"Now I can't stay no more": Travis Hunter takes blunt stance on his college exit

Colorado's Travis Hunter lived up to his billing. From being the highest-ranked recruit to pledge to an FCS program to lifting the sport's most prestigious statue, he'll forever be considered one of the best to put a helmet and pads on in college.

As the two-way gridiron star gets set to climb to the professional level, he looked back on his collegiate career. Having collected his share of hardware, Hunter knows what's next.

It doesn't sound as if he has any reservations about entering April's NFL draft in which he could be the first player taken off the board.

"I had fun in college," Hunter said Wednesday on his podcast, "The Travis Hunter Show." "I know I can't stay no more. If I wanted to, I could, but we're gonna see how everything play out."

With his performance this season for the Buffaloes, Travis Hunter collected the Bednarik Award and the Biletnikoff Award, which go to the best defensive player and receiver in the nation, respectively. Before him, no player had ever received both honors.

The crown jewel of his college career, though, is the Heisman Trophy he earned last month, becoming only the second defensive player to ever do so. Hunter was penciled in for 552 first-place votes, beating out Boise State running back Ashton Jeanty by 243. Still, it was the closest vote since 2009.

"It kinda showed me what I can do when I'm fully locked in," Hunter said of this season. "It's definitely something I'll look back on and (be) like, 'Dang, I got all these trophies that I didn't know of' that I knew I could reach, but I didn't know to a certain extent that I would get all the ones that I wanted to get."

Travis Hunter won't be looking back as he prepares for what's next

When asked if he'd go back and change anything about his college career, Travis Hunter was assured in his answer.

"No," Hunter said, shaking his head. "I did everything I wanted to do."

Colorado recently took part in the Alamo Bowl, and the 36-14 loss to BYU put a lid on Hunter's stay in Boulder. He said there wasn't any added emotion to suiting up for the Buffaloes for the last time.

"Just go out there and play football, just go have fun," Hunter said. "That's what I was doing. I was having fun for the most part. ... I knew I wasn't gonna be playing football for a little minute. You have a little off-season and stuff like that."

Hunter finished his junior season with 96 receptions for 1,258 yards and 15 touchdowns. On the defensive side of the ball, he totaled 35 tackles, four interceptions, 11 passes defended and a forced fumble.