Colorado's Travis Hunter plans to play Friday

Colorado cleared Travis Hunter to return and play Friday for the first time since a lacerated liver on Sept. 16.

A two-way star who plays cornerback and wide receiver, Hunter could be on a snap count or restricted to one position depending on "how he looks," in a final pregame test before the Pac-12 matchup with Stanford in Boulder, coach Deion Sanders said.

"He has to be in shape. I don't want him to be a liability. I want him always to be a tremendous asset," Sanders said.

Hunter told Sanders on Monday that he was back to normal, defying initial timelines for his return later this month.

Sanders added that Hunter will be wearing "protection" around the liver area.

Hunter was hurt in the Buffaloes' 43-35 double-overtime win over Colorado State. He was on the receiving end of a sideline hit from Rams safety Henry Blackburn and hasn't played since.

A former five-star high school recruit, Hunter plays wide receiver and cornerback for Sanders at Colorado after following the coach there from Jackson State. In the first three games of 2023, Hunter had 16 catches for 233 yards on offense and one interception, two pass breakups and nine tackles on defense.