BOULDER — A breakfast meeting between Shedeur Sanders and Travis Hunter in Jackson, Mississippi sparked a lifelong friendship.

The two had spoken on the phone while Deion Sanders and Jackson State were quietly recruiting Hunter, the No. 1 high school player in the country, and they were finally able to get the coveted two-way star to come for a visit.

They went to a local brunch spot and met for the first time. During his visit, Hunter asked Shedeur to make a TikTok video with him. The then-freshman quarterback at JSU agreed — on one condition.

I said, ‘Bro, if I make this TikTok, you gotta commit,’’ Shedeur recalled Thursday. “He made the TikTok, and he committed, and the rest is history and he’s here now.”

That’s the understatement of the century.

As No. 16 Colorado gets ready for another road test, this time against an upset-hungry Kansas team, Shedeur and Hunter took turns meeting with local and national media on Zoom to discuss the Buffaloes’ 8-2 record and chances to make the College Football Playoff, but most importantly, their respective Heisman Trophy campaigns.

Entering Week 13 of the season, Hunter is the odds-on favorite to win the award. Most sportsbooks have Shedeur also inside the top 10.

Hunter is a lock to be invited to the Heisman ceremony and Shedeur could find himself there as well.

“Even if he’s not invited, he’s invited,” Hunter said with a laugh.

Two candidates for the most prestigious individual award in college football are uncommon. The most notable time it happened this century was with Matt Leinart and Reggie Bush at USC. Both went on to win the award in back-to-back years, 2004 and 2005, but that won’t happen in Boulder — both Shedeur and Hunter are off to the NFL this season.

Only one will claim the award on Dec. 14 in New York City and the two couldn’t care less which one of them is holding the iconic trophy.

“If either one of us wins, it’s the same team, same school, we have the same goals,” Hunter said. “If he wins it, I’m gonna be super happy because it’s just like I won it because I helped him get to that goal, just like if I won it. We’re not gonna leave anybody out. We’re just super proud to have two people from our school to be able to be in the race.”

Shedeur would rather be the top quarterback off the board in next year’s NFL draft, anyway. Something he’s confident should happen.

“I feel like I (would’ve been) the best quarterback in the last draft, too,” Shedeur said. “Ever since I was draft-eligible, I knew I was the best quarterback. Week in, week out, I handle my business, and I do what I’m supposed to do. The main thing now is you either see that or you don’t.”

As for the Heisman, it would feel like a surprise to see the award go to anyone but Hunter. He’s played over 1,000 total snaps already this season and he’s been elite on both sides of the ball. The numbers are staggering for someone who plays as much as he does. Hunter has 74 catches for 911 receiving yards and 10 total touchdowns on offense. On defense, he’s got three interceptions, eight pass breakups and one game-winning forced fumble.

He feels his case is even simpler than numbers.

“I’m the only person that’s ever done it,” Hunter said of his ability to play both ways full-time.

He’s right. Charles Woodson is the most famous Heisman winner to play on both sides of the ball — and he only had 11 catches, 231 receiving yards and three total offensive touchdowns the year he won it in 1997.

Hunter gets asked this all the time, but he’s not even sure that what he’s doing can be replicated by the next generation. If he’s opened any doors at all, it’s only by an inch or two.

“It’s gonna be kinda hard for them to squeeze through that door and get their coach to believe that they can do it because I just have a different type of mindset,” Hunter said. “I don’t go out, I don’t drink, I don’t do none of the extra stuff. I go home, chill with my fiancé, play video games, I always wear onesies and do stuff like that to keep me out of trouble and keep my head in the right space. I definitely think some kids could do it, they just gotta be focused and ready for all the hard work and dedication for it.”

Even though other people have seen greatness in Hunter since he was a middle schooler, he’s never been one to think too far ahead.

“A lot of people say, ‘They dreamed of moments like this,’ but I can’t say I dreamed of this moment,” Hunter said. “When I was a kid, I was just playing video games trying to make my player the best player on the field, playing the college game back in the days with my cousin. We always had a team full of 99 overalls trying to make them win the Heisman, win all the big trophies. I never envisioned this would happen for me, but I’m happy to be sitting right here.”

Now, he’s front and center on the cover of the latest college football video game. He is the Heisman front runner. He is projected to be one of the top picks in next year’s NFL draft.

But first, he’s got a chance to lead Colorado — a team that was picked to finish 11th out of 16 teams in the Big 12 this season — to its first ever College Football Playoff appearance.

Keep reminding him it’s never been done before.

“I like when people tell me I can’t do it because that just motivates me to continue to do what I want to do,” Hunter said.