Deion Sanders Rips 'Idiotic' Decision To Keep Travis Hunter Off Jim Thorpe Award Finalist List

Colorado head coach Deion Sanders was livid Tuesday afternoon by the decision of voters of the Jim Thorpe Award to not include Travis Hunter as a finalist for the best defensive back in college football. 

Right now, the Buffaloes DB is one of the betting favorites to win the Heisman Trophy, given to the best player in college football. Playing on both sides of the ball, Travis Hunter has been a force this season on the offensive side, being nominated for the Biletnikoff Award, which is given to the best wide receiver in the sport. 

As we've seen this season, Travis Hunter has been a major part of the Buffaloes run to an 8-3 regular season record. So, when it was not a finalist for the best defensive back, it did not sit well with his head coach. 

Hunter has 31 total tackles, with three interceptions. The three finalists for the award were Texas CB Jahdae Barron, Ohio State's Caleb Downs and Georgia's Malaki Starks. Comparing the numbers, Barron has 41 tackles with four interceptions, Downs has 50 tackles, while Starks has 55 tackles and one interception. 

Obviously, one of the key points that Deion Sanders made Tuesday was that teams have stayed away from throwing against Travis Hunter this season, which in his mind should be a positive in the minds of voters, and not something that is held against him. 

On Tuesday, former Thorpe Award winner Deion Sanders made it clear that he thought the decision was ‘idiotic’ by the selection committee. 

"How is Travis Hunter snubbed by the Thorpe Award? You can have my award," Sanders said Tuesday. "You can have it back. Matter of fact, I’m going to give him mine. I ain’t using it. It’s just sitting up there collecting dust. So Travis can have my Thorpe Award, because if this ain’t the most idiotic thing in college football, that he’s not a finalist for the Jim Thorpe Award, and he is, I would say arguably, but I don’t think it’s really an argument about this young man being the best defensive back in college football."

Travis Hunter ‘Snubbed’ By Jim Thorpe Award Voters

Obviously, Deion Sanders has a point, but the committee certainly wasn’t thinking the same way as the Colorado head coach. 

In terms of teams not throwing toward Hunter, I think it's fair to say that opposing coaches have done their best to steer away from the defensive back as much as possible. Given that he's such a weapon on the defensive side of the ball, it's possible that all of Hunter's hard work will end up gaining him the Heisman Trophy after championship weekend in college football. 

BOULDER, COLORADO - AUGUST 29: Travis Hunter #12 of the Colorado Buffaloes celebrates scoring a touchdown during the first quarter against the North Dakota State Bison at Folsom Field on August 29, 2024 in Boulder, Colorado. (Photo by Andrew Wevers/Getty Images)

For Deion Sanders, he did what every coach would do for one of their players. Who knows, maybe Hunter wins the award for best wide receiver, and then captures the most prestigious trophy in college football in two weeks. 

With one regular season game remaining for Colorado, I'd expect Travis Hunter to try his best to make life miserable for the Oklahoma State offense on Friday.