In Week 1, we saw athletes across the Big 12 show why they should be considered the top players at their respective positions in college football.
Arizona’s Tetairoa McMillan was named the AP National Player of the Week after topping 300 yards and four touchdowns in a 69-31 win over New Mexico. That, undoubtedly, puts him in the conversation as one of the best players in the country heading into Week 2.
However, there’s another player in the Big 12 that has already locked up the title as “the best player in the nation.”
Last Thursday, Colorado got their 2024 season started off with a 31-26 win over North Dakota State. While it was probably much closer than Deion Sanders and company had hoped, the Buffaloes’ top players still made it very clear who the best athletes on the field were for those four quarters.
One of those players, Travis Hunter, will likely be the best player on any field he steps onto in 2024. And don’t just take our word for it.
In an interview with ESPN’s Heather Dinich, a unanimous Big 12 coach spelled it out very plainly.
“Hunter is the best player in the nation,” the coach told Dinich.
His stat line showed it, too. Hunter caught seven passes for 132 yards and three touchdowns as a receiver and recorded three tackles and served as a shutdown corner for most of the night on defense. Perhaps his most impressive stat of the evening? He played all but two snaps of the entire game.
On top of that, this Big 12 coach also said that Colorado boasts “one of the most skilled groups in the nation on offense” and that quarterback Shedeur Sanders is the “real deal.”
After going 26-of-34 for 445 yards and four touchdowns through the air, I’d say this coach is on to something.
Hunter, Sanders, and the rest of the Buffs will hit the road this week as they prepare for a primetime matchup against the Nebraska Cornhuskers.
Kickoff is scheduled for 6:30 p.m. CT on Saturday night, with coverage provided by NBC.
