The two-way exploits of Travis Hunter are incredible. Are they sustainable?
-
Kyle Bonagura, ESPN Staff Writer
BOULDER, Colo. — When Deion Sanders first laid eyes on Travis Hunter, then one of the most highly touted high school recruits in the country, there wasn’t really a need to evaluate him. It was obvious what he was looking at.
“He’s different, as the young folks say,” Sanders said.
Then the coach at FCS Jackson State, history indicated Sanders had no business recruiting Hunter. The idea that someone of Hunter’s caliber would pass on every college football power — let alone the entire Football Bowl Subdivision – to play at Jackson State could have been easily dismissed out of hand.
But with the confidence that perhaps only comes from being one of the sport’s all-time greats, Sanders recruited Hunter anyway.
“You try to find out what makes him tick, what makes him him, and you recruit to that,” Sanders said. “You’re not gonna find anyone in the country with that talent, but with the thought process of how he goes about life, that’s what you’re trying to identify and go select young men that you can then accompany him on his journey.”
For Hunter, having Sanders on board for his journey outweighed any other factor, and now, after a year together in Jackson, Mississippi, his generational talent is on display for the country to see at the heart of Colorado’s resurgence. Through two games, both wins, Hunter has played a mind-boggling 274 snaps as a starter at cornerback and wide receiver — 129 of 158 (81.6%) on offense, 136 of 142 (95.8%) on defense and nine on special teams — and has joined the Heisman Trophy conversation.
Playing two ways was always part of the plan. Hunter dipped his toes into the offensive waters last season (18 catches, 190 yards, 4 TDs), but he and his coach have been preparing for him to go both ways, full time, ever since.
“I know how to do it. I know how to monitor it. I know how to make sure that you are where you need to be,” Sanders said. “But the rule I have is that you must be dominant on one side of the ball before I allow you to go to the other side. You must be dominant. And I feel as though Travis had proved his dominance.”
If anyone can relate to Hunter, it’s Sanders. And if anyone can put themselves in Sanders’ current shoes, it’s Barry Switzer, who coached Sanders with the Dallas Cowboys from 1995 to 1997, when he often used the former NFL Defensive Player of the Year at receiver.
Other NFL teams weren’t as willing to let Sanders go both ways, Switzer remembers, and Sanders wrote in his book, “Power, Money & Sex, How Success Almost Ruined My Life,” that Dallas’ openness to letting him play offense played a role in his decision to sign.
“He could’ve been an All-Pro receiver,” Switzer told ESPN. “It was just that he was more valuable as a shutdown corner.”
In 1996, Sanders ranked second on the Cowboys in receiving yards (475) behind only Michael Irvin, making him one of the few players in modern NFL history to have a sizable impact on both sides of the ball. The decision to let him do it wasn’t complicated.
“He wanted to play,” Switzer said. “It’s what he wanted to do. He would have taken himself out of the game if he couldn’t do it. He played 100 plays, easily. We counted. He had a couple games where he played over 100 plays.”
Sound familiar? With Hunter, the obvious next question becomes: Is this sustainable? Is it possible to go both ways for the bulk of a college football season and remain effective? There are plenty of skeptics.
“I don’t care how good of shape you’re in, 115 snaps, you can do that now because you’re fresh,” one Power 5 defensive coordinator told ESPN. “But I don’t know how you can sustain [that], especially as I would think some teams are going to try to make him tackle and double him in coverage and that sort of stuff.
“You put in a fourth- or fifth-team wide receiver and say, ‘Look, you block him the whole game. I want him on the bench.’ You literally make him exert himself.”
Comments like this make Sanders roll his eyes.
“You got to understand everybody who’s critical of that in saying, ‘He’s gonna tire, he’s gonna do that,’ shoot they can’t cook and answer the phone at the same time,” Sanders said. “I don’t subscribe to that foolishness because that’s who Travis is. Travis is special. He has a tremendous gift and he wants to play.”
It’s similar to how Owen Marecic felt when Stanford coach Jim Harbaugh told him in the spring of 2010 that in addition to his normal fullback responsibilities — a key position in Stanford’s offense at the time — he would also play middle linebacker. He just wanted to play.
Marecic moonlighted on defense the previous year, but starting on both sides — at such physically demanding positions, no less — was a tall order for a team on the precipice of a breakthrough season. And he loved it.
“I just felt like I was always ready to play rather than coming in and out,” said Marecic, who is a third-year orthopedic resident with Stanford Health. “It was just preferable to me. I actually liked that part of it and, honestly, I didn’t feel all that different after a game in terms of like any physical toll that it was taking [by playing both ways].”
Some players are wired for it, but there haven’t been many. That’s why Hunter has jumped into the Heisman race, an award that rarely gives serious attention to defensive players.
“Because [Heisman voters] want action,” Sanders said. “They want to see plays made and it’s hard to make plays when the play is not designed for you to make it. You gotta be so aggressive and so dominant as a Charles Woodson was. To be able to command that type of attention and make those type of plays where you actually win the Heisman. Just having the audacity to get on the offensive side of the ball and be dominant, that gives [Hunter] the upper hand.
