"Best on & off the field": Colorado's athletic director sings the praises of Travis Hunter for his all-around excellence after Heisman win

Travis Hunter isn't just a phenomenal football player; the Colorado Buffaloes' star athlete is also an excellent student. Following Hunter's Heisman Trophy victory,

The Colorado official X account posted about how the future NFL draftee also earned All-American Academic honors. That makes him the first Heisman Trophy to accomplish the feat since former Florida quarterback Tim Tebow did so in 2007.

Rick George, the Colorado Buffaloes athletic director, responded to the post on X (formerly known as Twitter) on Monday and praised Hunter for his achievement.

"The best on and off the field!"

Travis Hunter entered the 2024 college football season with significant expectations, as it was his second season in Colorado and potentially final season at the collegiate level. However, nothing could have prepared Colorado fans for how the two-way star performed in the 2024 college football regular season.

Hunter did not just feature as a cornerback and wide receiver for the Buffaloes, he ended up excelling at both positions. The superstar athlete recorded 1,152 receiving yards and 14 touchdowns as a wide receiver and 32 tackles, four interceptions, and 11 passes defended as a lockdown cornerback. Hunter was the Buffaloes' impact player on the offense as well as the defense for all 12 games.

The awards committee recognized his impact, and he racked up several awards for the season. His most notable awards are the Heisman Trophy, Chuck Bednarik Award for Defensive Player of the Year, and Biletnikoff Award for Outstanding Receiver.

Colorado's Travis Hunter believes he can play both sides in NFL

Travis Hunter has been vocal about wanting to play on both sides of the ball in the NFL despite doubts as to whether it can be done.

"I'm super confident, and I believe that I can do it at the next level," Hunter said per ESPN. "I'm not going to let anyone tell me that I can't do something that I already done. They said I couldn't do it in college, and I ended up doing it in college.

"A lot of people tell me I can't do it in the NFL, but I'm going to still do it in the NFL. You know, a lot of people just let other people get in their ear, so they don't let them do it, and some people don't have the body type to be able to go both ways full time."

Former Heisman winner Charles Woodson, who was the first two-way player to win the award, would prefer Hunter didn't play both sides full-time. Instead, he would play Hunter more on defense, with only occasional snaps on offense.

But before focusing on the NFL, Travis Hunter and the Colorado Buffaloes will aim for a win in their Bowl Game matchup against the BYU Cougars. It's set to be Hunter and Shedeur Sanders' last game as Buffaloes. The team might find it a bit tough to replace two program legends, who could go one and two in the upcoming draft.