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Will Travis play WR, CB, or both?

Ever since Travis Hunter was selected second overall by the Jacksonville Jaguars on draft night, fans have been wondering how his new NFL team plans to utilize him. The two-way superstar shined at Colorado, acting as the Buffs’ best wide receiver and cornerback, tallying 1,979 receiving yards and 20 touchdowns in his two years in Boulder, along with seven interceptions and a forced fumble for good measure.

When Hunter declared for the draft in December, questions have remained about how his unique talent will translate to the pro game. Can Hunter play both wide receiver and corner at the highest level? Will his new team view him more as a cornerback or a receiver, or even let him play both cornerback and receiver altogether?

Jags general manager James Gladstone wasted no time answering those questions, making it loud and clear in their post-draft press conference. You don’t send a boatload of picks to the Browns for the No. 2 overall pick unless you’re ready to let Travis Hunter be Travis Hunter, which means letting him loose on both sides of the ball.

From the moment Jacksonville made the pick, it was obvious what the plan was. Gladstone opened the team’s introductory press conference by giving a great speech about how Travis Hunter is going to change the game of football.

“Travis Hunter embodies belief,” Gladstone said in his presser. “He’s a rare person, he’s a rare player, but he’s also a reminder that the boundaries of the game of football were meant to be challenged. The decision to select [Hunter] was actually a statement; a statement of how we plan to move and who we are. And we want [Hunter] to be nothing more than him, because when he is, he elevates the space around him. From the football field, to the city, to the game of football itself, Travis Hunter is who we’ve been hunting up.”

This quote from Jaguars GM James Gladstone about Travis Hunter is pretty awesome pic.NOPE/mzUyPRmQRv

— Field Yates (@FieldYates) April 29, 2025​

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Following Gladstone’s words, new Jags head coach Liam Coen took the podium to clafify a bit more information about how Hunter will be utilized on the field, at least during his rookie season.

“We have a plan right now of him playing primarily on offense, with him learning the defensive system and practicing on the defensive side of the ball, as well throughout this offseason program,” said Coen.

Coen’s words indicate that offense will be the starting point for Hunter this season, but defense isn’t off the table, which shouldn’t be a shock. The former Buff has proven time and time again that he can dominate either way, but with the way the modern NFL works, there’s much more money to be made playing receiver.

According to Reception Perception, Travis finished in the 92nd percentile in success rate vs. man coverage, along with 97th vs. zone and 97th vs. press. Hunter has put up the tape and numbers to back up this reputation as an elite pass catcher. That kind of production speaks for itself, especially for someone who played both ways full-time at the Power 4 level.

Travis Hunter is not a normal player, and the Jaguars seem ready to treat him like the rare weapon he is.

by Jacob.Thompson
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Tad Boyle is hot on the recruiting trail.

The Colorado Buffaloes officially signed two transfers this week, Barrington Hargress from UC Riverside and Jon Mani from Denver.

Hargress is the big one. Tad Boyle was looking for a lead guard last summer, couldn’t find one, and then this past season wishing he had. (Julian Hammond did a great job, but he’s more of a pure point guard than a pure scorer.) Hargress should be that guy.

In two seasons with the Highlanders, Hargress demonstrated his ability to create shots for himself and others, averaging more than 20 points and 4 assists. The 6’0, 195-lbs. guard isn’t big, but he’s explosive, strong and knows how to get to his spots. Sometimes he veers too far into hero ball, but hopefully he’ll trust his CU teammates a bit more.


While Hargress was a home run transfer, Jon Mani is an infield single. A three-star out of Beverly Hills, California, Mani was DU’s highest ever recruit, but the freshman struggled badly in what was a lost season for the Pios. His play time was sporadic, his production almost non-existent, and DU coach Jeff Wulbrun was fired midseason.

Tad Boyle sees potential in Mani, highlighting his ability to pass, dribble and shoot, a versatile skill set for a 6’6 guard. Mani will compete for a rotation spot, but is more likely to redshirt as strength coach Steve Englehart could add a few pounds to his wiry frame.

The Buffs will be a young team, as those transfers arrive to Boulder alongside five high schools recruits headlined by Josiah Sanders and Jalin Holland. They join returning star Bangot Dak, promising freshmen Sebastian Rancik and Felix Kossaras, and lone senior Elijah Malone.

Colorado has one more scholarship and will look for an instant contributor, likely on the wing.

by Sam Metivier
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John Slaughter and Larry Johnson III are coming to Boulder

Coach Prime and the Colorado Buffaloes have had an extremely successful recruiting week, bringing in multiple key players at positions of need ahead of the 2025 season. Coincidentally, two incoming transfers are headed to Boulder from the same location: the University of Tennessee, Knoxville.

Offensive tackle Larry Johnson III was the first former Volunteer to commit to Colorado, making it official on Wednesday morning. Johnson, listed at 6-foot-7 and 250 pounds, was a former top 20 JuCo prospect coming out of Hutchinson Community College in Kansas in 2023.

After committing to play in Knoxville, the big-bodied tackle opted to redshirt in 2023 for the Vols. In 2024, Johnson played in 11 of Tennessee’s 13 games, primarily playing at left tackle. Although the competition to start at right tackle will be a tough battle, between the likes of Phillip Houston, Xavier Hill and others, expect Johnson to fight for his right to play in Boulder. Johnson will have two years of eligibility left with the Buffaloes.

