Travis Hunter Jr. (born May 18, 2003) is an American professional

football Football is a family of team sports that involve, to varying degrees, kick (football), kicking a football (ball), ball to score a goal (sports), goal. Unqualified, football (word), the word ''football'' generally means the form of football t ...

cornerback A cornerback (CB) is a member of the defensive backfield or secondary in gridiron football. Cornerbacks cover Wide receiver, receivers most of the time, but also blitz and defend against such Play from scrimmage, offensive running plays as sweep ...

and

wide receiver A wide receiver (WR), also referred to as a wideout, and historically known as a split end (SE) or flanker (FL), is an eligible receiver in gridiron football. A key skill position of the offense (American football), offense, WR gets its name ...

for the

Jacksonville Jaguars The Jacksonville Jaguars are a professional American football team based in Jacksonville, Florida. The Jaguars compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the American Football Conference (AFC) AFC South, South division. The team ...

of the

National Football League The National Football League (NFL) is a Professional gridiron football, professional American football league in the United States. Composed of 32 teams, it is divided equally between the American Football Conference (AFC) and the National ...

(NFL). He played

college football College football is gridiron football that is played by teams of amateur Student athlete, student-athletes at universities and colleges. It was through collegiate competition that gridiron football American football in the United States, firs ...

for the Jackson State Tigers and

Colorado Buffaloes The Colorado Buffaloes are the athletic teams that represent the University of Colorado Boulder. The university sponsors 16 varsity sports teams. Both the men's and women's teams are called the Buffaloes (Buffs for short) or, rarely, the Golden ...

, winning the

Heisman Trophy The Heisman Memorial Trophy ( ; also known simply as the Heisman) is awarded annually since 1935 to the top player in college football. It is considered the most prestigious award in the sport and is presented by the Heisman Trophy Trust followin ...

with the latter in 2024. Known for his two-way playing ability, Hunter is the only player in college football history to win both the

Chuck Bednarik Charles Philip Bednarik (May 1, 1925 – March 21, 2015), nicknamed "Concrete Charlie", was an American professional football linebacker and center who played in the National Football League (NFL). He played college football for the Penn Quak ...

and

Fred Biletnikoff Award The Fred Biletnikoff Award is presented annually to the most outstanding receiver in American college football by the Tallahassee Quarterback Club Foundation, Inc. (TQCF), an independent not-for-profit 501(c)(3) organization. The award was creat ...

s. He was selected by the Jaguars second overall in the

2025 NFL draft The 2025 NFL draft was the 90th annual meeting of National Football League (NFL) franchises to select newly eligible players. The draft was held at Lambeau Field and its adjacent Titletown District in Green Bay, Wisconsin, on April 24–26, 2025 ...

Early life

Hunter was born on May 18, 2003, in

West Palm Beach, Florida West Palm Beach is a city in and the county seat of Palm Beach County, Florida, United States. It is located immediately to the west of the adjacent Palm Beach, Florida, Palm Beach, which is situated on a barrier island across the Lake Worth Lag ...

where he was raised until later moving to

Atlanta, Georgia Atlanta ( ) is the List of capitals in the United States, capital and List of municipalities in Georgia (U.S. state), most populous city in the U.S. state of Georgia (U.S. state), Georgia. It is the county seat, seat of Fulton County, Georg ...

near the end of his eighth grade year. He would live with Frontia Fountain, an assistant football coach at Collins Hill High School in

Suwanee, Georgia Suwanee is a city in Gwinnett County and a part of the Atlanta metropolitan area in the U.S. state of Georgia. As of the 2010 census, the population was 15,355; this had grown to an estimated 20,907 as of 2019. In 2020, its population was 20 ...

, for two years while playing

and

for the Collins Hill Eagles. As a sophomore, Hunter led

Gwinnett County Gwinnett County ( ) is located in the north central portion of the U.S. state of Georgia. It forms part of the Atlanta metropolitan area, being located about northeast of Atlanta city limits. In 2020, the population was 957,062, making it the ...

with seven interceptions, also recording 49 receptions for 919 yards and 12 touchdowns on offense. As a junior, Hunter had eight interceptions and 51 tackles, in addition to catching 137 passes for 1,746 yards and 24 touchdowns. He earned the

MaxPreps MaxPreps is an American website that specializes in coverage of American high school sports. The site is currently owned by PlayOn. Founded on August 1, 2002, the company has covered up to 29 sports, including boys, girls, and co-ed sports. ...

