Travis Hunter's baton-holder justifies being worthy of "No. 1" under Coach Prime's strict rules 

The loss of Heisman Trophy winner Travis Hunter to the upcoming 2025 NFL draft will be one of the biggest holes Coach Prime will have to fill for the Colorado Buffaloes ahead of next season. The two-way star was a standout for the Buffs in both offense as a wide receiver and defense as a cornerback last season.

One of the names floated as a replacement for Hunter is wide receiver Drelon Miller, who tallied 277 receiving yards on 32 receptions, resulting in three touchdowns, while adding 10 rushing yards on four carries last season.

During an interview with reporters after Wednesday's spring practice, Miller revealed that he was hoping to fill Hunter's role by claiming the No. 1 jersey although he pinpointed Coach Prime's strict rules to earn such an illustrious number.

"It means a lot, a whole bunch actually," Miller said. "You know coming out of high school, I wanted No. 1 badly but you know Coach Prime, you have to earn everything here. And coming out, I knew that Tre wore No. 1, so I was like, 'Okay, I'll probably wait until next year. So I'll just try to earn No. 1 and get back to my old self.

"That's a sign. Just because, I know we got a new receiver, he wants, he's been rocking it and No. 1 was always my number and I feel like, you gotta be the one to wear No. 1. So, that's what I'm doing right now. Just trying to show coach why I deserve No. 1. Hopefully I have it before the season starts."

Travis Hunter's baton-holder impresses Buffs coach

Last week, Drelon Miller was on spring break in Dallas before he got an unexpected call to participate in Colorado's Pro Day, where he would be tasked with catching passes from the NFL-bound and Colorado QB Shedeur Sanders while also acting as a running back in front of numerous NFL scouts.

Buffs' wide receivers coach Jason Phillips gave Travis Hunter's baton-holder glowing praise in a news conference after the showcase.

"It wasn't cool at all because he (Miller) was in the backfield and I don't want to lose him early to the pros or to the backfield," Phillips said. "No, it was good to see that. What that was was Shedeur basically having trust in him.

"To see his maturation when he first got here as a freshman to where he is now, where a guy that's a potential first-round draft pick believes in him enough to have him be part of his workout, that was pretty cool."

During the pass-catching session of the drill, Miller was joined by the Buffs' NFL-bound stars, including Will Sheppard, Travis Hunter, Jimmy Horn Jr. and LaJohntay Wester, who were all hoping to catch the eyes of the numerous scouts in attendance.