With the Heisman platform, Shedeur Sanders, Travis Hunter choose humility

The irony is the humility.

Shedeur Sanders is on the Zoom screen Thursday speaking, and no one gets more airtime than Shedeur. He appears in commercials for Kentucky Fried Chicken, Gatorade and Beats by Dre, where his co-stars are LeBron James, Shohei Ohtani and Lionel Messi.

He has a flex touchdown celebration and a “Perfect Timing” chant to accompany it. In a press conference set up to discuss college football’s greatest individual honor, Sanders had every opportunity to make his case.

Given the microphone, he declared:

“Travis Hunter should win the Heisman (Trophy). That’s it. I think he deserves it,” said Sanders, who has 27 touchdowns and seven interceptions. “If it’s between me and him, I want him to get it .”

Hunter appeared on the conference call before Shedeur. Hunter has become the overwhelming favorite for the sport’s most coveted award, his unicorn existence as a two-way player — he insisted Thursday that he can also throw a football 70 yards — overpowering Ashton Jeanty’s impersonation of Barry Sanders. Hunter’s senior executive provided the opportunity to deliver a Heisman quote to match his many Heisman moments.

And instead he showed restraint:

“If one of us wins, it’s the same team, same school. We have the same goals,” Hunter said. “If he wins it, I’ll be super happy, like I won it because I’ve worked hard to help him get there, and if I win it, everybody helped me get there.”

Coach Deion Sanders made CU college football’s most hated team in 2023, garnering mainstream attention for a fast start that ended in a four-win season. He was characterized as a leader who cared more about his children than his roster.

He’s making it about him — Deion was social media before social media — but can we really say it’s not about them, too? That is, his players. On Thursday, he received a pledge from quarterback Julian “Ju Ju” Lewis, the No. 1 recruit. 2 in the 2025 ESPN 300 class.

Should Deion pull a Hunter and do both: Coach CU and the Dallas Cowboys?

“I don’t think Ju Ju would commit unless he believed Deion was going to be there,” top Fox Sports college analyst Joel Klatt told The Denver Post.

So the star quarterback goes after his teammate to win the Heisman, Hunter wants his quarterback to win the top prize, and the coach lands a quarterback who could ultimately claim it — and this team is selfish?

I understand the perception. But I don’t buy it.

The Buffs face suddenly smoldering Kansas at Arrowhead Stadium on Saturday with a path to the Big 12 title game and a College Football Playoff bid in the palm of their hands. CU, a team that failed to win a game over the last seven weeks in 2023, could play for a national title.

The Buffs put themselves in this position because of hard work, not social media clicks. They responded to the Nebraska beating with humility. And that’s why this team, to me, has become more entertaining than polarizing.

How they are perceived is beyond their control. But at Champions Center headquarters, the buy-in is real.

Shedeur had no interest in talking about his father’s future or the school’s long-term outlook, explaining that focusing on anything other than how to “tear apart” Kansas’ defense would be disrespectful to his teammates. He believes he’s been the best quarterback in college football the last two years, but admitted, “It’s not up to me to prove myself by talking about why (it’s about) week in and week out to handle my business.”

When Nebraska throttled CU, a relevant season hung in the balance. The Buffs have gone 7-1 since, their games a series of Wows.

Their defensive improvements have been startling, with CU controlling the line and writing a diary of sack chaos.

“We got tired of being the step son,” safety Cam’Ron Silmon Craig said. “We don’t want the offense to win every game. We know what we can do physically, matching teams. We have a chip on our shoulder.”

This mentality matters because Saturday sets up like a setup. Kansas is just a 4-6 team in record. The Jayhawks boast back-to-back wins over 8-2 Iowa State and previously unbeaten Brigham Young. And if Jalon Daniels isn’t the best quarterback CU has faced, he’s the hottest, finally finding out that the purpose of football isn’t to throw the ball to the other team.

KU must win to reach a bowl. The Jayhawks are desperate, like eating sushi from a gas station desperate.