Hunter was born on May 18, 2003, in West Palm Beach, Florida, moving to Georgia in his early teens.[1] He attended Collins Hill High School in Suwanee, Georgia, playing cornerback and wide receiver for the Eagles football team. As a sophomore, he led Gwinnett County with seven interceptions, also recording 49 receptions for 919 yards and 12 touchdowns on offense.[1] As a junior, Hunter had eight interceptions and 51 tackles, in addition to catching 137 passes for 1,746 yards and 24 touchdowns. He earned the MaxPreps Georgia Player of the Year award.[2] He also set Gwinnett County single-season records in receptions, receiving yards and receiving touchdowns,[1] leading the Eagles to a 12–3 record and an appearance in the Class 7A state championship game.[2]
As a senior, Hunter recorded 76 receptions for 1,128 yards and 10 touchdowns on offense, and 23 tackles, four interceptions and a forced fumble on defense,[3] despite missing five games due to an ankle injury.[4] In the state championship game, Hunter had 10 catches for 153 yards and a touchdown, as well as a forced a fumble to cap off a perfect 15–0 record and Collins Hill's first state title in school history.[5] In his final high school game, Hunter had 10 catches for 178 yards and two touchdowns in a 40–36 defeat to Washington state champions Graham-Kapowsin in the GEICO State Championship Bowl Series.[6] He also broke the Georgia state record in career receiving touchdowns with 48, previously held by Braxton Hicks.[6] Hunter played in the 2022 Polynesian Bowl, where he won the offensive MVP honors after recording five receptions for 54 yards.[7]
Hunter was considered the number one overall ranked recruit by 247Sports and Rivals,[8][9] as well as number two by ESPN (behind Walter Nolen).[10] After receiving a scholarship from Florida State, he committed to the Seminoles on March 3, 2020 (one day after making his first visit to the school).[11] On December 15, 2021, Hunter flipped his commitment to the Jackson State Tigers coached by Deion Sanders.[3][12][13] Hunter became the first five-star recruit to sign with an HBCU or FCS school,[12] with the move being cited among the most surprising signings in college football recruiting history.[3][13]
Hunter recorded two receiving touchdowns and two interceptions in the Jackson State spring game, which was the first HBCU spring game to ever be nationally televised.[14] Hunter made his collegiate debut in week 1 against Florida A&M, but did not record any statistics. In the win, Hunter sustained an undisclosed injury that kept him out five games.[15] Hunter returned in week 7 victory against Campbell where he had four receptions for 24 yards. In week 10, Hunter recorded his first collegiate touchdown as well as his first interception against Alabama A&M.[16] In week 11, Hunter had two receptions for a season high 49 yards and one touchdown against Alcorn State. He also recorded an interception for the second consecutive week. In the 2022 Celebration Bowl, Hunter had four receptions for 47 yards and two touchdowns.[17] As a freshman, Hunter accumulated 19 total tackles, eight pass breakups, two interceptions, one fumble recovery and one defensive touchdown in seven games played. On offense, he added 18 receptions for 188 yards and four touchdowns.[18]
Hunter transferred to the University of Colorado in 2023, following Jackson State head coach Deion Sanders.[19] In his FBS debut, Hunter played 147 total snaps across offense and defense in a 45–42 upset win over the TCU Horned Frogs.[20][21] In the win, Hunter had 11 receptions for 119 yards and three tackles with an interception on defense.[22] In week 3, Hunter sustained an injury during Colorado's overtime victory over rivalColorado State, that sidelined him for the next three games.[23] Hunter returned from injury week 7 against Stanford where he hauled in a season high 13 catches for 140 yards and two touchdowns.[24] In week 8, Hunter caught two interceptions against number 23 ranked UCLA.[25] In week 9, Hunter had eight catches for 98 yards and a score against number 16 ranked Oregon State.[26] In week 11, Hunter had four receptions for 82 yards and one touchdown against Washington State. In the season finale, Hunter caught eight passes for 107 yards and a touchdown against Utah.[27] On the season, Hunter hauled in 57 receptions for 721 yards and five touchdowns. On defense, he recorded three interceptions and 30 tackles.[28] He totaled 1,036 snaps including 437 on offense, 568 on defense and 31 on special teams, averaging 115.1 per game.[29] He was named a 2023 Consensus All-American and second-team All-PAC-12.[30][31] Hunter was also named recipient of the Paul Hornung Award.[32]
To open the 2024 season, Hunter had seven receptions for 132 yards and three touchdowns in the win over North Dakota State.[33]In the September 7th game, Colorado was dominated 28-10 by Nebraska. Hunter significantly impacted the offense with 10 catches for 110 yards, but he faced criticism for his lack of effort on the Cornhuskers’ first score of the game[34]. In the September 21 game against Baylor, Hunter made the game-winning forced fumble at the goal line in a 38–31 overtime thriller.[35] After finishing the regular season playing nearly 1,400 scrimmage snaps on offense and defense, 382 more than any other player in the country, Hunter won the Heisman Trophy. He was the Colorado Buffaloes second-ever Heisman winner, the first being Rashaan Salaam in 1994.[36] He was also only the second-ever defensive player to win the award, following Charles Woodson in 1997.[37] In addition, Hunter was the first player in college football history to win both the Chuck Bednarik Award, as the nation's top defensive player, and the Fred Biletnikoff Award, as the nation's best wide receiver.[38]
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