SUWANEE, Ga. — Travis Hunter could hoist the Heisman trophy Saturday night. But before the famous two-way player started collecting accolades in college, he found his training ground at Collins Hill High School.
Head football coach Drew Swick, who recently won coach of the year, knew he had someone special, someone who helped the Eagles fly to the state championship game and someone whose athleticism and personality set him apart from everyone else.
"Most kids look at Travis Hunter for being a role model here and want to replicate that," Swick said. “He’s a great young man on and off the field, no matter who’s looking. That’s the best thing about him. Our culture here at Collins Hill has been better since he left, you know, and that's, you know, it's not just him, but it's also the seniors in that class that, you know, came up with him.”
Hunter is known for his ability to play both offense and defense, something Swick said was getting more difficult to do in an age when more athletes are gracing the field.
"The game is fast, so you're playing more snaps," Swick said. "For him to play as many snaps as he does, the preparation and everything he's doing in the offseason up to the game on Friday or up to the season is why he can do all that. And because he loves the game and he loves his teammates, he's always gonna put his body on the line for that."
Part of Hunter's recipe for success included his pre-game diet, which Swick said consisted of blueberry muffins, maybe some chips in the morning and a bag of gummy bears. Frontia Fountain coaches defensive backs at Collins Hill. He reminisced about the car rides he'd take with the two-way player and the conversations they had together.
"He's one of the most electrifying kids I've ever coached here," Fountain said. "He works hard and wants to be great at everything he does. He used to dream and say that he wanted to be the best player ever. And that's all he's doing. He's living out his dream."
That dream led Hunter to become the number one recruit in the nation back in 2021. Hunter signed to play at Jackson State University for head coach Deion Sanders. Hunter would follow Sanders to Colorado one year later, where the athlete would put up eye-popping numbers and catch the attention of Heisman voters.
“To learn behind one of the greatest, if not the greatest, it was perfect for him to go there and learn from him," Fountain said. "His goal was to be the number one player in the country one day. And that's what we have."
With Hunter now one step away from a Heisman trophy, he'd be the third Georgian to win the award. Collins Hill plans to hold a watch party at 7 p.m. Saturday in the school's cafeteria. But to Hunter, his community matters more than any award.
"He's had an impact on us with our youth and our kids, the way that he showed them how to take your NIL and apply it to certain areas, not just your bank account," Swick said. "He gave $10,000 in NIL money to our teachers for board games and academics. Everybody's watching, and Collin still is a household name now because of him, and I'm thankful because this is my home. This is my community as well, and I love that he gets to put Collins Hill on the map."