Georgia Player of the Year award. He also set Gwinnett County single-season records in receptions, receiving yards and receiving touchdowns, leading the Eagles to a 12–3 record and an appearance in the Class 7A state championship game. As a senior, Hunter recorded 76 receptions for 1,128 yards and 10 touchdowns on offense, and 23 tackles, four interceptions and a forced fumble on defense, despite missing five games due to an ankle injury. In the state championship game, Hunter had 10 catches for 153 yards and a touchdown, as well as a forced fumble to cap off a perfect 15–0 record and Collins Hill's first state title in school history. In his final high school game, Hunter had 10 catches for 178 yards and two touchdowns in a 40–36 defeat to Washington state champions Graham-Kapowsin in the GEICO State Championship Bowl Series. He also broke the Georgia state record in career receiving touchdowns with 48, previously held by Braxton Hicks. Hunter played in the 2022 Polynesian Bowl, where he won the offensive MVP honors after recording five receptions for 54 yards.

College career

Hunter was considered the number one overall ranked recruit by

247Sports 247Sports is an American network of websites that focus mainly on college recruiting, athletic recruitment in college football and college basketball, basketball. It is owned and operated by Paramount Global, Paramount. The website hosts a large ...

and

Rivals A rivalry is the state of two people or Social group, groups engaging in a lasting competitive relationship. Rivalry is the "against each other" spirit between two competing sides. The relationship itself may also be called "a rivalry", and each ...

, as well as number two by

ESPN ESPN (an initialism of their original name, which was the Entertainment and Sports Programming Network) is an American international basic cable sports channel owned by the Walt Disney Company (80% and operational control) and Hearst Commu ...

(behind Walter Nolen). After receiving a scholarship from

Florida State Florida State University (FSU or Florida State) is a Public university, public research university in Tallahassee, Florida, United States. It is a senior member of the State University System of Florida and a preeminent university in the s ...

, he committed to the Seminoles on March 3, 2020 (one day after making his first visit to the school). On December 15, 2021, Hunter flipped his commitment to the Jackson State Tigers coached by

Deion Sanders Deion Luwynn Sanders Sr. (born August 9, 1967) is an American American football, football coach with the Colorado Buffaloes football, Colorado Buffaloes. Sanders is also a former professional football and baseball player, having played in the N ...

. Hunter became the first five-star recruit to sign with an

HBCU Historically Black colleges and universities (HBCUs) are institutions of higher education in the United States that were established before the Civil Rights Act of 1964 with the intention of serving African Americans. Most are in the Southern U ...

or FCS school, with the move being cited among the most surprising signings in college football recruiting history.

Jackson State (2022)

Hunter recorded two receiving touchdowns and two interceptions in the Jackson State

spring game An exhibition game (also known as a friendly, scrimmage, demonstration, training match, pre-season game, warmup match, or preparation match, depending at least in part on the sport) is a sporting event whose prize money and impact on the playe ...

, which was the first HBCU spring game to ever be nationally televised. Hunter made his collegiate debut in week 1 against Florida A&M, but did not record any statistics. In the win, Hunter sustained an undisclosed injury that kept him out five games. Hunter returned in week 7 victory against Campbell where he had four receptions for 24 yards. In week 10, Hunter recorded his first collegiate touchdown as well as his first interception against Alabama A&M. In week 11, Hunter had two receptions for a season high 49 yards and one touchdown against

Alcorn State Alcorn State University (Alcorn State, ASU or Alcorn) is a public historically black land-grant university adjacent to Lorman, Mississippi. It was founded in 1871 and was the first black land grant college established in the United States. T ...

. He also recorded an interception for the second consecutive week. In the 2022 Celebration Bowl, Hunter had four receptions for 47 yards and two touchdowns. As a freshman, Hunter accumulated 19 total tackles, eight pass breakups, two interceptions, one fumble recovery and one defensive touchdown in seven games played. On offense, he added 18 receptions for 188 yards and four touchdowns.

Colorado (2023–2024)

Hunter transferred to the

University of Colorado Boulder The University of Colorado Boulder (CU Boulder, CU, or Colorado) is a public research university in Boulder, Colorado, United States. Founded in 1876, five months before Colorado became a state, it is the flagship university of the University o ...

in 2023, following Jackson State head coach

. In his FBS debut, Hunter played 147 total snaps across offense and defense in a 45–42 upset win over the

TCU Horned Frogs The TCU Horned Frogs are the athletic teams that represent Texas Christian University. The 18 varsity teams participate in National Collegiate Athletic Association, NCAA Division I and in the Football Bowl Subdivision (FBS) for football, competi ...

