October 12, 2024 at 11:54 AM ET
Travis Hunter is making history in Colorado by playing almost every snap on offense and defense. The 6-foot-1, 185-pound two-way player has become one of the most talked-about players in college football due to his dynamic play at wide receiver and cornerback.
Hunter, a former five-star recruit from Suwannee, Georgia, was ESPN’s No. 1 athlete coming out of high school. While he would likely play at most any college, Hunter chose to play first at Jackson State and then at Boulder. Why: To learn and grow under one of the greatest football players and most versatile athletes in history – Deion Sanders.
Sanders, or “Head Coach” as he likes to be called since he became a head coach, did not play any offense while in college at Florida State. Throughout his NFL Hall of Fame career, he was a shutdown cornerback and return specialist who lit up as a receiver. He also had a strong Major League Baseball career.
As Hunter and Sanders look to make history together in Colorado, let’s take a look at 12 other notable players from college football history.
Champ Bailey, DB/WR, Georgia
▪︎ He played in Georgia from 1996 to 1998
▪︎ 52 tackles, three interceptions and seven pass breakups on defense and 47 catches, 744 receiving yards (team-high) and five receiving touchdowns (team-high) on offense in 1998
▪︎Consensus All-American, 1998 Bronko Nagurski Trophy Winner (Most Outstanding Defensive Player in College Football)
▪︎Seventh place in Heisman Trophy voting in 1998
▪︎ Selected as a cornerback by Washington with the seventh overall pick in the 1999 NFL Draft
▪︎College and Pro Football Hall of Fame
Chuck Bednarek, C/LB, Penn
▪︎ He played at Pennsylvania from 1945-1948
▪︎ He finished seventh in Heisman Trophy voting in 1947, and third in 1948.
▪︎ The Chuck Bednarik Award is given annually to the best defensive player of the year in college football
▪︎ No. 1 overall pick in the 1949 NFL Draft by the Philadelphia Eagles, where he started on offense as a linebacker and on defense as a linebacker
▪︎College and Pro Football Hall of Fame
Dick Butkus, LP/C, Illinois
▪︎ He played at Illinois from 1962-1964
▪︎All-American consensus in 1963, All-American consensus in 1964
▪︎ Finished sixth in Heisman Trophy voting in 1963, and third in 1964
▪︎ Selected third overall in the 1965 NFL Draft by the Chicago Bears
▪︎College and Pro Football Hall of Fame
Chris Gamble, DB/WR, Ohio State
▪︎He played at Ohio State from 2001-2003
▪︎ 31 catches for 499 yards and a rushing score on offense, 24 tackles, four interceptions and an interception return for a touchdown on defense in 2002
▪︎ Helped guide the Buckeyes to a 14-0 record and the national championship in 2002
▪︎ Selected as a cornerback by the Carolina Panthers with the 28th overall pick in the 2004 NFL Draft
Paul Hornung, QB/HB/FB/DB, Notre Dame
▪︎ Played at Notre Dame from 1954-1956
▪︎Two touchdowns on offense and two interceptions on defense Led Navy’s last Fighting Irish No. 4 in 1955
▪︎Won the Heisman Trophy in 1956 (the only player to win the Heisman Trophy while playing for a losing team)
▪︎ The Paul Hornung Award is given annually to the most versatile player in college football
▪︎ Selected as a linebacker by the Green Bay Packers with the No. 1 overall pick in the 1957 NFL Draft
▪︎College and Pro Football Hall of Fame
Editor’s Picks
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Myles Jack, LB/RB, UCLA
▪︎ He played at UCLA from 2013 to 2015
▪︎ Pac-12 Defensive Freshman of the Year and Pac-12 Offensive Freshman of the Year 2013
▪︎ 178 tackles, four interceptions and a touchdown on defense and 68 carries for 387 yards and 11 scores on offense during his college career
▪︎ Selected as a linebacker by the Jacksonville Jaguars in the second round (36th overall pick) of the 2016 NFL Draft
Adoree Jackson, DB/WR, USC
▪︎ He played at the University of Southern California from 2014 to 2016
▪︎ Six interceptions (five as a senior) and a touchdown on defense and 39 catches for 628 yards and six scores on offense during his college career
▪︎ Consensus All-American, Pac-12 Defensive Player of the Year and 2016 Jim Thorpe Award (Best Defensive Back in College Football) Winner
▪︎18th overall pick by the Tennessee Titans in the 2017 NFL Draft
Bronko Nagorski, FB/DT, Minnesota
▪︎ He played in Minnesota from 1927 to 1929
▪︎Only player in college football history to be named an All-American at two different positions in the same season (1929)
▪︎ The Bronko Nagurski Trophy is presented annually to the most outstanding defensive player in college football
▪︎He joined the Chicago Bears in 1930 and led the team to three NFL titles in eight seasons
▪︎College and Pro Football Hall of Fame
Gabriel Peppers, LB/RB, Michigan
▪︎ He played at Michigan from 2014-2016
▪︎ 72 tackles, 16 tackles for loss, four sacks, an interception and a forced fumble on defense and 27 carries, 167 yards and three touchdowns on offense in 2016
▪︎2016 All-American consensus
▪︎ Finished fifth in Heisman Trophy voting in 2016
▪︎25th overall pick by the Cleveland Browns in the 2017 NFL Draft
Shaq Thompson, DB/LB/RB, Washington
▪︎ He played in Washington from 2012-2014
▪︎ Team-high 81 tackles, a sack, an interception, four fumble recoveries, two forced fumbles and four touchdowns on defense and 456 rushing yards and two rushing scores on offense in 2014
▪︎Winner of the Paul Hornung Award in 2014
▪︎25th overall pick by the Carolina Panthers in the 2015 NFL Draft
Jim Thorpe, HB/DB, Carlisle
▪︎ He played at Carlisle intermittently from 1904 to 1913
▪︎Pan American consensus in 1911 and 1912
▪︎The Jim Thorpe Award is given annually to the best defensive back in college football
▪︎ Signed with the Canton Bulldogs in 1915 and played 52 games over 12 professional football seasons
▪︎College and Pro Football Hall of Fame
Charles Woodson, DB/WR, Michigan
▪︎ He played at Michigan from 1995-1997
▪︎ Seven interceptions on defense, 11 catches for 231 yards and three total touchdowns (two receiving, one rushing) on offense in a unanimous All-American national championship-winning season in 1997
▪︎ Won the Chuck Bednarek Award, Bronko Nagurski Trophy, and Jim Thorpe Award (among others) in 1997
▪︎Won the Heisman Trophy in 1997 (the only defensive player in college football history to win the Heisman)
▪︎Fourth overall pick by the Raiders in the 1998 NFL Draft
▪︎College and Pro Football Hall of Fame
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