Shedeur Sanders and Travis Hunter left big footprints in only two seasons on the field at Colorado.
For that, their numbers will be retired on Saturday at the spring game as part of the afternoon’s festivities. Sanders’ No. 2 and Hunter’s No. 12 are set to become the fifth and sixth numbers retired by the football program.
The dynamic tandem join the company of quarterback/halfback Byron White, (No. 24), guard/linebacker Joe Romig (No. 67), quarterback/tailback Bobby Anderson (No. 11 ) and the late tailback Rashaan Salaam (No. 19).
Hunter, who played both wide receiver and cornerback, is coming off a Heisman Trophy campaign. Sanders broke many of the program’s passing records in leading the Colorado offense. Both are expected to be high selections at the NFL draft on April 24.
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They each arrived at Colorado from Jackson State and were instrumental in helping coach Deion Sanders restore the luster to a downtrodden Buffaloes program. After going 4-8 in the first season under Sanders — a season that drew celebrities to the sideline and plenty of national exposure — Colorado finished 9-4 last season and went to the Alamo Bowl.
Hunter concluded his Colorado career with 153 catches for 1,979 yards and 20 TDs (he also had a rushing score). On defense, Hunter finished with seven interceptions, notched 16 pass breakups and forced a fumble. All that with opposing offenses shying away from his side of the field.
He rarely left the field, either. Hunter played in a total 2,625 snaps, which led the FBS in 2023 and ‘24.
It was a bountiful award season for Hunter. In addition to the Heisman, he picked up the Walter Camp Award, his second straight Paul Hornung Award (most versatile player) and the Bednarik Award. He also took home the Lott IMPACT Trophy as national defensive player of the year and the Biletnikoff Award as the top receiver.
Shedeur Sanders left some hardware of his own — the Johnny Unitas award that’s handed to college football’s top QB. He was named the 2024 Big 12 offensive player of the year.
Sanders shattered more than 100 school marks while under center for the Buffaloes, including career passing touchdowns, passer rating and completion percentage. Sanders threw for 7,364 yards and 64 TDs with a 71.8% completion rate in his Colorado career.
Reporting by The Associated Press.
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