done this in the majority of the NFL, don’t say what another man can’t do,” the former two-way star himself has said, promoting Hunter while boasting he could be an easy top pick.

Meanwhile, another fan believes that Hunter is pinning too much hope on himself. He referenced Miami Dolphins wide receiver Odell Beckham Jr., who caught nine passes for 55 yards in 2024. Unfortunately, Beckham Jr.’s initial NFL hype, stemming from his college days at LSU, was short-lived and is now plagued by attitude and injury problems. “He talks too much…shut up…you ain’t gonna be in the league 5 years…look at Odell, you ain’t nothing like him and his career was trash.”

Earlier this month, Hunter found himself in hot water after a slip-up while commenting on MLB star Shohei Ohtani. The comment was interpreted as Hunter trying to claim his two-way football role was more demanding than Ohtani’s in baseball. Naturally, this didn’t go over well with fans, who once again criticized his perceived overconfidence, or perhaps, cockiness. One fan even dismissed the Buffs’ two-way star as simply, “Too small.”

Another fan believes it’s a ‘one loser to another loser’ kind of story. The Jaguars had fired Meyer back in 2021 after 13 games. In Meyer’s only season with the Jaguars, the team went 2-11. That’s when a fan said, “Yea that’s respect but you definitely dont wish he could draft you in the league hell nah🤣 do home work on what he did in the league 🤣 much more than just believing in you .! You a 🐐 they gon acknowledge your 🐐 status in the league with yo play .!” However, one should not forget that Urban Meyer is a perfectionist and a control freak. On that note a fan commented, “urban would k- -k you in practice 😭😭. ” 

With everyone already wondering if he’ll play offense or defense in the pros, Travis Hunter’s got a lot going on. All this self-praise, plus the very public scrutiny of his relationship with his fiancee, Leanne Lenee, has created a significant distraction. Internet speculation about a potential split reached a fever pitch, and he even wiped his IG—it’s all adding up. These off-field issues could seriously jeopardize his draft stock. But if he lives up to the hype, the NFL could be his ultimate mic-drop moment.