When Woodson won the Heisman Trophy in 1997, he did so as primarily a defensive player, but it’s unlikely he would have won if not for the impact he also made on offense and special teams. Woodson finished that season with 11 catches. Hunter had 11 catches in Colorado’s first game, when he also made a critical interception to help the Buffs upset TCU, last season’s national runner-up.
The best comparison for Hunter might be Champ Bailey, who in his final year at Georgia in 1998 caught 47 passes for 744 yards and made 52 tackles on his way to becoming the No. 7 overall pick in the NFL draft the following spring. Then there was Chris Gamble at Ohio State. He caught 31 passes for 499 yards and was a first-team All-Big Ten selection at cornerback as the Buckeyes won the BCS national championship in 2002.
Others such as UCLA linebacker Myles Jack and Washington linebacker Shaq Thompson have made an impact at running back, but those were both in-season solutions necessitated by circumstances, not the plan going into a season.
With “College GameDay” headed to Boulder this week for the Buffaloes’ game against Colorado State (10 p.m. ET, ESPN), Hunter’s rarified air will be spotlighted even more.
Colorado State coach Jay Norvell can’t help but come away impressed.
“For him to play so many snaps, it’s really a credit to the kid and his competitiveness,” Norvell said. “We’ve got to put pressure on him and we’ve got to do our best with our execution to keep him playing, run him around the field. For him to play as many snaps as he’s done is really a credit to him, and to understand the package and to know everything. You’ve got to give the kid credit for what he’s done so far.
“It’s just a unique situation that they’re doing there. It’s probably opened some people’s minds that guys can do it.”
Adam Rittenberg contributed to this story.
-
David Schoenfield
There’s plenty of history in the rivalry between the New York Mets and Philadelphia Phillies. It’s about 116 miles from Citi Field to Citizens Bank Park. The two teams been competing for the NL East since 1969. Star players from Tug McGraw to Jerry Koosman to Lenny Dykstra to Pedro Martinez to Zack Wheeler have played for both franchises. Mets fans loathe the Phanatic, and Phillies fans laugh derisively at Mr. Met.
Despite this longevity, the two teams have rarely battled for a division title in the same season. The only years they finished No. 1 and 2 or were battling for a division lead late in the season:
-
1986: Mets finished 21.5 games ahead
-
2001: Both finished within six games of the Braves
-
2006: Mets finished 12 games ahead
-
2007: Phillies finished one game ahead
-
2008: Phillies finished three games ahead
-
2024: Phillies finished six games ahead of Mets and Braves
So it’s a rare treat to see the Mets and Phillies battling for the NL East lead in as New York faces the San Francisco Giants on “Sunday Night Baseball” this week. This season has also been a bit of bumpy ride for both teams, so there is pressure on both front offices to make trade deadline additions in hopes of winning the World Series that has eluded both franchises in recent years despite high payrolls and star-laden rosters. Let’s dig into what both teams need to do before Thursday.
The perfect trade deadline for the Mets
1. Bullpen help
The Mets already acquired hard-throwing lefty Gregory Soto from the Orioles, but David Stearns will likely look for another reliever, given that the Mets’ bullpen has struggled since the beginning of June with a 5.02 ERA. In my grade of the trade, I pointed out the importance for the Mets to add left-handed relief. Think of potential playoff opponents and all the key left-handed batters: Kyle Schwarber and Bryce Harper on the Phillies; Shohei Ohtani, Freddie Freeman and Max Muncy on the Dodgers; Kyle Tucker, Michael Busch and Pete Crow-Armstrong on the Cubs.
Soto has held lefties to a .138 average this season, and it does help that the Mets have two lefty starters in David Peterson and Sean Manaea. They also just activated Brooks Raley after he had been out since early 2024. If he is back to his 2022-23 form, when he had a 2.74 ERA and held lefties to a .209 average, maybe the Mets will feel good enough about their southpaw relief.
They could still use another dependable righty reliever. Mets starters were hot early on, but they weren’t going deep into games, and outside of Peterson, the lack of longer outings is a big reason the bullpen ERA has skyrocketed. Carlos Mendoza has overworked his setup guys, including Huascar Brazoban and Reed Garrett. Brazoban has never been much of a strike thrower anyway, and Garrett similarly faded in the second half last season. Adding a high-leverage righty to set up Edwin Diaz makes sense. Candidates there include David Bednar of the Pirates, Ryan Helsley of the Cardinals, Griffin Jax or Jhoan Duran of the Twins, or maybe a longer shot such as Emmanuel Clase or Cade Smith of the Guardians.
2. Think big, as in Eugenio Suarez
Mark Vientos was a huge key to last season’s playoff appearance and trip to the NLCS, hitting .266/.322/.516 with 27 home runs after beginning the season in Triple-A. He hasn’t been able to replicate that performance, though, hitting .224/.279/.354. That has led to a revolving door at third base, with Vientos, Brett Baty and Ronny Mauricio starting games there in July. Overall, Mets third basemen ranked 24th in the majors in OPS entering Friday.
