With the 2025 Heisman Trophy reveal just minutes away, all eyes and ears were on the ceremony’s biggest names like Fernando Mendoza, Julian Sayin, Diego Pavia, and Jeremiyah Love. Former winners appeared on screen via video calls to wish the finalists luck. During that moment, the cameras caught an unlucky shot of Travis Hunter, who was making his first college realm appearance since his injury.

As is tradition, former Heisman winners from the last few years get digitally invited each year to either attend the ceremony or send their well-wishes. This time, names like Baker Mayfield, DeVonta Smith, Jayden Daniels, and Travis Hunter, the 2024 winner, were all part of that group.

Hunter watched from the other side now, no longer a finalist but a former winner. Still, there was a sad note to the moment because of the tough break he recently had with the NFL.

On October 30, 2025, Hunter injured his right knee during practice. The official diagnosis was an LCL injury, a key ligament in the knee. The good news is that it was an isolated injury, with no additional damage, which makes the recovery process more straightforward. He then got placed on injured reserve, effectively ending his promising two-way season after just 7 games.

Hunter underwent successful knee surgery back in November and is now focused on doing only rehab. Word is he won’t return for the rest of the 2025 NFL season, but his prognosis is nothing but encouraging. The doctors expect him to be fully recovered and ready for training camp around the summer of 2026.

Looking back at his college days, his 2024 Heisman campaign was pure magic and completely changed the Heisman trajectory. He was a true two-way player for the Colorado Buffaloes, just as dangerous at a wide-out as he was at cornerback. His historic run made him the first primary defensive player to win the Heisman since Charles Woodson.

On offense, he totaled over 1,100 receiving yards and 14 touchdowns. On defense, he was a shutdown corner with four interceptions. Although Travis Hunter did not publicly root for any particular finalist for the 2025 Heisman Trophy. It was still a surreal moment seeing him back on the Heisman stage, even if only on a screen.

Did Travis Hunter’s two-way dream fail, or is it too early to judge?

Truth be told, it is indeed really too soon to say for sure if Travis Hunter has “exceeded expectations” in the NFL as a two-way player. After all, he only got through seven games of his rookie season.

As he was getting more reps and becoming comfortable on both sides, the football gods decided to be cruel. Safe to say, we just haven’t seen enough of him yet to make a final judgment on his pro career.

Before he got hurt, though, he was about to show some real promise and some of his potential. He grabbed 28 catches, almost 300 yards, and even a touchdown, plus made some solid defensive plays. He even had one 100-yarder game against the Rams. His production for a rookie was pretty impressive, according to many analysts. But that wear and tear of playing two positions took a toll on his body, more specifically, the knees.

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So, we have to wait until he’s healthy and can get a full season under his belt. Mind you, the potential has always been clearly there since day 1. Once he’s back on the field next year, we’ll get a better look at whether he can truly exceed those fuzzy expectations for a two-way star.