Colorado retired Shedeur Sanders and Travis Hunter’s jersey numbers, choosing branding over tradition

Colorado just retired Shedeur Sanders’ No. 2 jersey before he’s even taken a single snap in the NFL and they tossed in Travis Hunter’s No. 12 for good measure.

Not saying they aren’t talented. Shedeur’s a legit quarterback prospect, and Travis Hunter might be a generational two-way player.

But retiring numbers? Already? In April? At the Spring Game? It all feels a little too convenient, doesn’t it?

Shedeur Sanders and Travis Hunter jersey numbers to be retired during CU Spring Game

No. 2 & No. 12 — Officially Untouchable. 🦬

Witness Shedeur Sanders and Travis Hunter have their jersey numbers retired during the Spring Game on April 19th.

🎟️: https://t.co/H4xwlMeXQF pic.twitter.com/xRPe9kazzj

— Colorado Buffaloes Football (@CUBuffsFootball) April 14, 2025

This isn’t a knock on Shedeur Sanders or Travis Hunter’s ability—it’s about what it means to retire a number. You don’t do that lightly. You do it for legends. For guys who left a program permanently changed. And Colorado has plenty of those guys.

Exhibit A: Kordell Stewart. No jersey retirement. Despite winning two bowl games, finishing in the top 10 twice, and, oh yeah, being one of the most electric college quarterbacks of the 1990s. But guess what? He wasn’t the coach’s son.

Who did it better for @CUBuffsFootball Kordell Stewart @KSlash10 “Miracle at Michigan” in 1994 or @ShedeurSanders in 2024 against Baylor?! #SkoBuffs pic.twitter.com/VkaPXE3jkv

— The cfb lliason (@realfbllliason) February 19, 2025

Exhibit B: Deon Figures. If you’ve never heard of him, that’s on Colorado. Because this man won the Jim Thorpe Award, the Jack Tatum Award, was the Big 8 Defensive Player of the Year, a Consensus All-American, and a first-round NFL pick. He even ended up in the College Football Hall of Fame. His number’s still unretired, collecting dust like the university’s memory.

Colorado Legends: Deon Figures ⏪

All-American. Jim Thorpe Award Winner. Jack Tatum Trophy Winner.

We take a look back at 2⃣'s career as a Buff. pic.twitter.com/BWbwzlrB2D

— Colorado Buffaloes Football (@CUBuffsFootball) April 17, 2020

Former CU star David Bakhtiari summed it up perfectly:

For context:

Deon Figures, CB
(who also wore #2 for CU) resume:
-1990 national champion
-Jim Thorpe award winner
-Jack Tatum award
-consensus all American
-big 8 def player of the year
-1st round pick
-6 year NFL career
-college football Hall of fame. https://t.co/ckNW1jI7bR

— David Bakhtiari (@DavidBakhtiari) April 15, 2025

Look, Deion Sanders is building something exciting at Colorado. He’s brought national relevance back to a program that was sleepwalking for over a decade. But this move reeks of optics over legacy. It’s a father giving his son a golden goodbye before he heads to the NFL.

Retire numbers when careers are complete. When legends have walked off into the sunset, not when they’re still on campus holding playbooks. If anything, they should’ve retired Deon Figures’ number first and built a damn statue while they were at it.

Until then, call this what it is— retiring Shedeur Sanders and Travis Hunter’s jersey numbers is simply branding over tradition.

Join The Chase