Sports

Colorado Buffaloes' biggest stars facing off to start NFL season

Colorado Buffaloes On SI · Jul 21, 2026 15:00 · 3 min read

Colorado Buffaloes' Biggest Stars Facing Off to Start NFL Season — Jacksonville Jaguars wide receiver Travis Hunter (12) walks off the field after the second day of minicamp at the Miller Electric Center, Wednesday, June 10, 2026, in Jacksonville. [Doug Engle/Florida Times-Union] | USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect

The Cleveland Browns and Jacksonville Jaguars play in week one of the 2026 NFL season, meaning former Colorado Buffaloes stars: quarterback Shedeur Sanders and cornerback/wide receiver Travis Hunter are set to play one another.

A pair of former Colorado Buffaloes stars will kick off the 2026 NFL season facing each other. The Cleveland Browns and Jacksonville Jaguars are scheduled to match up in week one, reuniting Browns quarterback Shedeur Sanders and Jaguars cornerback/wide receiver Travis Hunter.

Kickoff for this game is 11 a.m. MT on Sunday, Sept. 13 and will be broadcast on CBS.

Shedeur Sanders vs. Travis Hunter in Week One

colorado buffaloes travis hunter shedeur sanders nfl draft week one cleveland browns jacksonville jaguars quarterback heisman — Oct 24, 2023; Denver, Colorado, USA; University of Colorado Buffaloes football players Shedeur Sanders (L) and Travis Hunter (R) watch during the third period between the Denver Nuggets and the Los Angeles Lakers at Ball Arena. Mandatory Credit: Isaiah J. Downing-USA TODAY Sports | USA TODAY Sports via Reuters Connect

Shedeur Sanders and Travis Hunter have yet to play each other in the NFL. Both starred for Colorado in 2023 and 2024 before being selected in the 2025 NFL Draft. Sanders and Hunter each have their jersey number retired with Colorado: Sanders' No. 2 and Hunter's No. 12.

In Sanders’ two seasons in Boulder, he threw for 7,364 yards with 64 touchdowns and 13 interceptions. Sanders was named the 2024 Big 12 Offensive Player of the Year. He ended up being selected in the fifth round of the 2025 NFL Draft by the Browns.

Sanders started seven games as a rookie in 2025, accumulating a 3-4 record while throwing for 1,400 yards with seven touchdowns and 10 interceptions. It remains to be seen if he will be the Browns starting quarterback in week one.

Travis Hunter played alongside Sanders at Colorado and was his favorite target. Hunter played both offense and defense for the Buffaloes in 2023 and 2024. At wide receiver, he had 153 receptions for 1,979 yards and 20 touchdowns. At cornerback, Hunter tallied 66 total tackles, 3.0 tackles for loss, seven interceptions, 16 passes defended, and one forced fumble.

In 2023, Hunter was named a Consensus All-American. In 2024, his two-way stardom took off even more. Hunter was a Unanimous All-American, the Big 12 Defensive Player of the Year, and winner of the 2024 Heisman Trophy. Following the season, he declared for the 2025 NFL Draft and was selected No. 2 overall by the Jaguars.

Hunter was only able to play in seven games as a rookie, hauling in 28 receptions for 298 yards and a touchdown on offense and racking up 15 total tackles and three passes defended on defense. Hunter suffered a season ending knee injury after his seventh game.

If Sanders and Hunter both get the start at their respective positions in week one, they’ll be going right at one another, with Sanders at quarterback and Hunter at cornerback.

This is a matchup that no doubt happened not only when they were both playing at Colorado, but also in their time together at Jackson State. Before transferring to Colorado in 2023, Sanders and Hunter played for coach Deion Sanders at Jackson State before Coach Prime took the head coaching job with the Buffs.

Hunter was the No. 1 ranked high school recruit in the 2022 recruiting class. He stunned the college football world by signing with Jackson State, an FCS school, over big time programs such as the Florida State Seminoles.

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