Travis Hunter becomes 31st consensus All-American in CU Buffs histor…

Colorado’s Travis Hunter is a rare talent and on Thursday he joined some rare company.

The Buffaloes’ star cornerback/receiver was named first-team All-American by the American Football Coaches Association (AFCA) and The Sporting News. He was first-team in the “athlete” position by The Sporting News and first-team all-purpose for AFCA.

Earlier this week, Hunter was named first-team All-American by the Associated Press and the Football Writers Association of America.

With those honors, Hunter is just the 31st consensus first-team All-American in CU history and the first since offensive tackle Nate Solder in 2010. To be considered a consensus All-American, a player must be chosen by at least three of the five publications utilized by the NCAA: AP, FWAA, AFCA, The Sporting News and Walter Camp.

Hunter just missed out on being a unanimous All-American when he was not included on the Walter Camp team, which is the only one of the five that does not have an all-purpose, flex or athlete position on its team. CU has had just five unanimous All-Americans in its history, with tight end Daniel Graham (2001) being the most recent.

The first first-team All-American at CU by any publication since Solder, Hunter also won the Paul Hornung Award, which goes to the most versatile player in the country.

Hunter played 1,002 snaps from scrimmage (436 on offense, 566 on defense), as well as 30 on special teams in the nine games he played. He missed three full games and half of another with a lacerated liver.

Offensively, Hunter caught 57 passes for 721 yards and five touchdowns. On defense, he had 30 tackles, three interceptions and five pass breakups.

A sophomore, Hunter was one of only three underclassmen nationally to early consensus All-American honors, along with Oklahoma State running back Ollie Gordon II and Georgia safety Malaki Starks.