$6M Rich Travis Hunter Rejects Fiancée Leanna Lenee’s $30,000 Gift Just Before the Draft; Expected a Different Surprise

Picture this: After spending three years counting the days to the 2025 NFL Draft, Travis Hunter was finally here. The tension in the air was thick. While it was clear that the $6 million Colorado phenom would get in within Round 1—with family and friends gathered together, ready to celebrate—Hunter himself had some things ready, too. It first started with a pink suit which the player was to wear on the red carpet beside his mom, Ferrante Edmonds, and fiancée, Leanna Lenee. But what’s a red carpet appearance without some bling?

The 21-year-old didn’t have to look much further as Leanna had prepared the perfect gift. But in true Hunter fashion, he couldn’t accept the luxurious indulgence without some hilarious remarks to spice up the air! In a video on the player’s official YouTube channel titled, ‘Travis Hunter Draft Day: The Documentary‘, fans got a close behind-the-scenes look at the youngster’s Draft Day preparations. And by the looks of it, Hunter’s camp had nothing but deep admiration and respect for everything he stood for, topped off by some heartfelt stories by his fiancée. But before we tell you about that…

Perhaps the biggest surprise the two-way player got was when Leanna presented him with a watch worth north of a staggering $30,000. “Wait! What type of watch is this?” Travis asked, to which one of his family members responded, “Presidential Rolex. That’s the big boy.” This again prompted the Heisman Trophy winner to clarify, “How much that cost? Yeah… How much does a presidential Rolex cost?” But before others could provide a definite answer to the query, Hunter whipped out his phone to avail help from Siri.

“Hey Siri, how much does a presidential Rolex cost?” Hilariously, as soon as the search results showed $30,000, Travis quipped, “I could have bought a new boat. But y’all just ain’t give me the money…Why you just ain’t give me a boat?” Then after being told how a Rolex was an investment, and how the watch actually cost somewhere around $70,000, Travis Hunter decided enough was enough. Immediately, he directed a sharp albeit comical warning for all the people present in the room…

“Yeah, y’all tripping…It’s a good investment, [but] don’t expect these type of gifts from me. That ain’t happening, my boy. These type of gifts ain’t happening. Not [from] me,” he said, garnering a fit of laughter around the room. But behind those jokes lie the actual truth. While peers splurge on cars and bling, Hunter’s joy floats on Roosevelt Lake. “When I dream at night, I’m fishing on a boat,” he told ESPN. In fact, that’s exactly how the young player spent his childhood too—fishing in canals and ponds in Florida. While playing for the Colorado Buffaloes, he often visited Deion Sanders’ 5000-acre Texas ranch property for fishing expeditions, too. Forget diamonds—his prized possession is a gold fishing reel gifted after his Heisman win. Pro angler Matt Becker sums it up: “If he focused on fishing as much as football, he could be a tournament angler.”

But don’t worry. Fishing or no fishing, the newly inducted Jacksonville Jaguars player was still far from done talking about his new gift. With childlike innocence, Hunter boasted how he wouldn’t have to wear his Apple watch anymore. Showing off the iced out accessory, the player then decided it was time to call Deion Sanders Jr for some good ‘ol show-off!

Travis Hunter (showing his new watch to Bucky on FaceTime): “You know we had to get iced out.”

Bucky (laughing): “That’s how it’s supposed to be.”

TH (laughing): “No boy, that’s not how it’s supposed to be.”

But Bucky was adamant. Right before disconnecting the call, Jr slid in the advice one more time: “Wear some jewelry [to Green Bay]”. Travis’ reaction? “No! No! No!” Notably, more pictures from the day were also posted on social media as Hellion ‘Boog’ Knight, the head of operations for Young Money APAA (the agency Hunter is signed to) shared a photo featuring the former Buffs player and his fiancée. Hiding the green box behind her back, Leanna was seen facing an ecstatic Travis, who had his hands up in the air. The beautiful piece appeared to have a brown dial complete with diamonds, a fluted bezel, and a rose gold case. Truly, a timeless gift that perfectly shows the love the two share, which was further evident when Leanna poured her heart out earlier in the video.

Sharing what she’s learned from her NFL-bound partner, Lenne said, “The number one thing Travis probably taught me throughout his college career is to be resilient. I’ve watched him get hurt. I’ve watched him have surgeries back to back. Back at Jackson, he had three surgeries back to back to back all within a span of two months, and he was down for a while. And it was just like me and him stuck in Pittsburgh with that. [But he was] resilient no matter what people said about him. No matter how many times he got injured, he would get back out there and do his thing every single time no matter how much hate he received. Anything people told him that he couldn’t do, he would still go do it.”

“So he probably taught me how to be resilient and to just believe in myself and not listen to what other people say about me,” she concluded. Thankfully, that’s also the same kind of belief Travis Hunter’s new GM James Gladstone has in him.

Giving a nod to the rookie’s two-way potential, Gladstone said, “There are very few, and it’s rare to be able to target and prioritize a player who can alter the sport itself.” But for Hunter, priorities are clear. “I got two boats and I want to just play football. And I got a wife. So, I’m just happy with my family right there, so I’m in it,” he told Richard Sherman last fall.

Travis Hunter’s draft day: Luxury vs. legacy

Leanna’s Rolex gamble wasn’t just about sparkle. It symbolized loyalty amid 2024’s online storms. However, Hunter’s reaction—equal parts gratitude and side-eye—revealed their dynamic. “She helped me save a lot of money,” he said, but added, “NIL can wait… It’s not about the NIL, it’s about the NFL.” Their bond, forged in Georgia high schools, faces new pressures. Can a $30K watch survive NFL fame?

Hunter’s smirk says it all: “It’s an investment, man.” Hunter’s disdain for extravagance isn’t new. In March, Sports Illustrated found him bass fishing in Texas, dodging draft chatter. “I don’t like parties,” he shrugged. “I don’t like doing nothing else but playing video games, football, chilling with the family, fishing.” So, Hunter’s engine runs on grit, not glitz.

Travis Hunter’s story isn’t just football—it’s about choosing anchors over accessories (quite literally). As Norman Maclean wrote, “Eventually, all things merge into one, and a river runs through it.” For Hunter, that river teems with bass, not bullion. So, as he swaps Colorado’s peaks for Jacksonville’s swamps, one question lingers: In a league obsessed with legacy, will Hunter’s boat-outrunning-bling ethos sink or sail?