CU officially etches Shedeur Sanders and Travis Hunter in the rich history of Buffs football

Madison Kerest/Sko Buffs Sports

Shedeur Sanders and Travis Hunter have officially become the fifth and sixth players in the history of Colorado Buffaloes football to have their jerseys retired, joining Bryron White, Joe Romig, Bobby Anderson and the late Rashaan Salaam. Sanders and Hunter left a mark on a program they brought back from the dead in just two seasons, and the university decided to honor their accomplishments in a quick manner.

Travis Hunter’s jersey is officially retired at Folsom Field pic.twitter.com/6tFCPy1ga1

— Trent Finnegan (@trent_finnegan2) April 19, 2025

There has been a lot of controversy surrounding the decision that the university made on Monday to retire the two jerseys. It took the team two decades and a death to retire Salaam’s number, while no other player from the Bill McCartney era has their number retired, despite the team making two Fiesta Bowls and two Orange Bowls, winning one of each game (the Orange Bowl victory gave the Buffs a share of the 1990 National Championship).

Despite it being early, the retirement of Hunter’s number has not been the decision that has sparked debate in the college football world this week. The 2024 Heisman Trophy winner is one of the best players to ever put on the black and gold, and his overflowing trophy cabinet backs it up. Hunter holds the single-season record for receiving touchdowns (15), and has the second-most receptions (96) and receiving-yards in a season in program history (1,258).

The controversy has been sparked by the decision to retire Sanders’ jersey. Deion “Coach Prime” Sanders wasn’t a fan of the negative noise earlier in the week.

Deion Sanders on retiring Shedeur Sanders and Travis Hunter’s jersey numbers:

"I don't have a message… We talking about Shedeur. We ain't talking about nobody else. But if his last name wasn't Sanders we wouldn't have this discussion."

pic.twitter.com/zK3JZ5k25e

— Denver Sports 104.3 (@DenSports1043) April 17, 2025

Sanders was named as the Big 12 Offensive Player of the Year in 2024 and the quarterback of the AP All-American Second-team. He holds the Colorado career record for passing touchdowns (64), the single-season record for passing yards (4,134) and touchdowns (37), along with the single-game record for passing yards (510). He has helped bring a lot of football fans to Boulder, and is projected to be just the eighth Buff in program history to be selected in the top-10 of the NFL Draft (Hunter will be the seventh).

Another name that has been brought up regarding Sanders’ jersey retirement is Deon Figures. Figures also wore No. 2 with the Buffs from 1988 to 1992. He was a key piece of the 1990 title team, won the Jim Thorpe Award (best defensive back) in 1992, and was named a consensus All-American in his senior season. His greatness was recognized in December when he was inducted into the College Football Hall of Fame.

Despite the controversy, there’s one aspect of this that’s not up for debate, and it’s the only one that matters. Sanders and Hunter have been immortalized in the history of Colorado football, and their numbers will be on display on the east side of Folsom Field going forward, honoring their contributions to the program.

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