Travis Hunter says Colorado coach Deion Sanders ‘ain’t going nowhere’

By Issy Ronald, CNN

(CNN) — Colorado’s two-way star Travis Hunter dispelled any rumors that the school’s coach Deion Sanders might leave at the end of the season, saying on Friday “he ain’t going nowhere.”

“I got a lot of insight … He’s going to be right where he’s at right now,” Hunter told reporters at a press conference in New York City before the Heisman Trophy, which he is a heavy favorite to win, is awarded on Saturday.

Sanders, known as “Coach Prime,” finished his second season at Colorado with a 9-3 record, turning the school into a Big 12 contender after it went 1-11 the year before he arrived.

Although Sanders himself reiterated his commitment to Colorado in November, that hasn’t stopped the media speculating that he might move onto a new role after guiding the Buffaloes to such a turnaround, particularly with his sons – Shedeur and Shilo – as well as Hunter all leaving the program after this season.

For now, Hunter says he and Sanders are focused on Colorado’s Alamo Bowl game against BYU on December 28 – the school’s first bowl game since 2020.

“It’s definitely important because, you know, I started this thing with Coach Prime and Shedeur and most of the coaches on the coaching staff, so I want to finish it off right,” Hunter said, confirming he will play in the bowl game.

“I didn’t give them a full season my first year (because of injury), so I’m going to go ahead and end this thing off right. It’s going to be our last game together, so I’m going to go out there and dominate and show the loyalty that I have for him.”

“Definitely looking forward to it. I’m just excited to go out there and play football one more time before we get to the offseason.”

After enjoying a record-breaking season, Hunter is likely to be a top-10 pick in the NFL Draft next year. His statistics make for extraordinary reading – he caught 14 receiving touchdowns, had 92 receptions and 1,152 receiving yards, while on defense, he picked off four passes, had 31 total tackles, 15 passes defended and forced a game-winning fumble.

“I think I laid the ground for more people to come in and go two ways and also I laid out that I’m a hard worker so I try to help out younger guys that come in,” Hunter said on Friday, reflecting on his college career.

“I worked so hard for this moment so definitely securing the Heisman would set my legacy in college football,” he added

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