Pro Football Hall of Famer and second-year Colorado Buffaloes head coach Deion Sanders is always advocating for his players, especially those named Shedeur Sanders and Travis Hunter.
The latter, Hunter, is a finalist is for five awards, including the Maxwell Award (given to the best all-around player) and Walter Camp Award (most outstanding player), but for some reason Hunter isn’t a finalist for the Jim Thorpe Award.
Deion Sanders Mad Travis Hunter Isn’t Considered Top Cornerback In Country
That award is given annually to the best defensive back, and based on his play Hunter definitely fits the bill. Upon hearing that Hunter had not been chosen as a finalist for the award his head coach Deion Sanders, who won the award in 1988, offered Hunter his award.
“How is Travis Hunter snubbed by the Jim Thorpe Award? You can have my award. You can have it back,” Sanders said emphatically. “As a matter of fact, I’m going to give him mine. I ain’t using it. It’s just sitting up there collecting dust. So, Travis can have my Thorpe Award.”
“If this ain’t the most idiotic thing in college football that he’s not a finalist for the Jim Thorpe Award. … This young man is the best defensive back in college football,” Sanders extolled.
Deion Sanders Offers Travis Hunter His Jim Thorpe Award
Sanders is correct. Hunter is the best defensive back in all of college football, and even more amazing is he’s doing so by playing both ways. Hunter is averaging 124 snaps per week while playing great at both defensive back and wide receiver.
When you compare Hunter’s numbers to those of the players chosen as finalists it looks like this:
Travis Hunter versus Jim Thorpe Award Finalists
1st in Passes Defended
2nd in INTs
4th in Tackles
Targeted 34 times in 11 games
Giving up 12.18 yards a game
Some believe the dislike for Coach Prime has something to do with Hunter’s exclusion from an award he’s more than qualified to be a finalist for.
Hunter Does Have Bigger Fish To Fry: Heisman Trophy
While Hunter is a finalist for five other awards, not being one for the Jim Thorpe Award likely won’t bother him if he wins the Heisman Trophy.
Hunter is the prohibitive favorite to take home the most prestigious award in all of college football, and he’ll find out his fate as a finalist on Monday, Dec. 9. The award will be presented on Saturday December 14th in New York City.
Hunter will be looking to join Pro Football Hall of Famer Charles Woodson as the only two-way players to ever win the coveted award.
