Deion Sanders: Travis Hunter Could Return From Injury for Colorado vs. Stanford

Colorado two-way star Travis Hunter has a "tremendous chance" at returning to the lineup for Friday's game against Stanford, coach Deion Sanders told reporters Tuesday.

"There's a tremendous chance he could play," Sanders said. "It goes by how he looks, how he performs in practice, how his wind is. He has to be in shape. I don't want him to be a liability. I always want him to be a tremendous asset.

"Travis, he came to me yesterday morning and said, 'What more can I do to help us get to the point that we need to get to?' I love the team aspect of Travis 100 percent, but I hope he can play."

Hunter, who plays wide receiver and cornerback, suffered a lacerated liver Sept. 16 against Colorado State and has missed the last three games.

The Buffaloes have gone 1-2 without Hunter, including losses to Oregon and USC.

Hunter posted 16 receptions for 213 yards on offense and added nine tackles and one interception on defense over the first three games of the season. He was injured on a personal foul by Colorado State safety Henry Blackburn. While Colorado fans pilloried Blackburn on social media, he and Hunter later made peace and even went bowling together.

Sanders said Hunter has been cleared to play but the team wants to be cautious not to rush him to return.

"He's cleared and he has protection on to secure those areas, but the game is the game," Sanders said. "The game is a violent game, it's a vicious game, it's a very physical game, but Travis is also physical."

Colorado will need a win over Stanford on Saturday if the team hopes to put itself in strong position to make a bowl game. The Buffaloes have back-to-back games against ranked opponents (UCLA, Oregon State) following the Stanford game and may be underdogs in each of their final five regular season games overall.

Colorado closes the regular season with road trips to Washington State and Utah after a Nov. 11 game against Arizona.