Colorado needs chaos during rivalry weekend to reach the Big 12 Championship Game and a victory in Friday’s matchup with Oklahoma State, but this isn’t the last college football fans have seen of stars Travis Hunter and Shedeur Sanders according to Buffaloes coach Deion Sanders. Hunter, the frontrunner to win this season’s Heisman, recorded an interception and a touchdown reception in the first quarter as Colorado built a three-touchdown lead, sparking conversation on his pending postseason decision.
Colorado squandered its opportunity to be in control of its own College Football Playoff destiny with last week’s loss at Kansas. With many star players across the sport expected to opt-out for bowl season, Colorado’s star duo is expected to play.
“No, it’s not the last time you’re gonna see them in a Buff uniform,” Deion Sanders said this week before the Buffaloes’ game against the Cowboys. “We’re gonna go to a bowl game and end this thing on the right note.”
Colorado needs to beat Oklahoma State and have two of three teams — BYU, Arizona State and Iowa State — lose on Saturday to play in the Big 12 title game.
As projected first-round selections in the 2025 NFL Draft, Shedeur Sanders and Hunter have both said they plan to turn pro after the season. There’s a growing belief that Deion Sanders may dictate — or at least make that attempt — where his son and Hunter land next spring after comments made before the season.
Sanders predicted Shedeur Sanders and Hunter would go “top four” in next year’s cycle and said the situations matter in terms of career advancement and development. The star duo from the Buffaloes are up against Miami’s Cam Ward, Michigan’s Will Johnson and others for top billing.
Asked recently by former NFL wideout Chad Johnson if Hunter was more dynamic at wideout or cornerback, Deion Sanders told him to determine his own designation.
“I ain’t telling ya nothing,” Sanders told Johnson and Shannon Sharpe on the “Nightcap” podcast. “I’m treating you like a pro scout. You’re gonna have to find out on your own. I know the answer.”
Sanders’ response reflected his intention to let Hunter’s versatility and performance on the field speak for itself. He acknowledged that while Hunter has had more opportunities to shine as a wideout, that doesn’t necessarily mean his skillset as a cornerback is lacking.
RELATED: Updated playoff predictions, bowl projections in Week 14
Before recording a touchdown reception and interception earlier this season at UCF, Hunter wore a black T-shirt with “BLAND” across the front in white letters, an ode to previous comments made by former NFL cornerback Richard Sherman this fall. Sherman, a five-time Pro Bowler in the secondary, believes Hunter is better-suited on defense and called his abilities “bland” on offense.
