Colorado star Travis Hunter is in line to play at Arizona this week after exiting last week’s loss to Kansas State with a shoulder injury, coach Deion Sanders said Tuesday.
“Travis should play for certain on Saturday,” Sanders said.
Hunter appeared to be favoring his right shoulder as he walked to the sideline with 6:14 remaining in the first half of the K-State loss. He went to the locker room with a member of the Buffaloes’ training staff moments later. Though Hunter did return to the sideline in the second half, he never reentered to the game.
The injury marked an interruption to a spectacular beginning to Hunter’s junior season. He was named a CBS Sports Midseason All-America selection on Tuesday at both cornerback and in the “all-purpose” category, and he’s currently ranked the No. 1 overall player in the 2025 CBS Sports NFL Draft Prospect Rankings.
Questions about Hunter’s durability have been a constant for the 185-pound superstar. However, given Sanders’ background as a multi-position and multi-spot star, the second-year Colorado coach has pointed out that he’s uniquely equipped to handle Hunter’s workload. Hunter first played for Sanders at Jackson State in 2022 before following “Coach Prime” to Colorado.
Hunter was off limits for contact in preseason practice, and Sanders has been intentional about limiting his practice reps during the season to allow Hunter time to recover from his heavy game workloads. When he exited Saturday’s game, Hunter had played 44 of the game’s 45 snaps, according to ESPN.
The former No. 1 prospect from the Class of 2022 missed three games in 2023 with a lacerated liver after taking a late hit while playing receiver during Colorado’s Week 3 win over Colorado State. Despite appearing in just nine games, he finished the season with 57 receptions for 721 yards and five touchdowns to go with 30 tackles and three interceptions while earning All-American honors.
In six games this season, he’s made 49 catches for 587 yards and six touchdowns to go with 17 tackles and two interceptions on defense.
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