Eli Manning’s Report on Travis Hunter's Practice Work At Colorado Stirs Controversy

The Jacksonville Jaguars and rookie cornerback/wide receiver Travis Hunter are coming off a big win against the Kansas City Chiefs. During the game, Eli Manning reported what Jaguars coach Liam Coen said about Hunter's practice schedule with the Colorado Buffaloes, causing controversy across social media.

Oct 6, 2025; Jacksonville, Florida, USA; Jacksonville Jaguars wide receiver Travis Hunter (12) reacts after defeating the Kansas City Chiefs at EverBank Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Nathan Ray Seebeck-Imagn Images | Nathan Ray Seebeck-Imagn Images

On Monday night, the Jacksonville Jaguars defeated the Kansas City Chiefs, 31-28. Jaguars rookie Travis Hunter put on a strong performance while pursuing an NFL career playing both wide receiver and cornerback - like he did with the Colorado Buffaloes, ultimately winning the Heisman Trophy.

During the game, on the Manning Cast of Monday Night Football, former New York Giants quarterback Eli Manning made an interesting comment regarding how Hunter practiced with the Colorado Buffaloes ... and it's sturring up controversy.

Colorado coach Deion Sanders' son, Deion Sanders Jr., and many others responded quickly across social media to Manning's report.

What Manning Said About Hunter's Time In Colorado

Oct 13, 2024; East Rutherford, New Jersey, USA; New York Giants former quarterback Eli Manning on the field before a game against the Cincinnati Bengals at MetLife Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Brad Penner-Imagn Images | Brad Penner-Imagn Images

In the second quarter of the game, Manning was asked to discuss what Jaguars coach Liam Coen said about how Hunter practiced with the Colorado Buffaloes. Manning revealed he was told that Hunter did not practice with the offense.

“I talked to Liam Coen, they said when he was at Colorado, he practiced zero with the offense. He only practiced defense. They just kinda had a special system where they had signals, the coach would just signal the formation to him and then signal the route to him, so he just improvised,” Manning said. “So, he’s still learning right now how to be a receiver.”

Manning’s comments on what the Jaguars coach said quickly caused controversy from Colorado fans. Many took to social media to call out the false statement, including Sanders Jr.

Of course, Manning was just reporting what he had been told.

Responses Calling out Manning's Statement On Hunter

Sep 28, 2025; Santa Clara, California, USA; Jacksonville Jaguars wide receiver Travis Hunter (12) before the game against the San Francisco 49ers at Levi's Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Darren Yamashita-Imagn Images | Darren Yamashita-Imagn Images

Sanders Jr. - the son of Colorado coach Deion Sanders - quickly responded to Manning's report on Monday night. His response acknowledged that Manning was reporting what he was told, but that the Jaguars’ staff was lying to him.

Don’t let them lie to you Mr Manning, he practiced Wr & DB equally. https://t.co/QjwvpnI9S8

— Deion Sanders Jr (@DeionSandersJr) October 7, 2025

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Omaha Productions posted the clip of Manning's report on social media. In the responses, many posted videos of Hunter practicing with the Colorado Buffaloes’ offense.

Since Sanders took over Colorado, Sanders Jr. has been posting behind-the-scenes videos of what goes on inside the program on his X account and YouTube channel. With that, many quickly knew that the report was wrong based on past videos Sanders Jr. has posted from practices.

Sanders Jr. reposted one of the responses, showing proof of Hunter practicing on the offense.

In addition to Sanders Jr., former NFL quarterback Robert Griffin Jr. also took to social media to call out Manning's report regarding Hunter.

Sep 7, 2025; Jacksonville, Florida, USA; Jacksonville Jaguars wide receiver Travis Hunter (12) takes the field prior to a game against the Carolina Panthers at EverBank Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Nathan Ray Seebeck-Imagn Images | Nathan Ray Seebeck-Imagn Images

"This is a lie. Travis Hunter practiced on both sides of the ball at Colorado. Coach Prime even had Travis practice exclusively on offense for nearly an entire spring football to refine his skills as a WR. Then practiced him at Corner for a day and he had 3 ints. Just let him play," Griffin III wrote.

With Manning reporting that it was Coen who said Hunter did not practice with the Buffaloes' offense, the question that remains is why the Jaguars head coach would say that in the first place.

Hunter came out of Colorado as a highly anticipated player to watch in the league due to his high athleticism and goal of playing two positions. While Hunter was the No. 2 overall pick in the 2025 NFL Draft, many are relating what Manning said to how Cleveland Browns quarterback Shedeur Sanders was perceived in the draft process.

Sanders went from being a first-round draft projection to being selected in the fifth round by the Browns. Throughout the draft, there were many anonymous reports about Sanders’ private meetings with teams, and that he did not do well during those.

Hunter’s Success At Both Positions

Dec 14, 2024; New York, NY, USA; Colorado Buffaloes wide receiver/cornerback Travis Hunter speaks to the press after winning the 2024 Heisman Trophy. Mandatory Credit: Lucas Boland-Imagn Images | Lucas Boland-Imagn Images

Hunter had a stellar collegiate career with the Colorado Buffaloes, winning the Heisman Trophy following the 2024 season.

Hunter did not just play two positions with Colorado; he played them both at a high level. In 2024, Hunter led the team with 1,258 receiving yards and 15 touchdowns. Defensively, Hunter totaled 35 total tackles, 11 passes defended, and four interceptions.

After a successful time with Colorado, Hunter went on to be the No. 2 overall pick in the 2025 NFL Draft. Hunter is consistently developing with the Jaguars in his rookie season. Against the Chiefs, Hunter had three receptions for 64 yards. He also had two total tackles.

Heading into week 6 of the NFL season, something to watch for will be if Coen is asked or responds to the comments regarding Hunter’s practice schedule with the Colorado Buffaloes.