. In the win, Hunter had 11 receptions for 119 yards and three tackles with an interception on defense. In week 3, Hunter sustained an injury during Colorado's overtime victory over

rival A rivalry is the state of two people or Social group, groups engaging in a lasting competitive relationship. Rivalry is the "against each other" spirit between two competing sides. The relationship itself may also be called "a rivalry", and each ...

Colorado State, which sidelined him for the next three games. Hunter returned from injury week 7 against

Stanford Leland Stanford Junior University, commonly referred to as Stanford University, is a private research university in Stanford, California, United States. It was founded in 1885 by railroad magnate Leland Stanford (the eighth governor of and th ...

where he hauled in a season high 13 catches for 140 yards and two touchdowns. In week 8, Hunter caught two interceptions against number 23 ranked

UCLA The University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA) is a public land-grant research university in Los Angeles, California, United States. Its academic roots were established in 1881 as a normal school then known as the southern branch of the C ...

. In week 9, Hunter had eight catches for 98 yards and a score against number 16 ranked Oregon State. In week 11, Hunter had four receptions for 82 yards and one touchdown against

Washington State Washington, officially the State of Washington, is a state in the Pacific Northwest region of the United States. It is often referred to as Washington State to distinguish it from the national capital, both named after George Washington ...

. In the season finale, Hunter caught eight passes for 107 yards and a touchdown against

Utah Utah is a landlocked state in the Mountain states, Mountain West subregion of the Western United States. It is one of the Four Corners states, sharing a border with Arizona, Colorado, and New Mexico. It also borders Wyoming to the northea ...

. On the season, Hunter hauled in 57 receptions for 721 yards and five touchdowns. On defense, he recorded three interceptions and 30 tackles. He totaled 1,036 snaps including 437 on offense, 568 on defense and 31 on special teams, averaging 115.1 per game. He was named a 2023 Consensus All-American and second-team All-PAC-12. Hunter was also named recipient of the

Paul Hornung Award The Paul Hornung Award is a college football award that was created in January 2010 by the Louisville Sports Commission in Louisville, Kentucky, with the support of Paul Hornung, a member of the College Football Hall of Fame and the Pro Football ...

. To open the 2024 season, Hunter had seven receptions for 132 yards and three touchdowns in the win over North Dakota State. In the September 7 game, Colorado was beaten 28–10 by

Nebraska Nebraska ( ) is a landlocked U.S. state, state in the Midwestern United States, Midwestern region of the United States. It borders South Dakota to the north; Iowa to the east and Missouri to the southeast, both across the Missouri River; Ka ...

. Hunter significantly impacted the offense with 10 catches for 110 yards, but he faced criticism for his lack of effort on the Cornhuskers' first score of the game. In the September 21 game against Baylor, Hunter made the game-winning forced fumble at the goal line in a 38–31 overtime thriller. After finishing the regular season playing nearly 1,400 scrimmage snaps on offense and defense, 382 more than any other player in the country, Hunter won the

. He was the Colorado Buffaloes second-ever Heisman winner, the first being Rashaan Salaam in 1994. He was also only the second-ever defensive player to win the award, following

Charles Woodson Charles Cameron Woodson (born October 7, 1976) is an American former professional football player who played in the National Football League (NFL) for 18 seasons with the Oakland Raiders and Green Bay Packers. He spent his first 14 seasons as ...

in 1997. In addition, Hunter was the first player in college football history to win both the

Chuck Bednarik Award The Chuck Bednarik Award is presented annually to the defensive player of the year in college football as judged by the Maxwell Football Club to be the best in the United States. The award is named for Chuck Bednarik, a former college and profess ...

, as the nation's top defensive player, and the

, as the nation's best wide receiver.

Statistics

Professional career

Hunter was selected second overall in the

by the

in a trade involving the

Cleveland Browns The Cleveland Browns are a professional American football team based in Cleveland. The Browns compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the American Football Conference (AFC) AFC North, North division. The team is named after ...

Awards and highlights

College

Awards and honors * #12 retired by Colorado (2025) *

(

2024 The year saw the list of ongoing armed conflicts, continuation of major armed conflicts, including the Russian invasion of Ukraine, the Myanmar civil war (2021–present), Myanmar civil war, the Sudanese civil war (2023–present), Sudane ...

