Travis Hunter

Travis Hunter Goes Both Ways

By Shlomo Maital  

Travis Hunter

      Travis Hunter has just won the Heisman Trophy, for the outstanding college football player of the year.  Usually it goes to quarterbacks. But not this year.

       Hunter is unusual.  Most highly-paid football players play either offense or defense.  That alone is hard enough.  Football players suffer injuries constantly, and many end their careers with CTE — chronic traumatic encephalopathy —  brain damage incurred through repeated blows to the head and concussions. 

       Travis plays both offense and defense.  The 21-year-old athlete played for Colorado. He caught 92 passes for 1,152 yards on offense, with 14 touchdowns. On defense, as a corner linebacker, he made 32 tackles, 4 interceptions  and 7 pass breakups. He helped his team shift from a big time loser to a 9-3 record this year, under coach Deion Sanders.  In the season finale, his team routed Oklahoma State 52-0, and Hunter caught three touchdown passes. 

         Once upon a time, football players played both offense and defense. No longer,  In fact, many players are platooned – they play one down, then are taken out to rest.  A typical NFL team has 53 players on the roster – divided into three groups,  offense, defense and special teams (who handle kickoffs and punts). 

         Travis Hunter broke the mold.   When he is drafted for the professional NFL, I doubt he will be allowed to play both ways.  He calls to mind the incredible Shohei Ohtani, Japanese baseball player who both pitches and hits and excels at both for the Los Angeles Dodgers.