Two-Way College Star Travis Hunter Shows What It Means To Always Be In The Game
In one of the rare moments when he was not on the field against the University of Central Florida Knights on Saturday, Travis Hunter, a two-way star for the Colorado Buffaloes, stood on the sidelines. But in that moment, he wasn’t taking a well-earned break. He wasn’t racing to the Gatorade tank. No, television cameras caught Travis standing on the sidelines… counting the number of his teammates on the field during a special teams play to make sure they didn’t draw a penalty.
“That’s him,” Colrado Coach Deion Sanders texted in response to a question from Forbes. “He is present even when he isn’t present.”
Most players in Hunter’s situation would be sitting on the bench or laughing with teammates as Colorado crushed UCF in Orlando 48-21. Hunter certainly has earned the rest. He’s averaging an otherworldly 130 snaps on both sides of the ball as he continues to excel on both offense and defense. Besides snatching his second interception of the year, Hunter proved himself a threat as a wide receiver, going for 79 yards and catching a touchdown.
The buzz around Hunter is so substantial that he’s already considered one of the handful of Heisman contenders this season. If he wins the coveted prize—and he struck the iconic Heisman pose when he intercepted the ball on Saturday—Hunter would be the only defensive player to win the award besides legendary safety Charles Woodson.
Hunter is also drawing the attention of NFL experts. “He has been No. 1 on my Big Board all season, and he’s not going anywhere,” ESPN draft analyst Mel Kiper recently wrote. “The hand-eye coordination, ball skills, and quickness are all outstanding.”
Kiper also pointed to Hunter’s focus and determination as reasons why he considers the Colorado star the best prospect in college football.
“The way he thinks about the game continues to catch my attention,” Kiper noted. “This is a guy who has played essentially the entire game every week, yet he’s still so plugged in that he’s out there counting how many guys are on the field on punt plays.”
Hunter has learned much from “Coach Prime” Deion Sanders, one of the best two-way threats in football history during his hall-of-fame college and NFL careers. While best known for his work on the gridiron, Sanders was also a fine outfielder who played in the Major League for over a decade. He is the only athlete to ever win both a World Series and a Super Bowl.
Sanders said he will continue to let Hunter play on both sides of the ball, explaining his reasons for allowing him so many snaps.
“Every week, we’ve got a ton of scouts coming to practice, and they ask me that question: what do you think he is? I say I’ll tell you what, if you put him on defense and don’t let him play offense in the pros, you’re going to look crazy because you’re not moving the ball down the field, and you’re best receiver is over there on the defensive side of the ball. The fans are going to start booing, and they’re going to say put Travis in,” Sanders told the media.
“Now if you put it vice versa and okay, now he’s on offense, and he’s lighting it up and your cornerback is getting killed but you got him over there sitting on the bench, and your best corner is sitting over there waiting for the offense to get a turn and you’re getting murdered out there, you’re going to look like a fool as a head coach,” he added. “So you’ve got to allow him to be who he is.”
Part of letting Hunter be who he is comes down to his constant focus on his team, something many of us in the corporate world can appreciate. Dan Sullivan, an expert on entrepreneurship and leadership who founded The Strategic Coach, shared insights on how bringing Hunter-like focus to our work and our teams can help us achieve success on many levels.
“When we’re fully attentive, we use our capabilities in the best possible way. At these times, we’re at our most skillful, our most strategic, and our most useful,” Sullivan wrote. “And it isn’t only the eventual success that leaves us feeling rewarded. It’s also that being fully conscious and attentive while we do the work makes the activity extremely enjoyable.”
Sullivan found that increased focus and attention lead to our skills expanding, higher self-regard, better decision-making, and increased confidence. He also discovered that increased focus makes us more valued members of our teams.
“You know from your most memorable experiences that opportunities to be uniquely useful to others always focus your attention more than anything else does,” Sullivan wrote. “Whenever you do this, you feel enormously rewarded, regardless of whether you’re acknowledged by those benefiting from your help. The activity itself is greatly rewarding.”
Hunter certainly does that, even when he is standing on the sidelines and helping make sure his team doesn’t get penalized for having too many men on the field.
“Coach Prime” talked to the media after the UCF game about what makes Hunter such a special player, even as he tries to give him more rest during the week.
“You don’t get tired doing what you’re gifted and blessed to do,” Sanders said. “The kid don’t tire. Now, we give him Sundays, Mondays, and Tuesdays off, so he starts working on Wednesdays so he can get his rest. If anybody’s got a problem with it, do what he does, and I’ll give you the days off too.”