Travis Hunter's return timeline: How long is the Colorado WR/DB out for?

In what is a big blow for Colorado, two-way star Travis Hunter will be out for a couple of weeks after getting injured during the Rocky Mountain Showdown on Saturday night.

The wide receiver/cornerback was transported to a local hospital during Colorado’s 43-35 win over interstate rival Colorado State at the Folsom Field, further extending their brilliant start to the 2023 season under Deion Sanders.

While playing in the wide receiver position, Hunter absorbed a violent hit from Colorado State safety Henry Blackburn in the first quarter. He remained on the field, receiving medical attention from the trainers, resulting in a roughness penalty for Blackburn.

After the hit, Travis Hunter rejoined the game but later left the field in the second quarter, making a tackle during his brief return. He becomes a major doubt for the Buffaloes in their next few games as they hope to continue their impressive winning run.

“We’re going to do what we’ve got to do is take care of him," Deion Sanders said in his press conference. "So I know Travis likes a book, he probably is going to want to be out for two weeks, but we’ve got to make sure his health is more important than this game.”

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Travis Hunter's impressive start at Colorado

Travis Hunter has made a significant impact in the Football Bowl Subdivision this season with Deion Sanders at Colorado. The No. 1 prospect in the Class of 2022 followed Coach Prime to Colorado from Jackson State after he made a surprising commitment to the HBCU program.

Leading up to Saturday's game, Hunter had played 183 defensive snaps and 157 offensive snaps.

As a wide receiver, the West Palm Beach, Florida native hauled 14 passes for 192 yards. On the defensive side of the ball, he has contributed five tackles, three pass breakups, one interception, and an impressive statistic of allowing only three receptions on 10 targets.

The challenge of having a versatile talent like Hunter, who plays on both sides of the ball, is that when he's unavailable, the Buffaloes are without one of their top wide receivers and their top cornerback simultaneously. It’s like losing two players, as defensive back Shilo Sanders said.

Travis Hunter's injury comes when Colorado is set for a stern test against two prominent Pac-12 opponents. The Buffaloes play Oregon in Week 4 and lock horns with USC during Week 5 of the college football season and will likely be without the two-way star.