(This story was updated with new information).
Travis Hunter is not only projected to be one of the first few players off the board in the 2025 NFL Draft, but is also one of the 15 players who will get the opportunity to shake the hand of NFL commissioner Roger Goodell after hearing their name called.
And with that special invite to the green room comes the opportunity for that player’s family and friends to experience the big day in person alongside them.
For the former Colorado football star, Thursday’s first round at Lambeau Field in Green Bay, Wisconsin, will be an emotional one as his father, Travis Hunter Sr., will be with his son after not being in attendance for his son’s Heisman Trophy acceptance speech.
The former No. 1-ranked prospect in the 2022 recruiting class, Travis Hunter Jr. put together one of the more impressive single-season performances in college football of late, as he was one of the sport’s top players on both offense and defense.
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In December, Travis Hunter Jr. joined former Colorado running back Rashaan Salaam as the only two players in program history to win the Heisman Trophy. He beat out Boise State running back Ashton Jeanty, who is also projected to come off the board on Thursday, by 214 points in the Heisman Trophy race.
USA TODAY’s Nate Davis has Travis Hunter Jr., the top overall prospect in the draft, currently projected to go No. 2 overall to the Cleveland Browns in Thursday’s opening round. Regardless of where Hunter Jr. falls on Thursday, he will be the highest-drafted Colorado player selected since Nate Soldier went No. 17 overall to the New England Patriots in 2011.
Here’s what to know about Travis Hunter Jr.’s dad ahead of the NFL Draft on Thursday:
Why was Travis Hunter’s dad in jail?
Travis Hunter Jr.’s dad, Travis Hunter Sr., previously served a 90-day sentence for an arrest on gun and drug charges in 2023. Per The Athletic, Travis Hunter Sr.’s arrest came during a traffic stop in November 2023. He served his 90-day sentence from September to December of last year, but is still serving probation in relation to the charges, which kept him from attending the Heisman Trophy ceremony in December.
As noted by the Palm Beach Post, part of the USA TODAY Network, Travis Hunter Sr. was recently granted permission by the Florida courts to attend the NFL Draft just months after he was released from jail. Per the agreement, Travis Hunter Sr. has to return to Florida on Friday.
Who is Travis Hunter’s dad?
Travis Hunter Sr. was a football and track star for Boynton Beach High School in Florida in the early 2000s and played in a semipro league in Florida. As noted by USA TODAY, Travis Hunter Sr. watched the second half of Colorado’s 2024 season on TV from the Palm Beach County West Detention Center in Belle Glade, Florida.
He is currently serving his three-year probation, which was given to him at the time of his release from the detention center in Belle Glade, Florida. As part of his probation, he was also ordered to complete the first year of it under home confinement.
Travis Hunter Sr. was released from jail nine days before Travis Hunter Jr. accepted the Heisman Trophy award on Dec. 14, marking the first time a defensive player and two-way player won college football’s prestigious individual award since Michigan football’s Charles Woodson in 1997.
Travis Hunter Jr. famously broke down in tears at the Heisman Trophy ceremony when speaking to his dad on TV, as Travis Hunter Sr. did not attend the ceremony at the Lincoln Center in New York City.
“I want to say something to my father. He’s not here and wasn’t able to make it but I know you’re watching on TV,” Travis Hunter Jr. said at the Heisman Trophy ceremony. “Dad, I love you. For all the stuff you went through man. Now look at your oldest son. I did it for you, man.”
Though Travis Hunter Sr. is able to be in Titletown, USA to see his son be drafted with a projected top-three pick, he does have some restrictions: outside of attending the draft itself at Lambeau Field, he cannot leave the grounds of his hotel in Green Bay, Wisconsin.
The Palm Beach Post also noted that Travis Hunter Sr. had to submit a full travel itinerary and schedule to his community control officer.
When is the NFL Draft?
- Date: Thursday, April 24
- Time: 8 p.m. ET
- Location: Lambeau Field (Green Bay, Wi.)
- TV channels: ESPN | ABC | NFL Network
- Streaming options: Fubo (free trial)
The first round of the 2025 NFL Draft will start at 8 p.m. ET on Thursday, April 24 from outside historic Lambeau Field, the home of the Green Bay Packers, in Green Bay, Wisconsin.
Night One of the NFL Draft will be nationally broadcast on ESPN, ABC and the NFL Network. Streaming options include Fubo, which carries the ESPN family of networks and the NFL Network and offers a free trial to new subscribers.
