Sow the seeds and reap the rewards. There are few feelings that can parallel seeing the fruits of your labor blossom through your kid. Travis Hunter’s tryst from prodigy to proven is complete. He’s won the Heisman Trophy, set unprecedented records playing both sides of the football, and is now headed towards being a top-3 pick in the NFL Draft. But peel back the layer of sheen over these accolades. You’ll see the pale, lackluster hard work of him and his parents. So when he got his “Mama, I made it” moment in the mainstream this week, naturally, there’s pride resonating from them.

You know when an athlete has truly made it? Breached the glass box containing them within the confines of their sport and gone into real celebrity and stardom? There’s a historic precedent—making it to the cover of Sports Illustrated. Being a cover star for SI really is a litmus test that separates players and superstars. LeBron James’ “The Chosen One” cover coming out of high school. A young Michael Jordan’s “A Star Is Born” when he took the NBA by storm. Even Muhammad Ali’s iconic cover. That magazine has really been graced by some special individuals. It’s not just a cornerstone of sports print media. It has permeated pop culture. Now, Travis Hunter has been bestowed the honor with a cover of his own. 

“NFL Draft Preview: Why Travis Hunter is the biggest fish (and fisherman) in the pond,” reads the title of his very own SI cover story. His first solo one. Hunter was featured on a cover alongside Deion Sanders and Shedeur Sanders while the trio was at Jackson State. But being front and center with the spotlight all to yourself is the real deal. The cover features a picture of Hunter holding two fish in either hand. The ancillary story, written by Pat Forde, is about his draft stock, journey to this point, and affinity for fishing. When this cover was unveiled, both of Travis Hunter’s parents took to social media to express their happiness.

Mom Ferrante Edmonds and dad Travis Hunter Sr. took to their separate IG handles and relayed SI’s official post on their respective stories. They didn’t add any caption and, frankly, didn’t need to. The cover itself and its importance take center stage, as it should. Hunter Sr. has had a tumultuous past, including some jail time. To see his son achieve this is extra rewarding. As for Edmonds, she has been a pillar of support throughout as well. This is somebody who thwarted a powerhouse program at Florida State to go play for an HBCU when he was the no. 1 prospect in the country coming out of high school. You don’t take such a massive gamble without the backing of supportive parents. 

As for Travis Hunter himself, he actually prefers to stay low-key, away from the chaos. Maybe fishing on the boat, he splurged on as one of his first big purchases after coming into NIL money. “It’s a blessing to have people debate about me. But it doesn’t change anything that I’m going to do,” read an excerpt from this very article. “People are only talking about me because my name is hot. They don’t know where I came from, don’t know where I grew up. They don’t understand my story. I just let people talk.” Well, people will talk when you give them the ammo. Not just with your outrageous play, but your outrageous comments as well!

Travis Hunter makes an astonishing declaration for his football career

It’s almost as if whenever discourse around Travis Hunter begins to quell, he fans the flames of it with something new. The draft process is now in its business stretch, and things have become clearer with time. Some very credible reports over the past week suggest that the Cleveland Browns will select Hunter with the 2nd overall pick. But if that meant people could pivot their focus to other draft prospects, he spewed something very resounding onto the airwaves.

Paraphrasing him here, full disclosure. But Travis Hunter has announced that if he’s not allowed to or given the platform to continue playing both wide receiver and cornerback in the NFL, he’ll walk away from the game entirely. That sure sounds very hyperbolic for someone who loves the sport as much as he does. But it’s still a warning-buyer beware. The Browns, or any other franchise that drafts him, have actually been given a roadmap by analysts, GMs, and coaches alike for how to go about utilizing this unicorn and avoid disaster. 

Travis Hunter holding exactly two fish in that Sports Illustrated cover is a bit of an allegory for his 2-way game. Snatch away one, and you’d leave him hungry for more. Alas, he can look forward to one thing. Not having much of a queue before being called out of the green room and onto that podium alongside Roger Goodell. Being drafted will probably trump any amount of pride he or his parents have felt. Concerns around his role in the league can’t and shouldn’t dull that moment they’ve all been gearing towards for 2 decades.