When Deion Sanders talks about Travis Hunter, he sounds like someone who still feels ownership over the process. And during a recent appearance on The Barbershop podcast, Sanders openly questioned why the Jacksonville Jaguars never contacted him after selecting Hunter with the No. 2 overall pick in the 2025 NFL Draft.
“That wasn't asked of me a year ago,” Sanders said while discussing NFL teams reaching out about his son, Shedeur. “I don't understand it. Like, even a guy like Travis Hunter being drafted to Jacksonville, and I’ve had him for the last three. Don't you think you would want to talk to me to let me know to ask me how what gets him going and what backs him off?”
Sanders helped build Hunter into one of the most recognizable players in college football. Hunter shocked the sport in 2022 when he flipped his commitment from Florida State University to play for Sanders at Jackson State University, a move that instantly changed the recruiting conversation around HBCU football.
When Sanders later took the job at the University of Colorado Boulder, Hunter followed him again through the transfer portal.
Over the next two seasons, Hunter became the face of Colorado football and one of the sport’s most electric two-way players. Sanders repeatedly defended Hunter’s ability to dominate at both wide receiver and cornerback, even warning NFL teams not to draft him if they planned to limit him to one position.
By the end of the 2024 season, Hunter had won the Heisman Trophy and cemented himself as a franchise-changing prospect.
Sanders made it clear on the podcast that their relationship extended far beyond football. He described Hunter and his other players almost like family, framing mentorship as something deeper than film sessions and practice reps.
That’s part of why the Jaguars’ silence stood out to him. “You would want to know that,” Sanders said, referring to understanding how to motivate a player like Hunter.
Throughout the interview, Sanders repeatedly referenced “receipts,” media criticism, and what he viewed as misinformation surrounding his sons and former players. “We know exactly where it comes from,” he said while discussing criticism aimed at his family and athletes connected to his program.
Hunter now carries massive expectations as Jacksonville attempts to build around one of the most unique prospects in recent memory. But even after Hunter became a top draft pick, Coach Prime still sees himself as part of the blueprint.
And in Sanders’ mind, that blueprint was worth a phone call.
