Travis Hunter Reaches Major Milestone In Return From Injury

Former Colorado Buffaloes star Travis Hunter appears headed toward a successful return from injury.

Less than two months from injuring his LCL (lateral collateral ligament) in practice and later undergoing surgery, the Jacksonville Jaguars rookie cornerback/wide receiver posted a video of himself walking without the use of crutches. Hunter suffered the season-ending injury in practice on Oct. 30 and underwent surgery on Nov. 11.

Travis Hunter Milestone Return Injury Jacksonville Jaguars Colorado Buffaloes Heisman NFL Rookie Draft Liam Coen Deion Sander — Jacksonville Jaguars wide receiver Travis Hunter (12) yells as his is introduced before an NFL football matchup at EverBank Stadium, Sunday, Sept. 21, 2025, in Jacksonville, Fla. The Jaguars defeated the Texans 17-10. | Corey Perrine/Florida Times-Union / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

"This ain't nothing to me," Hunter said in the video. "I'm about to be running the 40-yard dash by tomorrow."

Before the injury, Hunter caught 28 passes for 298 yards and one touchdown in seven games played. The No. 2 overall draft pick also totaled 15 tackles and three passes defended in limited action at cornerback.

Fortunately for the Jaguars and first-year coach Liam Coen, they've been just fine without Hunter. After Saturday's statement victory over the Denver Broncos, the playoff-bound Jaguars are 11-4 and riding a six-game winning streak.

Recapping Travis Hunter's Shortened Rookie Season

Hunter had been finding his stride offensively before going down with an injury, highlighted by a season-high 101-yard receiving performance against the Los Angeles Rams. Two weeks prior, he had three catches for 64 yards against the defending Super Bowl champion Kansas City Chiefs.

"It's us really trying to narrow down and find what are the things he can do well, put them in the game plan, then try to find a way to ensure that those opportunities arise throughout the course of the game," offensive coordinator Grant Udinski said, per the Jaguars. "We never want to force somebody the ball, but he's certainly a guy who can make things happen when he has the ball in his hand."

🔥 Travis Hunter. Walking Again 💛

"This ain't nothing to me. I'm bout to be running a 40 yd dash by tomorrow" https://t.co/MmLnNxY7zr pic.twitter.com/TCNQEGnUP1
— JaKi 🇺🇸 (@JaKiTruth) December 24, 2025

Much like his time at Colorado, winning was the primary focus for Hunter before his season-ending injury.

"It's a team sport," Hunter said. "I just go out there and do my job and the other guys do their job and we continue to be a team, not be selfish and just continue to be consistent and win the games the best way we could."

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Travis Hunter's Time At Colorado

Hunter played his final two college seasons at Colorado, closing his career as one of the most dominant players in program history. Along with a strong freshman season at Jackson State, he totaled 2,169 receiving yards and 24 touchdowns.

The second Heisman Trophy winner in program history had his jersey number retired by Colorado in April soon before heading to Jacksonville.

"Travis is a big kid, man," Colorado coach Deion Sanders said of Hunter on the "New Heights" podcast. "He just loves the game, loves football, loves studying and the preparation. He always had at least five hours of study in each week because we kept that list, knowing how much everybody (is) studying. He is just a phenomenal athlete one of the greatest I've ever seen do both, simultaneously."