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Colorado star Travis Hunter out 3 weeks, Deion Sanders says

By Sam Cooper, Yahoo Sports

Colorado State v Colorado BOULDER, CO - SEPTEMBER 16: Cornerback Travis Hunter #12 of the Colorado Buffaloes stands on the field before the start of a game against the Colorado Buffaloes at Folsom Field on September 16, 2023 in Boulder, Colorado. (Photo by Dustin Bradford/Getty Images) (Dustin Bradford/Getty Images)

By Sam Cooper, Yahoo Sports

Colorado will be without two-way star Travis Hunter for three weeks.

CU head coach Deion Sanders told Carl Reed of 247Sports that Hunter will miss the next three games after sustaining an injury during Saturday night's win over Colorado State. Colorado, now 3-0 and ranked No. 19 in the country, will open Pac-12 play this weekend at No. 10 Oregon. From there, CU hosts No. 5 USC on Sept. 30 and then will travel to Arizona State on Oct. 7.

Hunter, who plays both wide receiver and cornerback for the Buffs, took a hard hit from CSU safety Henry Blackburn during the second quarter. Hunter was the intended target of a Shedeur Sanders pass down the left sideline. The pass fell incomplete and Blackburn hit him late in the midsection. Blackburn was given a 15-yard unsportsmanlike conduct penalty for a late hit out of bounds. Ayden Hector, the CSU cornerback covering Hunter, was also hit with a pass interference penalty on the play.

Hunter briefly returned to the game after sustaining the hit from Blackburn, but later was removed from action and taken to a local hospital for evaluation. After the game, head coach Deion Sanders said he heard that Hunter would be “out for a few weeks.” On Monday, he confirmed the three-week timeframe to Reed, a longtime coach in Florida who now works for 247Sports as an analyst.

“We’re going to do what we got to do to take care of him,” Deion Sanders said after the game. “I know Travis like a book. He’s probably going to want to be out for two weeks, but his health is more important than this game.”

Hunter was the No. 1 recruit in the class of 2022 who signed with Jackson State when Sanders was the coach at JSU. He then followed Sanders to Colorado and has made a major impact in the 3-0 start for the Buffs.

Hunter has 16 catches for 213 yards on offense while also serving as CU’s top cornerback. During the Buffaloes' season-opening win at TCU, Hunter made a diving interception and also had 11 catches for 119 yards.

Hunter will be sorely missed as the Buffs go on the road to face Oregon on Saturday for their conference opener. Oregon, the No. 10 team in the country, is also 3-0 and is coming off a 55-10 win over Hawaii.

Oregon is currently a 21-point favorite over Colorado at BetMGM.

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