“Your boy officially a Buffalo,” Travis Hunter exclaimed, after his YouTube channel reached 100,000 subscribers on Wednesday night in what amounted to master class in salesmanship.
That’s the kind of gravity that new head coach Deion Sanders has brought to the University of Colorado, as the former top recruit in the country – and one who turned down offers from blue-blood programs like Alabama, Clemson, Florida, Georgia, Michigan, Oklahoma and many others – joins his former Jackson State head coach in making the trek to Boulder. He’s not likely to be the last, as the Buffaloes’ moribund football program has been instantly resurrected in Sanders’ larger-than-life image. On Wednesday, Sanders landed 14 high-school recruits and 10 transfers, including his son – quarterback Shedeur, who he introduced as “QB1” at his first press conference in Boulder – and Hunter.
In Saturday’s 41-34 overtime loss to North Carolina Central in the Celebration Bowl, Hunter had the best game of his young collegiate career, catching four passes for 47 yards and two touchdowns from Shedeur, including a final-play, 19-yard touchdown catch to send the the game to overtime.
“At the end of the day, I committed to ‘Coach Prime’ at Jackson State when he was there, and I want to honor my commitment and stay with him. I’ve got to stay with my dawg,” Hunter explained. “Shout out to ‘Coach Prime’ for honoring what he said he was going to do: he’s going to develop me, like he said he was going to do. I felt like I learned a lot with him at Jackson State, so I’m going to stick with him.”
Hunter easily becomes the most significant transfer in program history, and might be the most notable recruit that the Buffaloes have ever had, as the freshman cornerback-slash-wide receiver finished the season with 20 tackles, a fumble recovery, two interceptions and 10 pass breakups on defense, along with 18 catches for 190 yards and four touchdowns on offense despite playing only eight games last season due to injuries.
“I’m going to continue to grind, continue to show love, continue to put the work in, so I can get to the next level,” Hunter said. “I’m going to be playing in the black and gold… most of you probably thought I was going with him [coach Sanders], and I am going with him. Yeah, I’m staying.”
After pulling his snappy new Buffaloes cap down a little tighter, Hunter’s sign-off echoed the sound made by long-suffering alumni all along the Rocky Mountains.
“’Sko Buffs,” he shouted. “You hear me? ’Sko Buffs!”