Travis Hunter, Shedeur Sanders and Deion Sanders are each writing new chapters

JACKSONVILLE, Fla. — Sunday offered a mixed bag of results for Jacksonville Jaguars rookie Travis Hunter.

The day began on a spiritual high at Celebration Church in Jacksonville when Hunter was baptized before the Jaguars’ 20-12 loss to the Seattle Seahawks. Video of the ceremony went viral, and after Sunday’s game Hunter told reporters why he chose this particular day to get baptized.

“It’s Sunday, it’s God’s day,” Hunter said. “I’ve been planning to go get baptized for a minute. I changed my life to become a better man.”

The baptism is a fitting metaphor for the 22-year-old, who is experiencing a new phase of life on and off the field. Off the field, Hunter and his wife welcomed a baby boy in August. On the field, the 2024 Heisman Trophy winner is making a dramatic transition to the NFL as a full-time, two-way player.

The experience has been a baptism by fire.

Ever since his arrival in Jacksonville, there has been a consistent undercurrent of debate and criticism about whether he should play offense or defense. He has said that he would rather quit football than give up being a two-way player.

On Oct. 6, in a Monday Night Football game against the Kansas City Chiefs, Hunter had his best game as a pro, taking 39 snaps on offense, gaining 64 receiving yards (including a 44-yard catch). He also turned in a strong defensive performance, helping make a key stop on third down and participating in 19 snaps.

But life in the NFL is a rollercoaster. After the high of that game against Kansas City and the spiritual high of being baptized on Sunday, Hunter and the Jaguars fell flat on their faces against Seattle. Hunter was targeted seven times and caught three passes. His 14-yard first quarter catch set up Jacksonville’s first touchdown.

But Hunter also blundered. A 54-yard touchdown pass was called back because he lined up offside.

A large part of Hunter’s baptism by fire is accountability.

“I’ve just got to do better,” he told reporters. “I thought I checked with the ref, and he gave me the thumbs-up; that’s on me.”

He also dropped a sure first-down pass.

“I’ve just got to be in the right spot for [Jaguars quarterback] Trevor [Lawrence],” Hunter said. “He was thinking I was going to come faster than I did, which I should have. That was on me.”

My fascination with Hunter is a carryover from his days with the University of Colorado and actually goes back to Jackson State, where he, Deion Sanders and Shedeur Sanders shook up the world of college football.

I tend to evaluate them as a unit. Coach Prime, Shedeur Sanders and Hunter were the magic triangle of college football. They put a spotlight on historically Black colleges at Jackson State. They then moved to Colorado, where they shook up the landscape of college athletics by highlighting the new athlete economy in the era of Name, Image and Likeness (NIL).

They were a rejuvenating force. They rejuvenated Jackson State, then rejuvenated Colorado’s moribund program as well. Hunter is part of a renewal in Jacksonville, where the Jaguars are off to a 4-2 start.

Shedeur Sanders and Hunter are no longer part of the Colorado program, but their trajectory remains part of the Coach Prime legacy. I remain fascinated by the chapters they have yet to write, and the questions that emerged in the wake of their high-profile tenure in Boulder:

• How would they do separately?
• Would Coach Prime be committed to Colorado after his son and Hunter left the program?
• Would he prove that he was a seriously committed coach and not just a symbol of the triumph of style over substance?
• How would Shedeur Sanders perform away from the protective handling of a father who had coached him since pee wee football?
• Finally, could Hunter continue to be a two-way player in the NFL?

Their scorecards are incomplete.

On Saturday, Deion Sanders led Colorado to an upset victory over No. 22 Iowa State. The victory marked the first time since 2023 that Colorado under Sanders had beaten a ranked opponent.

The University extended Coach Prime’s contract through 2029. Additionally, health issues have humanized Sanders beyond the hype. In July, he revealed that he had bladder cancer and underwent surgery to remove his bladder. Recently, he revealed that blood clots had returned, and it became clear that he was coaching in pain. He has demonstrated a commitment that went beyond Shedeur and Hunter.

Shedeur Sanders has been humbled. There was a media firestorm when he was selected in the fifth round of the 2025 NFL draft by the Cleveland Browns, who drafted another quarterback, Dillon Gabriel, ahead of him in the third round. He spent the first five games of the season as the third-string quarterback behind Joe Flacco and Gabriel. He saw Gabriel get promoted to starter after Flacco was benched.

Then, in a sudden change of fortune, the Browns traded Flacco to Cincinnati and Shedeur Sanders was named QB2. The Browns were walloped 23-9 by the Pittsburgh Steelers on Sunday for their second straight loss with Gabriel under center. You get the sense that it’s only a matter of time before Sanders gets his opportunity.

Hunter was the Jaguars’ first-round selection and the second overall pick of the draft. He has shown flashes of the two-way star he was at Colorado. He is not playing full time on either side as he did in college, but he’s shown enough promise that the Jaguars continue to give him snaps as a wide receiver and cornerback.

After Hunter’s performance against Kansas City, Jaguars defensive coordinator Anthony Campanile said he saw potential.

“I just thought he competed really hard on both sides of the ball,” Campanile said. “I think it was a tremendous effort. [He] gave us some great snaps on defense, and then obviously [him] making some huge plays on offense, and I think that’s what we’ve envisioned for him.”

As for the media debate about whether Hunter should play one side or the other, Campanile said Jacksonville sees Hunter as a two-way player.

“I know we’ve talked about that in here in some of these media sessions the last few weeks where, ‘Hey, where do you see his trajectory?’ ” he said. “I think he’s right on course, playing more and more and, like I said, each game’s different. But it’s all getting progressively better.”

Before Hunter ended his postgame conversation with reporters on Sunday, he was asked again about his baptism that morning — specifically, what did it mean to him.

“It means a lot,” he said. “I’m becoming a better man and leaving my old self and starting a new chapter.”

The Prime-Shedeur-Hunter triangle is no longer in Boulder, Colorado, but there are indeed so many new chapters ahead.

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