Coach Deion Sanders of Colorado anticipates that two-way star Travis Hunter will miss some time due to an unidentified injury sustained on a brutal hit on Saturday night during the Buffaloes’ 43-35 victory over Colorado State.
In his post-game press conference, Sanders stated, “The first thing I learned is that he was going to be out for a few weeks. “I am certain I heard that. But we’ll take the necessary steps to look after him. Travis will most likely request a two-week leave of absence, I know that. But we need to make sure he’s okay. This game is less crucial than his health.
During the first quarter of the game, Hunter, a wide receiver, took a strong hit from Colorado State safety Henry Blackburn and remained down on the field to require medical care. Unnecessary roughness punishment was meted out to Blackburn. Hunter eventually made it back into the game after the hit, and he made a tackle in the second quarter before permanently exiting.
Although it wasn’t immediately clear if Blackburn’s hit was the cause of Hunter’s departure, it served as an early flashpoint in a match that was already tense. After the hit, CU quarterback Shedeur Sanders confronted Blackburn in order to defend Hunter.
With his performance in the first two games of the season after joining Sanders from Jackson State, Hunter, who alternates between playing wide receiver & cornerback for the No. 18 Buffs, made an early impact on the Heisman Trophy race.
Hunter, the top prospect in the Class of 2022, shocked the college football world when he decided to attend Sanders instead of Florida State after previously committing to play for the Seminoles. Sanders, who also played offense and defense throughout his collegiate football career, and he has become a close friend.
Sanders has stated that he is ideally suited to manage Hunter’s workload given his expertise in a similar role, even though Hunter’s endurance as a two-way player taking 100+ snaps each game has been called into doubt.
Shilo Sanders, a Colorado safety, remarked after the win, “The worst thing about losing Travis, is you lose such an important piece of our team. It’s like losing two players at once since he plays both offense and defense, so that was difficult.