Colorado Buffaloes star Travis Hunter's plan for an encore - ESPN

At the EA Sports College Football 25 cover shoot in March, Colorado two-way star Travis Hunter gathered near midfield at the Cotton Bowl alongside fellow cover athletes Quinn Ewers and Donovan Edwards.

The photographer asked Hunter to toss a football in the air, dash downfield and then catch a pass from Ewers, the Texas quarterback. After warming up with Edwards, the Michigan running back — throwing spirals with both arms — Hunter was ready.

«Watch this,» he told the camera, launching the ball toward the blue Dallas sky. He then raced 50 yards toward the end zone to haul in Ewers' pass. The sequence would promote the video game, but also underscore that Hunter is no ordinary player.

Who else would be asked to throw the ball and also catch it? If he could clone himself, Hunter, who starts at both cornerback and wide receiver for Colorado, would be able to defend the pass, too.

«The plays he makes out there on the field, it's not normal,» Ewers said.

Hunter stretches the imagination of what an elite college player can do. Six months before the EA Sports cover shoot, he showcased his vast talents 40 miles from the Cotton Bowl, at TCU in Fort Worth, as Colorado made its debut under coach Deion Sanders, the Pro Football Hall of Famer. In sweltering heat, Hunter logged 146 plays from scrimmage, recording an interception and 11 receptions, as Colorado upset the reigning national runner-up.

Hunter would eclipse 100 plays in seven games, topping out at 150 against Stanford. According to ESPN Stats & Information, he finished with 1,007 plays for the season — 572 on defense, 412 on offense and 23 on special teams. Despite missing three games and nearly an entire half against Colorado State with a lacerated liver, Hunter recorded