Travis Hunter Says He 'Did a Little Exploring' Before Following Deion Sanders to Colorado

Travis Hunter’s move from Jackson State to Colorado looked like a foregone conclusion in December 2022. Hunter now says it was not quite that simple.

Speaking on the Chasing No. 1 podcast on Oct. 28, the former Colorado two-way star and Jacksonville Jaguars draft pick said he looked around before following Deion Sanders to Boulder, according to EssentiallySports.

“That transfer process was kind of weird,” Hunter said. “At the same time, I had too much respect for Coach Prime, so even going out there and exploring my options just a little bit, I felt like it was kind of disrespectful. Everyone was like, ‘Oh yeah, he’s definitely going to Colorado; he’s definitely going to Deion,’ and stuff like that. But I also did a little exploring.”

Hunter did not say which other schools, if any, he seriously considered.

What did Travis Hunter say about Deion Sanders?

Hunter credited Sanders with changing the direction of his career long before Colorado. He was the No. 1 recruit in the 2022 class and committed to Florida State, then flipped to Sanders’ Jackson State program on Signing Day in December 2021.

“He came and got me to not go to Florida State and changed my mindset and changed the picture of everything,” Hunter said on the podcast. “He really changed my life, for real.”

He also said money was not what drove the decision. “I didn’t care about the money,” Hunter said. “I wanted to know if I could play both sides of the ball. That’s the only question I had for him.”

How the 2022 transfer actually played out

The new comments line up with what Hunter said at the time. When he entered the transfer portal after Jackson State’s Celebration Bowl loss, he told viewers on his YouTube channel that he was not rushing, according to On3. “Yes everyone wants me to follow Coach Prime and I want to follow Coach Prime too, but I need to know if it’s a fit for me,” he said then. “If it’s not, I’m not going to go.”

Sanders had already accepted the Colorado job. On Dec. 21, 2022, Hunter announced he was transferring to Colorado. “I committed to Coach Prime at Jackson State when he was there, and I want to honor my commitment and stay with him,” he said, as reported by USA Today.

Why it worked out

Sanders let Hunter play both receiver and cornerback, first at Jackson State and then at Colorado. EssentiallySports noted that Hunter won the Heisman Trophy after the 2024 season, the first Colorado player to do so since Rashaan Salaam in 1994. Jacksonville then traded up to select him No. 2 overall in the 2025 NFL Draft.

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