NEW YORK - When he was coming out of high school in 1988, Deon Figures was labeled as an "athlete" and the idea of playing on offense and defense was discussed with recruiters.

"The thought was there," Figures, a Colorado Buffaloes legend, told BuffZone this week. "It was pondered upon, but back then, that's not what you did."

Even today, it's not what players do, with one remarkable exception. CU's Travis Hunter is the first major college football player in decades to start - and star - on offense and defense, and it's why he went into Saturday as the front-runner to win the 90th Heisman Trophy as the most outstanding player in the country.

"I don't think I could have dealt with what this guy's doing right now," said Figures, a former CU cornerback who was inducted into the College Football Hall of Fame on Tuesday.

"When they made Travis Hunter, they broke the mold."

One of CU's two Jim Thorpe Award winners as the top defensive back in the country, Figures is arguably the best cornerback to ever play for the Buffaloes. Well, maybe until now.

"I've never seen a player like (Hunter)," said CU athletic director Rick George, who was the recruiting coordinator in the late 1980s when he helped get Figures to Boulder. "I used to think Deon Figures was the best defensive back that I'd ever recruited and watched on the college level. Travis Hunter exceeds that. ... He's just a once in a lifetime kind of athlete."

While Figures is one of the great corners to play in CU history, Nelson Spruce holds just about every major receiving record. Hunter did, however, break Spruce's single-season CU record for touchdowns this year, with 14 (Spruce had 12 in 2014).

"I'm glad to have whatever I can hang on to," Spruce said with a laugh. "I assumed when he was on the pace that he was that the touchdown one was gonna go."

Spruce's career records for catches, yards and TD receptions are all probably safe, but he, too, is amazed by Hunter's ability.

"It's obvious his athleticism is on a different level," Spruce said. "I think that allows him to do what he's doing on both sides of the ball. To me, I guess the amazing part is I think he is so athletic that he can rely on a lot of that and I think he still has a lot of room for improvement, especially on the offensive side of the ball, just viewing it from a receiver's perspective."

Spruce was a technician as a route runner, and that allowed him to set CU records for most receptions in a game (19), season (106) and career (294).

"Any success that I had really came in the details and the polished route running, understanding defenses and stuff like that," Spruce said. "Because of (Hunter's) athleticism, he might not have had to tap that much into it. Watching a lot of his routes, you don't necessarily see the nuanced route running, or even the need for it, because he'll just out-jump you or out-run you."

That's not a criticism from Spruce. More so, he marvels at the fact that Hunter has shined without that aspect of the game as a receiver, but believes Hunter will only get better. And, Spruce is impressed that Hunter has been so good as a receiver while also shining on defense.

"I remember playing both ways in high school and that was pushing it," he said. "When I got to college, the way you feel at the end of those games, just playing one side of the ball, it's insane that he's doing it full time on both sides of the ball. I couldn't imagine it."

The physical toll is one thing, Spruce said, but having the ability to mentally prepare for both positions is another.

"To be prepared to play both sides of the ball at that high of a level and knowing what the week-in, week-out preparation looks like at that level, it's, again, very impressive," Spruce said.

Figures said Hunter has a "very high football IQ," but is also impressed with those brief moments when Hunter is on the sidelines. Hunter averages nearly 120 snaps a game, but seems to have boundless energy.

"He's just up and walking around (the sidelines) like it's nothing, and you're sitting there like, 'Man, ain't you tired? Don't you want to go sit down?'" Figures said with a laugh. "Only time you see him sitting down is when he comes off the field and talks to the offensive coordinator or the defense coordinator. Then he's back up walking around. This guy is very special."

It's why Spruce, Figures and so many others are glued to the screen any chance they get to watch Hunter play.

"If you can watch him, and you do watch him, you better hold on to it," Figures said. "You're not gonna find another guy like this for a long, long time.

"You gotta be entertained when you see this guy. No matter if you love him or hate him, you still are amazed at what he's doing and you gotta pull for him. You've got to. If you're not, then something is wrong with you."