Look how the tables turned! The Colorado Buffaloes’ dual threat Travis Hunter raged through college football. With the 2024 Heisman Trophy shining bright in his collection, fans expected that the NFL would welcome him with opening arms. He was hailed as the top 5 pick in the 2025 NFL Draft. 

Now it’s the same Hunter who got a grounding alert. NFL suitors are turning their back on Hunter. But not to worry, he has the back of one of his biggest supporters after Deion Sanders. And that’s none other than Warren Sapp. But what makes Sapp so protective about the two-way star?

Warren Sapp comes to Travis Hunter’s rescue

Well, by now we all know how Hunter took the college football world by storm as a junior in 2024. In Boulder, he played the majority of the snaps, including 1,360 on both sides of the ball. At receiver, he came off with flying colors posting the nation’s second-most touchdown catches. Even though he has been hailed as the No.2 overall pick, CBS Sports’ Chris Trapasso dropped Hunter to the sixth overall pick. The reason? As NFL Rookie Watch tweeted, “Travis Hunter is reportedly raising “one red flag” among NFL scouts heading into the combine.” And what is the red flag?

As one NFL scout noted, the Buffs two-way star “lacks technique in some areas.” Plus, he relies a lot on athleticism which makes him unfit for the NFL. The tweet read, “People will forget that he allowed 100 receiving yards just because he made a spectacular INT.” Just when Hunter had got enough reasons to give up all hope, here enters his coach and Colorado’s grad assistant Sapp. He is the one who believes the Buffs star the most. On the Rich Eisen Show, he claimed, “Rich, I called a friend of mine in week two and I said he’s going to win the Heisman I had never seen anything like it.” 

He even puts Hunter on a higher pedestal than himself, “I know I was a dawg in college…mhm can’t touch him. Cover a nine-route, turn around, run a D and run all the way to the end zone…it was sick.” Hunter seems to have taken Sapp into confidence as the coach finds it easy to play the Buffs two-way star with defense and playing 60 snaps sounds like a cakewalk. When the podcast host Rich Eisen asked, “So 70 snaps or 80, could he play more than that?” “It could be a package where he’s a decoy too,” replied Sapp. After all, the coach can’t see Hunter take a backseat even for once.

Warren Sapp joins the Travis Hunter fan club  

We all know how Hunter is an absolute favorite of his HC Deion Sanders. Coach Prime treats him no less than any of his sons, Shedeur and Shilo, when it comes to his guidance. Serving as the Senior Quality Control Analyst for Buffaloes, Sapp knows the two-way star in and out. 

That’s why he rooted for Hunter more than others, encouraging him to bag the Heisman trophy. After all, the ceiling has been raised high for the award since it belonged to only quarterbacks. Sapp himself fell prey by not living up to the standards 30 years ago. Even though he has the Hall of Famer tag, his efforts fell short in the Heisman race of 1994. Back then he finished 6th, and the accolade went to his Miami Hurricanes’ teammate, quarterback Gino Torretta.

So, in a way, Travis Hunter winning the Heisman Trophy came off as Warren Sapp’s personal win. The grad assistant could not wait to express his delight on Instagram. Sapp posted a snap posing with the Buffs dual-threat holding the bronze trophy. The caption said it all, as it read, “30 yrs ago I didn’t get to take it home but @db3_tip did!! Congratulations our Unicorn!! #SkoBuffs #SappNotFishing #HeismanIsHome.” Even if the world flips upside down on Travis Hunter, Warren Sapp’s support won’t waver.