) *

Walter Camp Award The Walter Camp Player of the Year Award is given annually to the collegiate American football player of the year, as decided by a group of National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) Division I FBS head coaches and sports information direc ...

(2024) *

AP College Football Player of the Year The AP College Football Player of the Year award has been awarded annually since 1998 to the most outstanding collegiate football player in the country. The winner is chosen by a vote of Associated Press (AP) sportswriters and editors. Since 2004, ...

(2024) * ''SN'' College Football Player of the Year (2024) *

(2024) *

Lott Trophy The Lott IMPACT Trophy is presented annually to a defensive college football player of the year for their personal character and athletic abilities. IMPACT is an acronym for: Integrity, Maturity, Performance, Academics, Community, and Tenacity. T ...

(2024) * Academic FBS All-American of the Year (2024) * 2×

(2023, 2024) *

Unanimous All-American The College Football All-America Team is an honorific college football all-star team compiled after each NCAA Division I Football Bowl Subdivision (FBS) season to recognize that season's most outstanding performers at their respective positions. ...

(

) * Consensus All-American (

2023 Catastrophic natural disasters in 2023 included the Lists of 21st-century earthquakes, 5th-deadliest earthquake of the 21st century 2023 Turkey–Syria earthquakes, striking Turkey and Syria, leaving up to 62,000 people dead; Cyclone Freddy ...

) * 2×

Academic All-American An academy ( Attic Greek: Ἀκαδήμεια; Koine Greek Ἀκαδημία) is an institution of tertiary education. The name traces back to Plato's school of philosophy, founded approximately 386 BC at Akademia, a sanctuary of Athena, the ...

(2023, 2024) * Big 12 Defensive Player of the Year (2024) * SWAC Freshman of the Year (2022) * 2× first-team All-

Big 12 The Big 12 Conference is a collegiate athletic conference in the United States. It consists of 16 full-member universities (3 private universities and 13 public universities) in the states of Arizona, Colorado, Florida, Iowa, Kansas, Ohio, Okla ...

(

) * First-team All-Pac-12 (

) * Second-team All-Pac-12 (

) * Second-team All-SWAC (2022) * 3× Pac-12 / Big 12 Player of the Week: ** Offensive (2024) ** Defensive (2023, 2024)

Personal life

Hunter's father, Travis Hunter Sr., starred on the football and track teams at Boynton Beach Community High School. He went on to play semipro football in the Florida Football Alliance and the Southern States Football League, winning the latter's Offensive Rookie of the Year award in 2007. Hunter Jr. had NIL deals in college with Greenwood and several of

Michael Strahan Michael Anthony Strahan ( ; born November 21, 1971) is an American television host, journalist, and former professional American football, football player. He played his entire 15-year professional career as a defensive end for the New York Gian ...

's brands. Hunter was one of the cover athletes for '' EA Sports College Football 25'' along with Donovan Edwards and

Quinn Ewers Quinn Tucker Ewers (; born March 15, 2003) is an American professional football quarterback for the Miami Dolphins of the National Football League (NFL). He played college football for the Ohio State Buckeyes and the Texas Longhorns. Ewers was se ...

. He married his high school sweetheart, Leanna Lenee, in May 2025. Hunter has a

Twitch Twitch may refer to: Biology * Muscle contraction ** Convulsion, rapid and repeated muscle contraction and relaxation ** Fasciculation, a small, local, involuntary muscle contraction ** Myoclonic twitch, a jerk usually caused by sudden muscle c ...

channel and shares a

YouTube YouTube is an American social media and online video sharing platform owned by Google. YouTube was founded on February 14, 2005, by Steve Chen, Chad Hurley, and Jawed Karim who were three former employees of PayPal. Headquartered in ...

channel with Leanna.

Notes

References

External links

*
Jacksonville Jaguars profile

Colorado Buffaloes profile

Jackson State Tigers profile
{{DEFAULTSORT:Hunter, Travis 2003 births 21st-century African-American sportsmen All-American college football players American football cornerbacks American football wide receivers Colorado Buffaloes football players Heisman Trophy winners Jackson State Tigers football players Jacksonville Jaguars players Living people Players of American football from Suwanee, Georgia Players of American football from West Palm Beach, Florida Second overall NFL draft picks Walter Camp Award winners