Did Jags' Travis Hunter graduate from Colorado? It's complicated.

Numerous quality media outlets reported that Heisman Trophy victor Travis Hunter had graduated from the University of Colorado connected May 8, citing social media posts from CU that showed him attending the graduation ceremonial and saying helium “GOT THAT DEGREE!”

Another CU shot station showed Hunter successful a video saying helium “graduated successful 3 years.”

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What really happened is simply a small much complicated. He is not scheduled to postgraduate until December aft applying to postgraduate successful autumn 2025, according to an athletics section spokesman.

He attended the May 8 graduation ceremonial successful Boulder anyhow to beryllium capable to acquisition it now, earlier helium begins his pro shot vocation arsenic the No. 2 wide draught prime for the Jacksonville Jaguars, according to the school.

“Travis walked successful (the May 8) commencement ceremonial and volition postgraduate with a grade successful anthropology successful December 2025,” said Steve Hurlbert, the athletics section spokesman. “He’s apt to beryllium a small engaged that clip of twelvemonth and helium truly wanted to acquisition each the pomp and circumstance.”

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Hurlbert besides noted Hunter has a 3.9 grade-point average.

How communal is 'walking early' earlier graduation?

It is not that unusual. It’s allowed astatine other schools, too, for antithetic reasons, specified arsenic wanting to enactment successful the graduation ceremonial with your friends adjacent if you request to implicit a fewer much classes to get your degree.

Actually graduating is inactive antithetic than attending the commencement ceremonial due to the fact that it requires students to conscionable each their grade requirements. At CU, students are required to use to postgraduate for the semester successful which they’ll “officially and successfully” implicit each requirements for the degrees and majors they’re pursuing, according to the university website.

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In Hunter’s case, Hurlbert said helium applied to postgraduate successful the autumn of 2025, which ends successful December. It’s not wide what requirements Hunter has near to complete. Hurlbert declined to say, citing privateness instrumentality covering world records. A connection seeking remark from Hunter done his cause was not returned.

This explains wherefore Hunter was not listed among the thousands of grade candidates successful the CU commencement programme for May 8 adjacent though helium attended the ceremony.

“CU had 67 student-athletes postgraduate past week and 103 student-athletes walked successful the ceremony, truthful it’s not antithetic astatine each for student-athletes who person graduated past wintertime oregon volition postgraduate successful August oregon adjacent December to enactment successful outpouring commencement due to the fact that it’s specified a large experience,” Hurlbert said.

Why did CU’s societal media bespeak helium got his degree?

The posts from CU football’s societal accounts led to widespread reports that Hunter had successful information graduated, including the station that said helium “GOT THAT DEGREE!” It showed Hunter successful graduation attire with friends saying, “Boys retired present graduating man.”

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“It was conscionable a societal media staffer who didn’t cognize that (Hunter) was conscionable walking” successful the ceremony, Hurlbert said.

Hunter himself seemed to corroborate it successful different CU station erstwhile helium said helium had “graduated successful 3 years.”

That would beryllium approximate if helium lone has a tiny magnitude of grade requirements to complete. He enrolled at Jackson State successful January 2022 aft graduating precocious school, according to The Clarion Ledger successful Jackson, Mississippi. He transferred to Colorado successful January 2023 aft caput manager Deion Sanders made the aforesaid move.

After antecedently being listed arsenic a science large astatine CU, helium chose to large successful anthropology, the survey of humanity. In January, helium was named the Division I Academic All-American Team Member of the Year.

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“I’m an anthropology major, and I truly bask learning astir antithetic cultures and however they interact with 1 another,” Hunter said successful an email interrogation with USA TODAY Sports past year. “Being capable to larn astir these cultures and skills is incredibly beneficial to maine adjacent erstwhile playing football. I person the accidental to larn the value of accepting and interacting with different radical and playing with different radical contempt their taste oregon taste makeup.”

Shilo Sanders earns master's grade from Colorado

Among the 67 student-athletes who graduated successful May, the assemblage said Deion Sanders’ safety son, Shilo Sanders, earned a master’s grade successful organizational enactment aft antecedently earning an undergraduate grade astatine Jackson State. He is present with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers arsenic an undrafted escaped agent.

Sanders’ youngest son, Shedeur Sanders, the erstwhile Colorado quarterback, said connected his YouTube amusement successful January that helium hoped to postgraduate astatine the extremity of the past semester successful May. He was selected successful the fifth circular by the Cleveland Browns successful the NFL draught successful April. The assemblage said helium is connected way to postgraduate aboriginal this twelvemonth but has not applied for graduation yet.

Follow newsman Brent Schrotenboer @Schrotenboer. Email: bschrotenb@usatoday.com

This nonfiction primitively appeared connected USA TODAY: Jags' Travis Hunter walked successful CU graduation day; grade coming later