Buffs Beat

Travis Hunter Makes Colorado History, Accepts Biletnikoff Award At Florida Ceremony

About three months after the conclusion of his final college football season, Colorado Buffaloes star Travis Hunter formally accepted the Biletnikoff Award at a ceremony in Florida. The trophy is bestowed annually upon the nation's most outstanding receiver.
Jack Carlough|
Dec 28, 2024; San Antonio, TX, USA; Colorado Buffaloes wide receiver Travis Hunter (12) reacts after a penalty is called during the second quarter against the Brigham Young Cougars at Alamodome. Mandatory Credit: Troy Taormina-Imagn Images
Dec 28, 2024; San Antonio, TX, USA; Colorado Buffaloes wide receiver Travis Hunter (12) reacts after a penalty is called during the second quarter against the Brigham Young Cougars at Alamodome. Mandatory Credit: Troy Taormina-Imagn Images | Troy Taormina-Imagn Images

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Colorado Buffaloes

Following the most decorated individual season in college football history, former Colorado Buffaloes cornerback/wide receiver Travis Hunter formally added another trophy to his collection this weekend.

The 31st annual Biletnikoff Award Celebration and Presentation was held on Saturday evening, and Hunter was present in Tallahassee, Florida, to officially accept the prestigious trophy. Bestowed annually to the best receiver in college football, past Biletnikoff Award winners include Marshall's Randy Moss (1997), Pitt's Larry Fitzgerald (2003), Georgia Tech's Calvin Johnson (2006), Alabama's Amari Cooper (2014) and LSU's Ja'Marr Chase (2019).

Hunter, who also earned the Heisman Trophy in December, is the first Colorado player to win the Biletnikoff Award.

Travis Hunter
Jan 22, 2025; Dallas, Texas, USA; 2024 Heisman Trophy winner Travis Hunter Jr. looks during the first half of the game between the Dallas Mavericks and the Minnesota Timberwolves at the American Airlines Center. Mandatory Credit: Jerome Miron-Imagn Images | Jerome Miron-Imagn Images

Arizona's Tetairoa McMillan and San Jose State's Nick Nash were the other two finalists for the 2024 Biletnikoff award.

Ironically, the Biletnikoff Award ceremony was held at Florida State's Donald L. Tucker Civic Center. A former five-star prospect from Georgia, Hunter committed to Florida State in March of 2020 before flipping to Jackson State one year later to play for coach Deion Sanders. Hunter then followed "Coach Prime" to Colorado in 2022.

Along with the Heisman and Biletnikoff, Hunter's historic 2024 season earned him the Walter Camp Award (collegiate football player of the year), Chuck Bednarik Award (defensive player of the year), Paul Hornung Award (most versatile player) and others.

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During his final season with the Buffs last fall, Hunter finished with 96 catches for 1,258 yards and 15 touchdowns. His arguably best offensive performance came in Colorado's 34-23 win over Cincinnati when Hunter caught nine passes for a season-high 153 yards. Defensively, he finished the year with 35 total tackles, 11 pass breakups and four interceptions as Colorado's top cornerback.

With another trophy headed to his shelf, Hunter's attention remains on the NFL draft. After skipping the NFL scouting combine and Big 12 pro day, the projected early first-round draft pick is slated to attend Colorado's pro day on Friday. Other participants include quarterback Shedeur Sanders, safety Shilo Sanders and wide receivers Jimmy Horn Jr., Will Sheppard and LaJohntay Wester.

The NFL draft is still over three weeks away, but Hunter hopes to play both cornerback and wide receiver at the game's highest level. On a recent episode of his podcast, "The Travis Hunter Show," Hunter responded to Kansas City Chiefs star Travis Kelce's take on playing both ways in the NFL.

"I have to prove that I can do it," Hunter said. "That’s my main thing. I'm gonna prove that I’m gonna do it and I can do it. So he’s (Kelce) not telling no lie. I still got to prove it. I just can’t go into the league, and they just say, ‘Oh, here you go, Trav, you could do all this,’ and I don’t go out and show up how I’m supposed to show up.”

The NFL draft begins April 24 in Green Bay, Wisconsin.

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Jack Carlough
JACK CARLOUGH

Jack Carlough is lead reporter for Colorado Buffaloes on SI. Jack graduated from the University of Colorado with a bachelor's degree in journalism and minors in business and sports media. Born and raised in the Boulder area, Jack began covering Colorado athletics in 2018 and was the head sports editor of the CU Independent during his college career. More recently, he spent over three years as the managing editor of the USA Today Sports Network's Colorado Buffaloes Wire, where he covered Colorado's hiring of head football coach Deion Sanders. Other publications Jack has written for include the Boulder Daily Camera, Left Hand Valley Courier and SB Nation’s Ralphie Report. In 2022, the Colorado Press Association awarded Jack second place in its annual Class 5 Best Sports Column Writing category.

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