During Big 12 media day in Las Vegas two weeks ago, Colorado’s Shedeur and Shilo Sanders were asked what makes Travis Hunter special.
Going into their third season of playing with Hunter, the Sanders brothers have seen a lot of what Hunter can do.
“Turn on the film,” Shedeur said. “You see what he does. I mean, itap nothing I can even say. There’s nothing I can say. Everything that you see is basically who he is.”
Shedeur, the Buffaloes’ star quarterback, could have been talking about Hunter as a receiver – where he’s one of CU’s top playmakers – but his comments also apply to Hunter as a cornerback.
Leading up to preseason camp, BuffZone.com will preview each position group for the CU football team and in this installment, we look at the defensive backs.
The CU secondary is led by Hunter, an elite talent who is one of the best players on offense and defense in the country. In addition to his 57 catches for 721 yards on offense last year, Hunter posted 31 tackles, three interceptions and five pass breakups on defense and he impresses his teammates with his football IQ.
“Football is a really mental game,” Shilo, a starting safety for the Buffs, said when asked about Hunter. “There’s not really much physical difference between 4.4, 4.5, 4.6, 4.7 (seconds in the 40-yard dash), so it comes down to decision making. Some guys have great decision making instincts and thatap what separates them.”
Itap certainly what separates Hunter, which is why the spotlight will be on him. But, he’s not the only player that makes CU’s secondary an intriguing group.
Even with Hunter last year, the Buffs didn’t have a good pass defense. They ranked 116th nationally in pass efficiency defense (148.81 opponent QB rating) and 127th in passing yards allowed (276.9 per game). Only six of 133 teams nationally gave up more touchdown passes than CU’s 28.
The Buffs have an entirely new group around Hunter at corner, though (as well as more talent on the defensive front).
Transfers DJ McKinney (Oklahoma State) and Preston Hodge (Liberty) are both experienced players who had an exceptional spring with the Buffs. In fact, both were so good at corner this spring that Hunter played quite a bit at nickel.
“The secondary, shoot, they get out of bed and want to play man-to-man coverage,” CU head coach Deion Sanders, arguably the best cornerback in football history, said. “I love it.”
Two other transfers, Colton Hood (Auburn) and Ivan Yates (Furman), bring good depth to the Buffs at cornerback.
At safety, the Buffs are led by Shilo Sanders, and his father said, “Shilo can’t wait to hit somebody.”
Shilo, known as a big hitter, finished second on the team with 67 tackles last year, while also tying for third in the country in forced fumbles (four).
Cam’Ron Silmon-Craig also returns and he’s one of the top playmakers on the Buffs’ defense, finishing last year with 44 tackles and three interceptions.
Silmon-Craig was a 10-game starter last year, mostly at nickel, but he’s likely to be next to Shilo at safety. They both started at safety at Jackson State in 2022 and together they form a solid duo.
Senior Travis Jay and sophomore Carter Stoutmire – who can also play corner – also return to safety. The Buffs were also bolstered by three transfers on the back end: RJ Johnson (Arkansas), Savion Riley (Vanderbilt) and Herman Smith III (Jackson State).
Position: Defensive backs
Returners with 2023 starts: Travis Hunter, 6-foot-1, 185 pounds, Jr. (9 starts); Shilo Sanders, 6-0, 195, Sr. (11 starts); Cam’Ron Silmon-Craig, 5-10, 185, Sr. (10 starts); Carter Stoutmire, 5-11, 205, So. (1 start)
Other returners: Isaiah Hardge, 5-10, 160, R-Fr.; Travis Jay, 6-2, 205, Sr.; Austin Dahlke, 6-1, 195, Jr. (walk-on); Ben Finneseth, 6-2, 205, Jr. (walk-on); Braden Keith, 5-10, 175, So. (walk-on); Nahmier Robinson, 5-9, 170, R-Fr. (walk-on); Nathaniel Watson, 5-10,170, So. (walk-on).
Transfers: Preston Hodge, 6-0, 195, Sr. (Liberty); Colton Hood, 5-11, 188, R-Fr. (Auburn); RJ Johnson, 6-2, 180, Fr. (Arkansas); DJ McKinney, 6-2, 190, So. (Oklahoma State); Savion Riley, 6-2, 202, So. (Vanderbilt); Herman Smith III, 6-2, 190, Sr. (Jackson State); Ivan Yates, 6-0, 180, Jr. (Furman); Adonis Forrest, 6-4, 215, Sr. (Eastern Illinois, walk-on).
True freshmen: Ebenezer Bouzi, 6-1, 180; Malakai Murphy, 6-1, 190; Angel Lopez, 6-1, 165 (walk-on); Kole Mathis, 5-8, 140 (walk-on).
Key losses: Kyndrich Breedlove (transferred to Purdue); Omarion Cooper (transferred to Florida State); Cormani McClain (transferred to Florida); Jaden Milliner-Jones (transferred to SMU); Jahquez Robinson (transferred to Auburn); Myles Slusher (entered transfer portal); Rodrick Ward (graduated).
