Deion Sanders: Teams “would be idiotic” not to give Travis Hunter a chance to be a two-way player in the NFL
By JESSE SARLES
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BOULDER, Colorado (KCNC) — All of the athletes on the Buffaloes football roster want to shine in the spotlight, but Coach Deion Sanders says there’s a reason why players like Travis Hunter are usually the ones who end up making the big plays.
“He has a feel for the game and a knack for making big play because he’s always in position,” said Sanders on this week’s “Coach Prime’s Playbook with Romi Bean” when he was asked about the two-way player.
“See, a lot of people — they want to make the big play. But if you’re not in the position to make the big play (it won’t happen).”
Hunter had two interceptions in last Saturday’s loss to UCLA, including one where he made an acrobatic catch.
“He had two interceptions but he would’ve had three had we not tipped one of the balls back in the endzone. Because the quarterback didn’t even see him,” said Sanders on the CBS Colorado show, which airs on Wednesdays at 6:30 p.m.
“The kid is a phenomenal player. I never worry about whether he’s going to show up to play.”
Executing on highlight-reel defensive plays is in Hunter’s wheelhouse because in addition to being a cornerback, he’s also a stellar wide receiver with great hands.
Hunter was considered the top-ranked recruit in the country coming out of high school. After Coach Prime took the reins at Jackson State before coming to Boulder, Hunter switched his college commitment from Florida State to play with Sanders. And now he has followed Sanders to Colorado and is playing on both’s CU’s offensive and defensive snaps.
Bean asked Sanders if he thinks Hunter could play both defense and offense as a pro, like his coach did at times in his NFL playing days.
“When you look at Travis — and everybody wonders every week — is he going to play DB or wide receiver in the NFL?” Bean asked Sanders. “Do you think there’s still a place to play both?”
“Yeah. I think any organization that drafts him would be idiotic not to give him an opportunity to play on both sides of the ball. Because he has value. We all talk about adding value — he adds value to both sides of the ball. He don’t have to play both ways the entire game, but you’ve got to have packages on offense and defense (that include him),” said Sanders.
The Buffaloes are getting ready to host the No. 16 ranked Oregon State Beavers this weekend at Folsom Field. The Beavers are 6-2 and one win away from a winning season.
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