Safety John Slaughter was the second former Vol to decide to trade Rocky Top in for the Flatirons, also committing to CU on Wednesday. Other than having an elite last name, Slaughter made an impact within the Vols’ secondary during his time in Knoxville, tallying six tackles and an interception in 22 games with Tennessee, primarily getting utilized as a special teamer.

Slaughter visited both Purdue and Colorado after entering the transfer portal, eventually deciding to become a Buffalo. The 6-foot-2, 195-pound defensive back profiles more as a depth piece within CU’s safety room, but expect him to be utilized in specific packages in 2025. Slaughter has two years of eligibility remaining.

For more transfer portal news, make sure you’re keeping up with us here on Ralphie Report.

by RylandScholes
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Vegas already thinks highly of Hunter and Sanders

BetMGM has released its early NFL Rookie of the Year odds following the 2025 Draft, and two Buffaloes are firmly within the mix.

Headlining all rookies is former Colorado WR/CB Travis Hunter, who’s an early favorite to win Rookie of the Year (RotK), on both the offensive and defensive side of the ball. The 2024 Heisman Trophy winner shined as both a pass catcher and in pass coverage for the Buffs, making this revelation anything but surprising.

At the time of writing this, Hunter’s odds of winning Offensive RotY sit at +550, good for the third-best odds within the category. The two players ranked ahead of him are former Boise State and current Las Vegas Raiders running back Ashton Jeanty (+250) and former Miami and current Tennessee Titans quarterback Cam Ward (+250). Hunter is the highest-ranked wide receiver in that list by a significant margin, as the player with the fourth-highest odds is Panthers receiver Tetairoa McMillan, with odds of +1300.

As for Defensive RotY, Hunter has the second-highest odds of winning the award, with odds of +750. The only player with better odds than Hunter is former Penn State and current Giants edge rusher Abdul Carter, with odds of +250. Although Hunter was selected one pick ahead of Carter, sportsbooks are predicting that Carter is 3x more likely to win Defensive RotY than the former CU cornerback. Two edge rushers, the Falcons’ Jaylon Walker (+900) and 49ers’ Mykel Williams (+1000), sit just behind Hunter, good for ranks three and four.

The reason for the disparity in odds between Carter and Hunter is fairly self-explanatory and non-controversial. Jacksonville Jaguars head coach Liam Coen said publicly on Day 1 of the NFL Draft that the team views Hunter as a wide receiver first and foremost, and a cornerback second. While Coen said that Hunter will get every opportunity to play cornerback in practice, his role on the defensive side of the football for his rookie season is a bit foggy, explaining his lower odds.

Hunter ranks highly in two separate RotY categories for early betting, but the story for former CU quarterback Shedeur Sanders is quite a bit different.

Sanders was the subject of perhaps the most drastic slide in NFL history, as the projected top ten draft pick managed to fall to the fifth round, being selected 144th overall by the Cleveland Browns. Despite falling so far, BetMGM has given Sanders odds of +2500 to win Offensive RotY.

With Sanders’ +2500 odds, sportsbooks believe he’s the 12th most likely player to win the award, despite sliding all the way to the third day of the NFL Draft. Sanders has the third-highest odds between QBs in the category, ranked only below Ward (+250) and New Orleans' Tyler Shough (+2000), and tied with the Giants’ Jaxson Dart (+2500).

Even though six quarterbacks were selected above Sanders, he’ll still get every opportunity to start during this season. Cleveland's quarterback situation is extremely volatile, with Joe Flacco, Kenny Pickett, Dillon Gabriel and Sanders being brought in to battle for the right to replace Deshaun Watson, whose time in Cleveland hasn’t panned out. Sanders has the talent to win the starting job, but he’ll have to properly showcase it during training camp and the preseason.

Whatever way you slice it, Vegas is relatively high on both Sanders and Hunter, which is hopefully a good omen of things to come in the 2025-26 season.

by RylandScholes
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The son of Colorado’s new DL coach is headed to Boulder.

Domata Peko Jr., son of Colorado defensive line coach Domata Peko Sr., has committed to play for the Buffaloes, as announced by Peko Jr. on Twitter/X on Monday afternoon.

See you in December Boulder #Committed #skobuffs @GeorgeHelow @DeionSanders @DomataPeko @theyoungcoach @CoachMoose @GregBiggins @LJ_Reyna pic.NOPE/uamwxVJhTW

— Domata Peko Jr (@domatapeko_jr) April 28, 2025​

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Peko Jr. comes to Boulder from Ventura College in California. After initially committing to play for the Hawaii Rainbow Warriors of the Mountain West Conference in 2023, Peko Jr. opted to decommit and go with the JUCO route, spending time at both College of the Canyons in California, as well as Ventura College.

Colorado offered Peko Jr. and his younger brother, ATH Joseph Peko, in late February. After multiple months of deliberation, Peko Jr. has decided to become a Buffalo. As of the time of writing this, Colorado is Peko Jr.’s only Division I offer.

Peko Jr. will play the 2025 season at Ventura College and join the team in Boulder in December of this year. He will have two years remaining eligibility, counting for the 2026 and 2027 seasons.

by RylandScholes
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