After becoming the highest-rated recruit to ever commit out of high school to an HBCU, Travis Hunter lived up to the hype in his lone season at Jackson State before following head coach Deion Sanders to Colorado, where he won the Heisman in his final year.
Here’s what you need to know about Travis Hunter’s college career.
The vitals on Travis Hunter
School: Jackson State/Colorado
Position: Wide receiver/Cornerback
Height: 6-0
Weight: 188 pounds
Years active: 2022-2024
Here are Travis Hunter’s career stats from college:
Offensive stats
YEAR
GAMES
REc
Rec Yds
YPC
Rec TD
Rush TD
2022
(Jackson State)
8
18
188
10.4
4
0
2023
(Colorado)
9
57
721
12.6
5
0
2024
(Colorado)
10
74
911
12.3
9
1
Career
27
149
1,820
12.2
18
1
Defensive stats
Year
Games
Solo
AST
Total Tackles
TFL
INT
PD
FF
FR
2022
(Jackson State)
8
15
5
20
0
2
10
0
1
2023
(Colorado)
9
22
8
30
2
3
8
0
0
2024
(Colorado)
10
16
7
23
1
3
11
1
0
Career
27
53
20
73
3
8
29
1
1
Where did Travis Hunter go to college?
Travis Hunter, a native of Suwanee, Georgia, attended Jackson State out of high school as the highest-rated signee in JSU history. Per 247Sports, Hunter signed with Jackson State with a National Signing Day flip from Florida State, making history as the first-ever five-star high school prospect to sign with an FCS football program. After one year at Jackson State, Sanders transferred to Colorado in 2023, following head coach Deion Sanders.
I BELIEVE @GoJSUTigersFB @barstoolsports @SMAC pic.twitter.com/jYDXU7keWX
— COACH PRIME (@DeionSanders) December 15, 2021
What kind of prospect was Travis Hunter in high school?
Hunter was the No. 1 overall recruit in the country in the class of 2022 as an athlete, playing wide receiver and cornerback. Hunter ranked as the 16th-best all-time recruit ever according to 247Sports.
Hunter stuffed the stat sheet during his high school career at Collins Hill High School. Across 40 games, he caught 272 passes for 3,963 yards and 48 touchdowns, rushing for two touchdowns and passing for three touchdowns. On defense, Hunter had 116 tackles (102 solo), 19 interceptions, 18 pass breakups, four tackles for loss, three fumble recoveries, two forced fumbles and one quarterback hurry.
Hunter set new records for Gwinnett County for receptions, receiving yards, and receiving touchdowns. As a junior, he helped Collins Hill reach the state championship game while being named MaxPreps Georgia Player of the Year. As a senior, he led Collins Hill to a 15-1 record and a state title. After his senior season, Hunter was named the MaxPreps Georgia Player of the Year and the Atlanta Journal-Constitution’s Georgia Player of the Year while receiving multiple All-America Team selections and All-Georgia awards.
What was Travis Hunter’s record in college?
As a freshman at Jackson State, Hunter helped the Tigers to an 11-0 regular season record and a SWAC Championship before losing in the Celebration Bowl.
At Colorado, Hunter revived the Buffaloes from a one-win season before he got there to a 13-12 record across his final two seasons. In his final year, Hunter led Colorado to a nine-win season and a bowl game.
Records set by Travis Hunter
Here are some of the notable records and statistical rankings set by Travis Hunter in college:
1st in Colorado single-season receiving touchdowns (15)
1st in Colorado single-season 100-yard receiving games (8)
1st in Colorado consecutive 100-yard receiving games (5)
1st in Colorado single-game receiving touchdowns (3)
1st in Colorado receptions in a debut (11)
2nd in Colorado single-season receptions (96)
3rd in Colorado single-season receiving yards (1,258)
8th in Colorado career receiving touchdowns (16)
Which awards did Travis Hunter win in college?
Here are the awards and honors Travis Hunter won in college:
Heisman Trophy winner (2024)
Biletnikoff Award (2024)
Paul Hornung Award (2024)
Bednarik Award (2024)
Lott IMPACT Trophy winner (2024)
Walter Camp Trophy winner (2024)
AP National Player of the Year (2024)
Sporting News National Player of the Year (2024)
Academic All-American of the Year (2024)
Big 12 Defensive Player of the Year (2024)
Inaugural Emerging GOAT Award by the Muhammad Ali Museum (2024)
Maxwell Award finalist (2024)
Thorpe Award semifinalist (2024)
First-Team Academic All-American (2024)
First-Team All-American wide receiver by The Sporting News, Walter Camp, Sports Illustrated (2024)
First-team All-American cornerback by AP, Walter Camp, CBS, College Football Network, Sports Illustrated, Pro Football Focus, USA Today (2024)
Second-Team All-American wide receiver by AP, USA Today, CBS, College Football Network (2024)
All-Colorado Defensive Player of the Year (2024)
First-team All-Colorado at both wide receiver and cornerback (2024)
Honorable Mention Big 12 Offensive Player of the Year (2024)
First team All-Big 12 at cornerback, wide receiver and all-purpose (2024)
Paul Hornung Award (2023)
Consensus First-Team All-American by FWAA, AP, Sporting News, AFCA (2023)
Consensus First-Team Academic All-American (2023)
First-Team All-Pac-12 defensive back by coaches (2023)
Second-Team All-Pac-12 all-purpose by coaches (2023)
First-Team All-Pac-12 all-purpose by AP (2023)
Second-Team All-Pac-12 defensive back by AP (2023)
Pac-12 Academic Honor Roll (2023)
All-NFF Colorado Academic Team (2023)
Lott IMPACT Trophy quarterfinalist (2023)
Jim Thorpe Award semifinalist (2023)
Jerry Rice Award finalist (2022)
SWAC Freshman of the Year (2022)
Second-team All-SWAC by Phil Steele (2022)
See more Travis Hunter highlights below
Stan Becton joined NCAA.com in 2021 and has since served as a college football, FCS football, track and field, cross country and HBCU beat reporter. He has covered numerous NCAA championship events, including the FCS Championship, DI Track & Field Championships and Men’s Frozen Four. Additionally, he has covered the College Football Playoff and HBCU sporting events like the Celebration Bowl, MEAC/SWAC Challenge and Legacy Classic. Stan graduated from Carnegie Mellon University, earning a degree in Professional Writing and playing football as a five-year letterman. You can follow him on Twitter @stan_becton.
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