Travis Hunter rarely left the field as Colorado’s starting wide receiver and cornerback the last two seasons, but he’s threatening to leave the sport forever if he’s allowed only one position as an NFL player.
“It’s never playing football again,” Hunter, projected to be among the top picks in this month’s NFL draft, told CBS Sports. “Because I’ve been doing it my whole life, and I love being on the football field. I feel like I could dominate on each side of the ball, so I really enjoy doing it.”
He earned national honors on both sides of the ball, and as a junior last season won the Heisman Trophy, the Walter Camp Award, the Biletnikoff Award as top wide receiver, the Bednarik Award and Lott IMPACT Trophy as defensive player of the year and his second consecutive Paul Hornung Award as the most versatile player.
Hunter played 713 snaps on offense and 748 on defense for the Buffaloes in 2024, the only player since at least 2017 with 250 snaps or more on both sides in one season, according to CBS Sports Research. He averaged 111 snaps per game.
He led the FBS in both 2023 and 2024 in snaps, totaling 2,625 despite missing almost five games because of injury.
Hunter, 21, doesn’t want to slow down when he gets to the next level.
“I just feel very confident in myself,” he said, “and I got a competitive spirit that I can do whatever I put my mind to, and I feel like I can do it.”
He has met with many NFL teams in the weeks ahead of the draft and none has made an issue of him playing both offense and defense, he told CBS Sports.
Cleveland Browns general manger Andrew Berry, whose team picks second when the draft starts on April 24, said at the NFL Scouting Combine in February that Hunter could play both ways, with wide receiver the priority.
“In terms of Travis Hunter, cornerback or receiver? The answer is yes,” Berry said. “He can play both, I think that’s what makes him special. I think receiver primarily first, but I think what makes him a bit of a unicorn is the fact that he can do it at a high level.”
Hunter’s response to CBS Sports: “It’s not up to me. When they call my name, if they call my name, then we’ll figure that out, but it’s not up to me. That’s what they think about me right now.”
The Tennessee Titans pick No. 1 and believe Hunter is further along at cornerback. He put up big numbers at both positions in college. CBS Sports Research said he is the only player in FBS history (since 1978) with at least 1,000 receiving yards, 10 receiving touchdowns and three interceptions in one season.
In his two seasons at Colorado after transferring from Jackson State, Hunter totaled 153 receptions for 1,979 yards with 20 TDs through the air and one rushing. He also collected seven interceptions, 16 pass breakups and one forced fumble on defense, with most opponents trying to avoid throwing to his side of the field.
