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Travis Hunter Has Simple Answer When Teams Ask About Being a Two-Way Player in NFL

Tim Capurso

Hunter Jr. laughs on the sidelines during a basketball game.
Hunter Jr. laughs on the sidelines during a basketball game. / Jerome Miron-Imagn Images
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Travis Hunter is different.

The reigning Heisman Trophy winner who starred at both wide receiver and cornerback for the Jackson State Tigers and Colorado Buffaloes in three seasons of college football, is aiming to choose the path less followed and continue to be a two-way player in the NFL.

Speaking to reporters at the NFL Scouting Combine at Lucas Oil Stadium in Indianapolis on Thursday, Hunter, when asked what he tells teams who say that no one has ever played both sides full-time, said he has a simple reply.

"They say, 'Nobody has ever done it the way I do it,' " Hunter said. "I tell them, 'I'm just different. I'm a different person.' "

In 12 games played, excluding Colorado's bowl game, during his Heisman Trophy-winning season for the Buffaloes, Hunter played 709 snaps on offense and 713 on defense, averaging 118 snaps played per game, according to Pro Football Focus.

Hunter told reporters that he's been telling teams in meetings at the combine that he'd like to play "100 percent" of the snaps on both sides of the ball, but added that he knows the decision will be up to the organization.

"That's not my job to figure it out," Hunter said. "I'd like to play both sides of the ball. If they give me the opportunity to play both sides of the ball, I'm going to play both sides."

Among the most notable two-way players to suit up in the NFL were the likes of Pro Football Hall of Famers Don Hutson, Sammy Baugh, Chuck Bednarik, and, more recently, Deion Sanders. Sanders, Hunter's former coach, who starred at wide receiver and cornerback while also returning kicks and punts during his 14-year career in the league, is perhaps the most apt comparison for Hunter.

Hunter, a projected top pick, also has his eyes on being the top selection in April's NFL draft.

"Super important," Hunter said when asked how important it is to him to be selected first overall. "That was one of my dreams to go number one and to be the best I can be."

The first round of the 2025 NFL draft is on April 24.

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Tim Capurso
TIM CAPURSO

Tim Capurso is a staff writer on the Breaking and Trending News team at Sports Illustrated. Prior to joining SI in November 2023, he wrote for RotoBaller and ClutchPoints, where he was the lead editor for MLB, college football and NFL coverage. A lifelong Yankees and Giants fan, Capurso grew up just outside New York City and now lives near Philadelphia. When he's not writing, he enjoys reading, exercising and spending time with his family, including his three-legged cat Willow, who, unfortunately, is an Eagles fan.

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