Just days before Colorado’s Travis Hunter and Shedeur Sanders land at their new NFL homes in the draft, the Buffaloes took one more opportunity to honor the two program-changing players in a big way.
On April 15, a social media post announced that Hunter’s and Sanders’ jersey numbers (No. 12 and No. 2, respectively) would be retired, never to be worn again by Colorado football players. The two were honored during the Buffs’ Spring Game on April 19 at Folsom Field in Boulder.
While both Hunter and Sanders played dominant roles in rejuvenizing the Colorado football program and are set to be first-round NFL draft picks, fans are meeting the news with mixed reactions. Some are questioning whether both are worthy of the jersey retirement honor.
Hunter is just the second Buffalo to win the Heisman Trophy, joining Colorado legend Rashaan Salaam, who took home the award in 1994. Hunter famously has said he will not play football if he can’t play on both sides of the ball, like he did excellently at Colorado.
Before Hunter and Sanders, Salaam’s No. 9 jersey was one of only four previous Buffs to ever be retired. The others are Byron White (No. 24), Joe Romig (No. 67) and Bobby Anderson (No. 11).
In two seasons for Colorado, Hunter caught 153 passes for 1,979 yards and 20 touchdowns. He also snagged seven interceptions on defense and recorded 66 total tackles.
Sanders is another (success) story.
In 24 starts for the Buffaloes, Sanders threw for 7,364 yards, 64 touchdowns and 13 interceptions with a 71.8% completion percentage.
He is just the second quarterback in history to throw for 14,000+ yards while completing over 70% of his passes in his college career (Jackson State included). Sanders is also the 2024 Johnny Unitas Golden Arm Award winner, a 2024 First-Team All-American and the 2024 Big 12 Offensive Player of the Year.
Pretty impressive stats when you put it like that. But many fans are dubious that both players deserved to have their numbers in the rafters.
Here is what fans had to say about the news.
“I would say that it’s far too soon for either of them, but at the end of the day, I have no real problem with retiring Travis Hunter’s number. As one of only two Heisman Trophy winners in school history, that’s a pretty easy case to make … Shedeur is a far more complicated case. Along with Hunter and [Head Coach Deion Sanders], you can argue that Shedeur helped bring CU football back from the dead. But if we compare records and accolades, Darian Hagan and Kordell Stewart both accomplished far more in Boulder than Shedeur, and those are just the quarterbacks at the top of mind. There are plenty of greats from the heyday of Bill McCartney that would deserve this honor first. I could absolutely see Shedeur’s number honored in the Ring of Honor on the press box, but that’s different than retiring it forever. And regardless of how deserving they may or may not be, to retire these numbers before either one of them even leaves campus is a slap in the face to the greats that came before.”
— Shane Church, CU marching band alum
“Are there more deserving players? Yes, there are, but are those past players making CU relevant now? Hell no! I’m in the camp that whatever it takes to make Deion happy and want to stay in Colorado is what’s important for CU football and the university now.”
— Dan Villanueva, Denver
“I believe that there should be a waiting period at the conclusion of their college career before retiring a number. While they may have been great at CU, this greatness may not continue. They may struggle at the next level or develop off-field issues. I agree with Travis’ retirement, being that he is the Heisman winner and the multiple other awards he was given. However, even his consideration should’ve had a waiting period.”
— Jen Bryan, Broomfield
“I 100% believe only Travis should have had his jersey retired. Heisman award winner, two-way player, easy top-three pick in the draft. Shedeur, who also played a critical role in the Buffs rebuilding their team, was a great QB and leader, but that doesn’t mean you retire the number. Best stat was his completion percentage, when I think almost 30% of that was screen passes. Why would we retire Shedeur’s when we haven’t retired Kordell Stewart?”
— Zachary Lundgren, Denver
“I think it should’ve only been Travis. As a Heisman-winner, two-way player and just a great guy in-person and on the field, I think it’s a well-deserved honor. I think it’s important to note that he isn’t the first player to play two positions, but according to Buffs history, it seems like the greatest and most/deserving players did (Byron White and Bobby Anderson – though both were offensive players, if I remember correctly). I think Travis is the first to get such high honors for offense and defense … Shedeur was a major component when it came to being a leader, and also contributed to Travis’ success, but I feel like that’s his job as a QB. He did the job well, and he deserved all the recognition for doing just that, but he wasn’t the only one. To warrant a number retirement, I think you need to go above and beyond and really stand out.”
— Brooke Moreilhon, Westminster
“Only 4 jerseys have been retired in the history of CU football. The last one was also a Heisman winner, so it would be fitting that Hunter’s number also be retired. Sanders has the most passing yards ever and a lot of other records, but he didn’t lead the team to anything close to a national championship. If he had, then he might be justified to have his jersey retired. As it stands though, he shouldn’t.
— Brent Schneider, Denver
“I agree that Hunter’s number should be retired, but as Shedeur was a talented quarterback, he never took the team to a major bowl. I’d rather see quarterback Darian Hagan or running back Eric Bienemy, who took the Buffs to the national championship in 1990. Or quarterback Kordell Stewart; have their numbers retired before Shedeur Sanders. Plus, those young men never played for big money like the players do now. It was a different era.”
— Carol McKinley, Littleton
“I think that Travis Hunter won the Heisman, so it makes sense to retire his number and have it retired before other CU all-time greats. As for Shedeur, his overall record and impact for sustained team wins does not indicate to me a number retirement, especially this soon. CU just wants the exposure.”
— Brandon Stuever, Lakewood
Based on what we saw on the field from Travis and Shadeur, I think retiring of their numbers is well deserved. Travis is a generational talent, who played at the highest level on both sides of the ball, won countless individual awards, and looks to be a top-5 pick in this years’ draft. Shadeur broke numerous CU passing records all while being the foundational CU quarterback during our new rise to national relevance. I’ve heard opinions circulating that if Shadeur has No. 2 retired then Kordell Stewart is deserving of having No. 10 retired. While that case could be made, I don’t think it detracts from anything Shadeur has been able to do in the past couple seasons. The performances of both Travis and Shadeur have been dynamic and impactful and set the foundation for future success of the program. That cannot be understated. Furthermore, both players have made Colorado football fun to watch again. Once again, the sky is the limit for Colorado Buffs football.
— Doug Simon, CU Class of 2009
“As a Heisman Trophy winner, I agree with the decision to retire Travis Hunter’s jersey number. That is the ultimate achievement for a college football player. I do not agree with the same treatment for Shedeur Sanders. He was a standout player but did not have the tenure at CU nor the career accomplishments which typically warrant that level of recognition.”
— Connie Meine, Glenwood Springs
“Travis Hunter’s a dog — a two-way player, never came off the field and balled out every snap. He earned that jersey retirement. But Shedeur? He’s good, real good, but he ain’t done enough yet. You can’t retire a number off of hype. Kordell, Salaam, Westbrook — those guys built CU. Let’s not skip history for headlines.”
— Jack Abbey, Arvada
“Hunter’s, I agree with for sure, hard not to retire a Heisman winner’s number. I’m OK with Shedeur’s being retired as well.”
— Bill Martin, Denver
“I understand retiring Hunter’s number because they also retired Rashaan Salaam’s 19 after winning the Heisman, but I don’t agree with retiring Sanders’ number.”
— Jeff Lee, Englewood
“The retirement of Sanders’ and Hunter’s jersey numbers undermines the integrity of the CU football program and disrespects the legacies of past greats, driven more by modern-day player ego and entitlement than true accomplishment.”
— Mike Trujillo, Centennial
What are your thoughts? Email me at jrenfrow@coloradocommunitymedia.com.