Travis Hunter's Heisman backers include Broncos Pat Surtain II and Courtland Sutton

ENGLEWOOD, Colo.

Pat Surtain II had already established himself as one of the best cornerbacks in the NFL as he prepared to enter his fourth season in September.

He had already piled up an all-rookie honor, two Pro Bowl berths and one unanimous All-Pro selection, building a reputation as a player to avoid for opposing quarterbacks.

Advertisement In his fourth season, the Denver Broncos star has raised his game to another level.

His three interceptions one of which was a 100-yard pick-six against the Las Vegas Raiders and nine passes defensed barely scratch the surface of his impact.

He has virtually erased every top receiver hes faced this season.

He has allowed only 4.9 yards per target as the nearest defender and opposing quarterbacks have compiled a meager 59.2 passer rating when throwing his way, according to Pro Football Reference.

He was named the AFC Defensive Player of the Month for November after allowing just 70 yards across 19 targets in four games.

Overall, hes allowed an explosive pass (16 or more yards) on less than 1 percent of his targets this season.

GO DEEPER Broncos defense eager to respond vs.

Colts following 'Monday Night Football' flop Among those who have taken notice of Surtains standout season, even amid his own historic campaign, is University of Colorado two-way standout and Heisman Trophy finalist Travis Hunter.

Hes just a technician, Hunter said on a recent episode of The Pivot podcast, naming Surtain as one of his top-three favorite cornerbacks along with his college coach, Deion Sanders, and Richard Sherman .

Hes just so relaxed.

He dont ever get rattled.

You can call it a mutual admiration society among players who have plied their respective crafts this season inside stadiums that sit just 27 miles apart.

Social media can make the connection even closer than that.

Surtain reached out to Hunter earlier this season by direct message to express his admiration for the tireless weekly performances the junior was putting together for the Buffaloes.

Surtain, along with wide receiver Courtland Sutton , wore a shirt with Hunters name and likeness on it before Denvers game on Monday Night Football in Week 13, pushing his fandom of the Big 12 Defensive Player of the Year on national display.

Respect.

#HE12MAN x @CUBuffsFootball pic.twitter.com/OPWWlR7K6k Denver Broncos (@Broncos) December 2, 2024 Hes very unique, the type of player he is.

His body of work speaks for itself, Surtain said of Hunter, who had four interceptions as a corner and 14 touchdowns as a receiver (plus one rushing) while playing more than 700 snaps on each side of the ball and leading Colorado to just its second nine-win season since 2001.

Him coming in and doing the things hes done is something weve never seen before, honestly.

Im excited for his future.

Advertisement Surtain is certainly not the only fan of Hunter in the NFLs closest locker room to Boulder or in the NBA s for that matter.

Denver Nuggets players DeAndre Jordan and Peyton Watson shared their support of Hunters Heisman candidacy earlier this month when they wore the same shirts to Ball Arena before a game against the Golden State Warriors.

Sutton, meanwhile, went to high school with Sanders son, Deion Jr., in Dallas.

The Broncos top wide receiver doesnt keep in regular contact with the Sanders family Hunter, Deion Sanders has said, is an extension of that family but those Texas connections have led Sutton to keep close tabs on the group since its first college stop at Jackson State.

After Denvers win against the Browns , Sutton turned a question about the Hunter hoodie he was wearing into a two-minute stump speech for the Buffs one-of-a-kind star.

Ive known his family for a while now, Sutton said.

Im not going to sit here and act like Im mad, mad close to them, but Ive known his family for a while, and to see what Travis Hunter is doing at Colorado, the kid is special.

He is the epitome of an athlete.

He goes out there and plays 120 snaps a game, offensively and defensively.

He thrives on both sides of the ball and its fun to watch him play.

Whenever they play, its like, Alright, what did Travis do? How many touchdowns did he have? How many interceptions did he have? We have debates in the locker room all the time about who is going to win the Heisman, and its just really hard to take it away from a guy who has been dominant not just playing on both sides of the ball, but being dominant on both sides of the ball.

GO DEEPER Can Broncos navigate the toughest homestretch among AFC playoff hopefuls? Thats not to say the belief Hunter should win the Heisman when the award is presented in New York City on Saturday is unanimous inside Denvers locker room.

Boise State running back Ashton Jeanty, Hunters biggest competition for the award among a field of finalists that also includes quarterbacks Dillon Gabriel (Oregon) and Cam Ward (Miami), has rushed for 2,497 yards and 29 touchdowns while leading his Broncos to the College Football Playoff.

If Jeanty rushes for 132 yards or more in the Fiesta Bowl on New Years Day, hell break Barry Sanders NCAA single-season rushing record of 2,682 yards, a number that would have been even higher had the NCAA counted bowl statistics back in 1988.

Advertisement (Hunter) is a generational talent, Broncos safety P.J.

Locke said.

Its something Ive never seen with my two eyes, someone going both ways and being the top receiver and top defensive back.

I think its going to be a tough one because youve also got someone who is getting ready to break Barry Sanders (single-season NCAA rushing) record.

I already told JL (Skinner, a fellow Broncos safety and former Boise State standout) that records getting broken.

Its a tough decision and Id hate to be the one making that decision, so Im glad Im not on that committee.

Surtain has little doubt about the outcome.

He believes Hunter will obviously be the deserving winner on Saturday.

From there, Denvers superstar cornerback is eager to watch Hunters career unfold in the NFL.

Debate will rage in the months to come about which side of the ball should be the focus for Hunter, but Surtain doesnt think Hunter will have to choose.

The ball is in his court, Surtain said.

I believe he can do whatever he puts his mind to.

Hes shown it at the collegiate level.

I think he can definitely play both ways.

(Photo: Aaron M.

Sprecher / Getty Images).

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