From prodigy to proven. Travis Hunter’s tryst with rewriting history is complete. The 2-way unicorn has earned the title of the best player in the sport after winning the Heisman Trophy. A lot of prejudice and a lot of notions, both fair and fallacious, were thwarted on that podium in New York. 3 years ago, Travis and Deion Sanders mutually began causing a seismic shift in the CFB paradigm.

The masses were adamant that Travis Hunter had made a huge mistake in following Coach Prime to Jackson State and decommitting from FSU. This subversion of conventional wisdom has paved the way for Travis to stand at the top rung of the CFB ladder. In many ways, this Heisman triumph felt like a vindication of both him and his father-figure coach. Naturally, Deion was as excited as anybody on the night of the ceremony. This excitement almost boiled over to an unfortunate level.

In a video shared on his oldest son Deion Jr.’s Well Off Media YouTube channel, Coach Prime can be seen exuding his jubilance alongside Travis and Shedeur backstage at the ceremony. At one instance, the trio stood upon a raised platform, seemingly posing for pictures. Buzzing with exhilaration, Deion leaps off said platform and lands rather precariously albeit safely. The 57-year-old is not quite at his athletic peak anymore, and the pair of current players let that be known.

Shedeur laughingly said, “He almost hurt his own foot!” Travis, in jest, of course, added, “He almost threw his hamstring trying to get down!” Deion smiled, owing to both the joke and avoiding a catastrophe, as he trudged along. “He’s trying to have fun. He’s trying to be a kid,” added Shedeur.

That is Deion Sanders, after all. That kid-like nature is what allows him to relate to his players and build intrinsic relationships. That relatability is what convinced the nation’s no.1 recruit, Travis, to take on this unorthodox journey with him. They couldn’t bear the fruit of their intensive labour as a team. However, Travis winning the Heisman legitimizes both their efforts sweetly.

Deion Sanders and Travis Hunter at the epicenter of a distasteful controversy

Videos from the biggest night of Travis Hunter’s young life, unfortunately, weren’t all received as kindly as this exchange. One particular clip doing rounds over on social media has marred the celebrations. Travis’ fiance, Leanna Lenee, faced widespread backlash due to an apparent lapse of judgement. Like most things pertaining to Travis Hunter, Deion Sanders was involved, too.

When he was announced as the winner, a celebratory Travis walked towards Leanna, his mother and his coach, who were seated adjacent. Leanna didn’t stand up on her feet very promptly to greet him. Deion could be seen having to instigate her to do so. This momentary exchange sparked rampant hostility towards an unassuming Leanna Lenee across social media. There have already been echoes of disdain from fans of Travis towards Leanna, which has been simmering for a long time. This scenario allowed them to boil over. Some of the biggest names in the sport have weighed in on the controversy.

Nevertheless, Travis realises there’s an ugly byproduct to success. 3 years under the tutelage of Deion Sanders will teach you that. He’s had his fair share of run-ins, to say the least. The duo have one last game left as their player-coach dynamic ceases. Either will look to end on a high in the Alamo Bowl. The Colorado faithful will bid farewell to only the 2nd Heisman recipient in the school’s history.