Going into the game against Kansas State, Coach Prime joined ESPN for an interview where Pat McAfee said, “Travis Hunter is now the second favorite in the odds for the Heisman.” But that didn’t sit right with Sanders. “How do you even fix your mouth to say that? Second?” he questioned. While Deion may have defended his two-way star in the Heisman race before the Week 7 game, turns out he may have been to blame for diminishing Hunter’s chances after how everything played out.

The reason? Well, the reason was in what Pat McAfee said next.

“Travis Hunter is doing something that nobody has seemingly done in college football,” said McAfee. “127 snaps per game.” There lay the problem. At least, according to Jason Whitlock.

In the second quarter of Colorado’s 28-31 loss on Saturday, Hunter got hit on his right shoulder by Kansas State safety Daniel Cobbs’ helmet during a 14-yard catch. As a result, he called for medical attention and left the field. However, he didn’t come back on for the rest of the game. What did Jason Whitlock have to say about this? In an analysis from October 15 on his YouTube channel, Whitlock said, “Deion Sanders is the reason Travis Hunter got hurt.”

“Deion Sanders thinks he’s reinvented football… ‘I can take a 21-year-old kid with amazing talent, and I can play him both ways—virtually every snap—for an entire season because I’m Deion Sanders,’” Whitlock continued. But in a highly physical game like football, injuries are inevitable. And Deion Sanders using Travis Hunter to “play him both ways and play him virtually every snap for an entire season” is a recipe for destruction. 

“When your coach decides, ‘Hey, I wanna play you 120-130 snaps per game, the inevitability of injury increases substantially.” Before his right shoulder injury against Kansas State, Travis Hunter was on the field for 44 of the game’s 45 snaps on both sides of the football. Moreover, this season, he’s been averaging 124 snaps per game. Yes, he was doing what no other college football player was, but at some point, pushing himself so much was going to take a toll on him. And that point just so happened to come during the Week 7 game.

Whitlock explained, “So Travis Hunter catches a pass and takes a routine hit. The next thing you know, he’s got to tap out of the game because he’s playing too many snaps. Deion Sanders, in his pursuit to elevate himself, has diminished Travis Hunter [and] put him in harm’s way. Travis Hunter is a great footballer who should be playing 80 snaps a game.”

“This kid has a $200 million NFL future, and we’ve all sat back and watched Deion exploit this kid and put him in harm’s way,” he concluded. And there’s no doubt the 21-year-old has a bright future ahead. With his explosiveness, Travis Hunter is one of the top first-round prospects in the 2025 NFL draft. His ability to play effectively as a wide receiver and cornerback has even catapulted his odds for the Heisman Trophy race. In 6 games this season, he has led the offense with 49 receptions for 587 yards and 6 touchdowns in 300 offensive snap counts.

Hunter’s brilliance also shone on defense with 16 tackles (11 solo), three passes defended, two interceptions, and a forced fumble in 320 snaps. Overall, he played 620 out of a potential 689 snaps for Deion Sanders’ Buffs this season! But the records only suggest an overload that could hamper his NFL future with injuries. After all, this wasn’t his first injury while playing under Deion Sanders.

Similar to his shoulder injury, Hunter was forced to sit out three-and-a-half games last season for sustaining a lacerated liver after taking a hit in Week 3. Even so, he played the most snaps from scrimmage than any other player in the regular season (1,102 snaps, averaging 114.7 per game). He also won the Paul Hornung Award as the nation’s most versatile player. The question is: Hunter may have been okay with pushing himself so much for the past couple of seasons, but for how long can he sustain? Especially in the NFL.

Because of this, his possibility to play both ways in the NFL has sparked mixed responses from NFL veterans. But right now, the concern is if Hunter will be able to recover to make it to their next game against Arizona.

Travis Hunter will look to rekindle his Heisman hopes this week

Heading into Week 7, Travis Hunter was second on the odds board to win the Heisman Trophy, starting the weekend around +300 behind Ashton Jeanty. But after a bye week and the injury against Kansas State, Hunter’s odds have now fallen to +1200. On the other hand, it was business as usual for the Boise State running back who improved his odds of winning the Heisman.

Missing a game was the last thing Hunter needed. And although he didn’t sit out the game entirely, the weekend allowed three quarterbacks to overtake him – Oregon’s Dillon Gabriel, Miami’s Cam Ward, and Alabama’s Jalen Milroe. If he misses the Week 8 match-up against Arizona, his chances will decrease even further. And after once being the favorite to win the coveted prize, Hunter could be out of contention. But that doesn’t look like it’s going to happen.

At least, that’s what Deion Sanders’ update meant. The head coach said that Hunter “should play for certain” this week. Considering how much the team’s offense and defense struggled without the two-way star last weekend, this quick recovery won’t just be a boon for the Buffaloes (4-2), but also one for Travis Hunter’s Heisman hopes.

Do you think the 21-year-old can catch up to Ashton Jeanty before the regular season ends?