Travis Hunter's goal is to be better than his head coach at Colorado, Deion Sanders. During an appearance on SportsCenter hours before the 2024 Heisman Trophy ceremony, Hunter opened up on his goals and how an injury during the 2023 season hindered them.
"I just want to be better than (Coach Prime). So, me getting hurt last year was a little setback for my stat sheet and how my career went last year. So, I definitely wanted to be better than him and do things that he hasn't done but do it better. So, just looking ahead and saying, 'I can do that and can go out there and dominate.' That just makes me want to do it even more when I'm healthy. So, when I was healthy this season, I did all I can show and hopefully there's more in store, which is more in store, but I'm going to keep dominating as much as I can to be better than my coach," Hunter said (h/t Bleacher Report).
Hunter was taken out of the 2023 Rocky Mountain Showdown via a dirty hit from CSU DB Henry Blackburn. He missed matchups against Oregon, USC, and ASU before returning to Stanford at perhaps the lowest point of Boulder's "Prime Time" era. Getting to be tested by Bo Nix and Caleb Williams would've been nice before his NFL career.
Regardless, Hunter has turned it around and could become somewhat of a mildly shocking Heisman winner. Before the season, his odds were long due to the uncertainty of CU's record. Now, sportsbooks fear Hunter bettors will be wrecking their profits.
Hunter's journey from Jackson, Mississippi to New York City is an all-timer. The NFL gets to write his next chapter after a farewell to Colorado in the Alamo Bowl against BYU.