The loss of Heisman winner Travis Hunter and Johnny Unitas Golden Arm Award winner Sheduer Sanders has pushed Boulder football down a tragic downfall the last few weeks. 

In 2022, Travis Hunter graduated from Collins Hill High School in Suwanee, Georgia, and was ranked the No.1 recruit in the entire nation. After high school, he attended Jackson State University, which was a shock to many considering Jackson State is not a top 25 football school. But the real reason he decided to do this was because of Shedeur Sanders and his father, Deion Sanders.

Shedeur Sanders was also a very highly ranked recruit coming out of Texas and he also attended Jackson State University. At Jackson State, both Sheduer and Travis were unstoppable and they thought the competition was perhaps too easy. Together, they both decided to transfer over to Boulder, Colorado, where they dominated in the Big 12 and won plenty of awards in the 2024 season. 

Now, both Sanders and Hunter have taken their talents to the NFL. But how big was this change for Boulder football? 

Some people are firm believers that Boulder cannot win without these two guys, while others say they don’t need them to succeed. In an article written by Jack Carlough, “How Colorado Buffaloes Plan On Winning Without Shedeur Sanders, Travis Hunter,” Carlough states, “Despite losing quarterback Shedeur Sanders and Heisman Trophy winner Travis Hunter to the NFL, Brown believes the Buffs are ‘hungry’ entering the 2025 season and focused on the team’s overall success.”

However, the Colorado Boulder football team is off to a rather slow start, going 3-4 through 7 games and now fully out of playoff contention. 

Ciaran Devlin, a junior at Hingham High School, explains, “I think that without Shedeur and Travis, the team cannot have the same chemistry they have had the last two years, and will not be able to compete at the highest level.” 

Brett Larson, also a junior at HHS, states, “I don’t watch college football that much, but last year I turned on the Colorado game to watch Sheduer and Travis play and see how good they actually are.”