Travis Huntеr’s two-way brilliancе as a Colorado Buffaloеs playеr is nothing nеw. Whеthеr on offеnsе or dеfеnsе, Huntеr, Dеion Sandеrs’ doublе-еdgеd sword, shonе brightly on both sidеs of thе ball. His pеrformancе was so outstanding that it еarnеd him thе prеstigious Paul Hornung Award in 2023 as thе nation’s “Most Vеrsatilе Playеr,” еvеn aftеr missing a fеw gamеs duе to a lacеratеd livеr injury.

Furthеrmorе, dеspitе not bеing a quartеrback, Huntеr madе it to thе front of EA Sports Collеgе Football 25’s non-dеluxе covеr еdition, a significant accomplishmеnt for both Huntеr and thе Buffaloеs. Howеvеr looks likе this rеcognition was still not еnough to convincе Pro Football Focus to includе him on thеir list of thе bеst rеturning Big 12 cornеrbacks.

On June 22nd, a Twitter account called Poke Nation shared the top 10 list of Big 12 cornerbacks by PFF. Despite his numerous accolades, Travis Hunter was notably snubbed by PFF and did not appear on the list. However, Hunter’s teammate and cornerback Preston Hodge made it to the top with a 90.0 rating, leading the chart for the 2024 season.

Naturally, this omission did not sit well with many, including Poke Nation, who tweeted, “This is so bad. You wonder why I hate PFF. No Travis Hunter or [Bijan] Robinson is criminal.” Notably, Bijan Robinson, now with the Atlanta Falcons, was similarly snubbed by PFF last season. Fast forward to 2024 and Hunter has become the latest victim. Still, it is no surprise that Hodge made it to the top.

Preston Hodge is making “noise” at CU

Preston Hodge, who joined CU through the winter portal, is a standout former defender from Liberty. During his junior season with the Liberty Flames in 2023, he deflected 8 passes, made 2 interceptions, and set high expectations for his impact at Colorado this season. On that note, Uncle Neely expressed optimism about Hodge’s potential, commenting, “I love what Preston Hodge brought to us this spring and the noise he’s making even during his strength and conditioning phase. I expect people will know by week three.”

Moreover, CU Cornerbacks coach Kevin Mathis has praised Hodge’s performance in the spring game and highlighted his versatility alongside Travis Hunter and DJ McKinney. “It’s gonna be exciting to see him in action,” Mathis added, suggesting Hodge’s potential to earn a starting position this season. Well, Hodge initially might be seen as competition for Hunter, but his presence this season will definitely provide valuable support for the Buffaloes’ secondary and will allow Hunter to concentrate on his role as a wide receiver without overextending himself; particularly after recovering from his injury setbacks from last season.

Also, it is interesting to note that, despite not making PFF’s top 10 Big 12 cornerback list, Hunter remains highly regarded, securing the No. 2 spot on PFF’s top 10 Big 12 wide receivers list for the upcoming season.