On September 3, during a press conference, Colorado Buffaloes HC Deion Sanders opened up about his feelings as Jacksonville Jaguars rookie Travis Hunter welcomed a baby boy. The Hall of Famer spoke about the very shift from seeing Hunter as a son-like figure to now watching him step into fatherhood. Sanders offered some positive guidance, saying,
“Oh my god, I’m taking a deep breath because I love him to life. I love him like he’s a son. It’s funny when your son, he’s now a father. That’s why I had to really step back. It’s a beautiful thing. The thing that I told him is, let’s correct all the things that we purposely think we didn’t receive as a child, and let’s correct that in our fatherhood.”
Hunter and his wife, Leanna De La Fuente, announced the birth of their son on August 27 via a YouTube video titled “Dear Son…”. The video captured sonograms, home footage, and Leanna sharing a dream she had on February 28, predicting the arrival of a baby boy “with lots of curly hair.” It also revealed Hunter telling his newborn that he’d been drafted by the Jags, joking that the baby would follow in his footsteps.
Hunter, drafted on April 24, is set to play dual roles as a wide receiver and cornerback for Jacksonville. He and Leanna got engaged in February 2024 and married in May 2025, weeks after Hunter’s draft day. The couple first met at Collins High School in Georgia.
Deion Sanders Urges Resilience and Team Bonding After Week 1 Loss
Aug 29, 2025; Boulder, Colorado, USA; Colorado Buffaloes head coach Deion Sanders during the first quarter against the Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets at Folsom Field. Mandatory Credit: Ron Chenoy-Imagn Images
Aug 29, 2025; Boulder, Colorado, USA; Colorado Buffaloes head coach Deion Sanders during the first quarter against the Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets at Folsom Field. Mandatory Credit: Ron Chenoy-Imagn Images
Having returned to the sidelines post his bladder cancer battle, Deion Sanders faced a bitter taste in Week 1 as Colorado fell 27-20 to the Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets on Sept. 1. Despite entering the contest as four-point underdogs, the loss marked Sanders’ first season-opening defeat at Colorado.
In his first meeting with the Buffaloes on Saturday morning, the 58-year-old alluded to the importance of resilience and perspective. Hetold the team,
“When you go through adversity, and you sit there and have a pity party… It’s going to kill you. But, if you keep on moving, what happens? You get ready for the next challenge… You are meant to progress, and that’s what we’re going to do today. We’re going to admit it, quit it, forget it.”
Coach Prime also encouraged his players to slow down and open up to the college experience beyond the field. Stressing nutrition, camaraderie, and communication, Sanders instructed,
“I don’t want you to get in here until seven o’clock… Take a little more time in the cafeteria. Enjoy each other, talk, communicate, do whatever you gotta do, but you’re getting in here too early. I don’t want you here until seven o’clock, okay? Because now some of you are pushing it up and some of you guys are running late and I don’t want to discipline you for being on time but, you know how I am.”
With the season still in its infancy, Deion Sanders is making sure his team remains focused while making the most of their time on campus.