‘Problems down the road’ exist for star Colorado transfer: Analyst

CBS Sports’ Tom Fornelli foresees problems down the road for star Colorado football transfer Travis Hunter due to his usage by the Buffs coaching staff — believing that injury or wearing down by the end of the 2023 season is all too possible.

“He wasn’t considered the No. 1 recruit in the 2022 class and one of the highest-rated recruits of all time by accident,” Fornelli prefaced before saying, “Saturday’s performance was simply the first chance for many in the country to see Hunter in action for the first time.

“And they saw him in a lot of action, which I believe could lead to problems down the road. I don’t care how good Hunter is; I’m skeptical that he can continue to play so many snaps without a heightened risk of injury or, at the very least, wearing himself down for the latter part of the season. When you have a player as talented as he is, I can understand the desire to have him on the field as much as possible and to get the ball in his hands, but there’s a balancing act Sanders, and his coaching staff need to figure out going forward.”

Travis Hunter played himself into the Heisman conversation with Colorado football debut

There was Heisman hype for Hunter entering the 2023 season given what he did at Collins Hill in Suwanee and at Jackson State, but his Colorado football debut ratcheted that up ten-fold. Making legitimate game-changing plays on both sides of the ball, Hunter proved to be the most impactful player for the Buffs not named Shedeur Sanders.

In fact, Sanders may be the biggest roadblock to Hunter’s Heisman case. If CU wins at least nine games, a Buff may very well be in consideration for the award. But by virtue of his position, Sanders has the Heisman edge on Hunter.

But Hunter is right there, assuming his health does hold up over the long-haul. And that’s never the case for a corner. Let alone one who played at the FCS level a season before being considered.