Lack of production at third is one reason the Mets’ offense has been mediocre rather than very good — they’re averaging 4.38 runs per game, just below the NL average of 4.43. They could use another premium bat, given the lack of production they’ve received from center field and catcher (not to mention Francisco Lindor‘s slump since the middle of June). Maybe Francisco Alvarez‘s short stint back in Triple-A will get his bat going now that he’s back in the majors, but going after Suarez to hit behind Juan Soto and Pete Alonso would lengthen the lineup.
3. Reacquire Harrison Bader to play CF
Tyrone Taylor is a plus defender in center and has made several incredible catches, but he’s hitting .209/.264/.306 for a lowly OPS+ of 65. Old friend Bader is having a nice season with the Twins, hitting .251/.330/.435. Maybe that’s a little over his head, given that he had a .657 OPS with the Mets last season, but he would still be an offensive upgrade over Taylor without losing anything on defense — and he wouldn’t cost a top-tier prospect. The Mets could still mix in Jeff McNeil against the really tough righties, but adding Suarez and Bader would give this lineup more of a championship feel.
The perfect deadline for the Phillies
1. Acquire Jhoan Duran
Like the Mets, the Phillies already made a move here, signing free agent David Robertson, who had a 3.00 ERA and 99 strikeouts in 72 innings last season with the Rangers. On paper, he should help, but he’s also 40 and will need a few games in the minors to get ready. Even with Robertson, the Phillies could use some more help here. They’ll eventually get Jose Alvarado back from his 60-game PED suspension, but Alvarado is ineligible for the postseason. At least the Mets have an elite closer in Edwin Diaz. Jordan Romano leads the Phillies with eight saves and has a 6.69 ERA. Matt Strahm is solid, but more useful as a lefty setup guy than a closer (think of all those left-handed batters we listed for the Mets, then sub out Juan Soto and Brandon Nimmo for Harper and Schwarber).
And the Phillies’ bullpen has consistently come up short in big games. Think back to last year’s NLDS, when Jeff Hoffman lost twice to the Mets. Or 2023, when Craig Kimbrel lost two games in the NLCS against the Diamondbacks. Or the 2022 World Series, when Yordan Alvarez hit the huge home run off Alvarado in the clinching Game 6.
So, yes, a shutdown closer is a must. Maybe that’s Bednar, maybe Clase if he’s available (although he struggled in last year’s postseason), maybe Helsley. But the guy Dave Dombrowski should go all-in to get: Duran. The window for the Phillies is slowly closing as the core players get older. Duran is under control through 2027, so he’s a fit for now and the immediate future. The trade cost might be painful, but with his 100 mph fastball and splitter, he has the elite stuff you need in October.
2. Add Ryan O’Hearn
The Phillies have received below-average production from both left field (mostly Max Kepler) and center field (Brandon Marsh/Johan Rojas platoon). The center-field market is pretty thin except for Bader or maybe a gamble on Luis Robert Jr. I’d pass on Robert, stick with the Marsh/Rojas platoon and upgrade left field with O’Hearn, who is hitting .281/.375/.452 for the Orioles. He isn’t the perfect fit since, like Kepler, he hits left-handed and struggles against lefties, but he’s a patient hitter with a much better OBP, and he’s passable in the outfield.
3. Acquire Willi Castro
Here’s the bottom line: The Phillies have to admit that some of their long-term position players aren’t getting the job done — such as second baseman Bryson Stott, who has a 77 OPS+. Third baseman Alec Bohm has been better but also has a below-average OPS.
That makes Castro a nice fit. He’s not a star, but he’s an above-average hitter, a switch-hitter who plays all over the field for the Twins, having started games at five different positions. He could play second or third or start in left field against a lefty. Philadelphia could even start him in center instead of Rojas, although that would be a defensive hit. Bottom line: Castro would give the Phillies a lot more versatility — or a significant offensive upgrade over Stott if they start him every day at second.
Note as well: Stott has hit .188 in 33 career postseason games. Bohm has hit .214 with two home runs in 34 postseason games. The Phillies need a different offensive look for October.
-
Sports3 years ago‘Storybook stuff’: Inside the night Bryce Harper sent the Phillies to the World Series
-
Sports1 year agoStory injured on diving stop, exits Red Sox game
-
Sports2 years agoGame 1 of WS least-watched in recorded history
-
Sports2 years agoMLB Rank 2023: Ranking baseball’s top 100 players
-
Sports4 years ago
Team Europe easily wins 4th straight Laver Cup
-
Sports2 years agoButton battles heat exhaustion in NASCAR debut
-
Environment2 years agoJapan and South Korea have a lot at stake in a free and open South China Sea
-
Environment2 years agoGame-changing Lectric XPedition launched as affordable electric cargo bike