Coach Prime preparing to unleash Travis Hunter against Stanford

BOULDER, Colo. — After missing the past three games, there’s a good chance the Buffaloes will get their most dynamic player back in action for Friday night’s Pac-12 clash.

Travis Hunter’s name carries a lot of weight for many reasons. After all, he’s a former five-star prospect, an All-American and a playmaker on both sides of the ball. Hunter has a skill set that’s rare in today’s game. That’s why Colorado fans are eager to see him back on the field against Stanford. However, Coach Prime wants to make sure that Hunter is fully capable of performing to his abilities before putting him back out on the gridiron.

“There’s a tremendous chance that he can play, it goes by how he looks, how he performs and practice, how his wind is,” Coach Prime said. “He has to be in shape, I don’t want him to be a liability, I always want him to be a tremendous asset.”

A lacerated liver is a significant injury for any player to return from after three games. Still, Hunter is using practice this week to shake off some rust, get back in shape and prepare himself for physical contact. He’s a stud at wide receiver with hs speed and athletic ability. Hunter is also a ballhawk at defensive back, with great instincts and an amazing vertical.

His availability allows the Buffaloes to dive deeper into their playbook, and Coach Prime can use Hunter in a variety of ways against the Cardinal.

“Travis came to me yesterday morning saying what more can I do to help us get to the point that we need to get to,” he said. “So I love the team aspect of Travis 100 percent, but I hope he can play.”

Although Hunter was sidelined with an injury, it gave other receivers an opportunity to step up in his absence. Jimmy Horn and Xavier Weaver held it down for the wideouts, and Omarion Miller made the most out of his touches. With Hunter getting back up to speed, quarterback Shedeur Sanders will be able to spread the wealth around. Hunter can take the top off a defense, so he’ll likely become Sanders’ top target again.

Coach Prime emphasized during his weekly press conference that Hunter is right on schedule for a return. He never wanted to rush Hunter back anyway. Instead he made the other players embrace that next man up mentality. Regardless, Coach Prime is being careful with easing Hunter back into the groove of everything.

“He (Hunter) wouldn’t be practicing if he wasn’t cleared, and he has protection on to secure those areas,” the 56-year old coach said. “But you know the game is the game, the game is a violent game, it’s a vicious game, it a very physical game, but Travis is also physical.”

The crowd at Folsom Field is going to be rocking under the lights for Hunter’s highly-anticipated return. The Buffaloes are trying to win their second Pac-12 game of the season, and inch one step closer to bowl eligibility. Coach Prime could care less about the bowl season at this point, but knows Hunter gives the Buffaloes a better chance to be successful in every game.

“We want to win, I don’t care about no bowl right now, we want to win.”