Travis Hunter Responds to Nick Saban Saying Deion Sanders, Jackson State Paid Him $1M

Jackson State cornerback Travis Hunter responded to an apparent allegation from Alabama head coach Nick Saban about the name, image and likeness (NIL) deals he received to choose the FCS program.

Saban discussed the direction of college sports in the NIL era on Wednesday. He made headlines by saying Texas A&M "bought every player on their team," but also made a remark about Jackson State, per Brett Greenberg of the Tuscaloosa News.

"Jackson State paid a guy a million dollars last year that was a really good Division I player to come to school," Saban said. "It was in the paper. They bragged about it. Nobody did anything about it."

He didn't mention any player by name.

Tigers head coach Deion Sanders described Saban's comment as a "lie":

He later joked about his own salary:

In December, Dan Lyons of Sports Illustrated noted there was unconfirmed speculation Barstool Sports, which holds an association with Sanders via his 21st and Prime podcast, offered Hunter over $1 million on an NIL deal.

Khari Thompson of the Mississippi Clarion Ledger reported no such agreement was in place between Hunter and Barstool, and Sanders also denied the claim at the time.

"We didn't pay," Sanders said on ESPN's Keyshawn, JWill and Max (via TMZ Sports). "We ain't got no money! We ain't got no money! A million and a half? I heard a million and a half. And I heard Dave Portnoy over at Barstool—that's the biggest lie I've ever heard."

Hunter was the top-ranked prospect in the 2022 recruiting class based on 247Sports' composite rankings.

The defensive back, who was also a standout wide receiver at Collins Hill High School in Georgia, committed to Florida State in March 2020. He flipped his commitment to Jackson State in December and joined the program for spring ball ahead of the 2022 season.

At the Tigers' spring game in April, Hunter explained his choice of Sanders' program.

"They were just straight with me," he said. "They didn't play no games, they came right at me."

Jackson State has enjoyed a resurgence under Sanders, a former two-sport star in the NFL and MLB. He's guided the program to a 15-5 record across his first two seasons and has attracted high-end recruits like Hunter who've typically chosen Power Five schools.