Photo: Shedeur Sanders Reveals DM Recruiting Travis Hunter to Play for Deion in 2020

Colorado quarterback Shedeur Sanders must've had a crystal ball when he pitched Travis Hunter on playing for Jackson State.

After Hunter was named this year's Heisman Trophy winner, Sanders shared a direct message exchange they had in November 2020. He said at the time that Hunter should follow him and his dad, Hall of Fame cornerback Deion Sanders, to Jackson State, where he could "do something that hasn't been done before."

That ultimately proved true for Hunter at Colorado.

In his two seasons with the Buffs, the two-way standout has 1,873 receiving yards and 19 touchdown receptions along with 43 tackles, seven interceptions and 16 pass breakups. You have to go back a long way to find a college player who impacted the game on both offense and defense to this degree.

Hunter is also the first defensive player to win the Heisman since Charles Woodson in 1997. Woodson's candidacy that year was likewise boosted by the fact he lined up on defense and special teams.

In his acceptance speech Saturday, Hunter shouted out Deion and Shedeur Sanders and said they "changed my life forever."

Florida State fans, meanwhile, were left to ponder what could've been.

Hunter, the No. 1 player in 247Sports' composite rankings for 2022, originally committed to the Seminoles before backtracking and signing with Jackson State. He then followed Deion Sanders to Boulder after the Hall of Fame cornerback took the Colorado job in 2023.

Whereas a different coach might've thought it best for Hunter to pick one position over the other, Sanders has fully embraced his two-way abilities and steadfastly refused to box him in as a receiver or cornerback exclusively.

When he first joined Jackson State, Hunter couldn't have possibly imagined his college career would reach these kind of heights.