Former two-time Super Bowl champion Eli Manning raised eyebrows on the ManningCast during the Jaguars' 31-28 victory over the Chiefs when he recalled something that Jacksonville coach Liam Coen had told him about two-way star Travis Hunter's practice routine during his college days.
"...I talked to Liam Coen," Manning said. "They said that when he was at Colorado, he practiced zero with the offense. He only practiced defense. They just kind of had a special system where they had signals. The coach would just signal the formation to him and then signal the route to him. So he just, like, improvised.
"He went out there and winged it as a receiver. So he's still learning right now how to be a receiver."
Well, some in the Colorado Buffaloes' camp, specifically Deion Sanders's son Deion Sanders Jr., caught wind of Coen's practice assertion through Manning, and pushed back against it.
Don’t let them lie to you Mr Manning, he practiced Wr & DB equally. https://t.co/QjwvpnI9S8
— Deion Sanders Jr (@DeionSandersJr) October 7, 2025
Sanders Jr., who runs the company Well Off Media, which provides Buffaloes fans with behind-the-scenes footage of Colorado football, went on to repost another tweet showing footage of Hunter's receiver reps at Colorado.
Darius Sanders (no relation to Deion), owner of Reach The People Media and a key storyteller of the Sanders family and the Buffaloes, also cited "hundreds of videos" that he had posted which refuted Coen's claim.
Perhaps by saying this, Coen was simply attempting to take some of the heat off of Hunter due to the rookie's limited production thus far as a receiver? Coen on Tuesday clarified exactly how much Hunter practiced on both ends with the Buffaloes during an appearance on The Pat McAfee Show.
"He practiced on offense at Colorado, it was just primarily defense," Coen said. "And then that's when he would go out, look at the signals from the sideline—which—that's what they did. They were a no-huddle operation. So, I think it was—he practiced on offense, just not very much. It was way more on defense..."
Coen went on to add that the Jaguars have essentially flipped the practice routine for Hunter, who has taken more reps at receiver than corner.
Later on Tuesday, Hunter's former coach Deion Sanders, the best possible source to consult in all of this, confirmed that what Manning was told was "a lie" and even added that fellow ESPN broadcaster Troy Aikman was told the same information.
"That was a lie," Sanders said. "Travis Hunter played offense and defense. We started out with 1s on offense going the first four or five reps. Then, he went over and played defense the next four or five reps. And he did it the whole practice..."
At any rate, the No. 2 pick in the 2025 draft seemed to acquit himself just fine at receiver on Monday night. Hunter had three receptions for 64 yards receiving, including a big, 44-yard catch that set up a game-tying touchdown in the third quarter.
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This article was originally published on www.si.com as Deion Sanders's Son Calls Jaguars Coach's Travis Hunter Claim a 'Lie'.
