Deion Sanders explains why Travis Hunter's low tackle numbers are a positive

Colorado two-way star Travis Hunter is the favorite to win the Heisman with just a couple of weeks remaining in the regular season. However, he still has plenty of critics who are trying to poke holes in his game.

Some doubters have recently pointed to the fact that Travis Hunter only has 23 tackles on the season as proof that he is not a Heisman-worthy defender.

Buffaloes head coach Deion Sanders explained on Thursday why having a low number of tackles is a good thing for a cornerback.

“If you’ve got a lot of tackles as a cornerback, that means they’ve caught a lot of balls on you,” Deion Sanders said. “That does not mean you’re good. That does not mean you’re a great player. That means they’ve caught a lot of balls.”

Deion Sanders further explained his comments with an example, sharing that if a cornerback has a lot of tackles in a game he was likely getting burnt for much of the game.

“Say for instance a cornerback has 10 tackles in a game, they caught eight balls. And he made two within the running game, which is feasible. But if you see a cornerback and he’s getting [Conference Player of the Week] because he made 10 tackles, that’s not good. That’s not good at all,” Sanders said.

“It’s not a badge of honor to lead the team in tackling as a corner. That tells you your defense is garbage and that tells you he’s given up a lot of passes. That’s what it tells you, those two things.”

Travis Hunter has proven himself to be one of the top cornerbacks and receivers in the country. Despite the fact that teams shy away from throwing his direction, Hunter has a team-high three interceptions. He is also tied for the team led in pass breakups with eight.

In addition, Travis Hunter is one of the top receivers in the country. The junior leads Colorado with 74 receptions for 911 yards and nine touchdowns.