 After completing high school, Hester enrolled at the University of Miami, where he played for the Miami Hurricanes football team from 2003 to 2005.As a sophomore in 2004, he earned national recognition as a kick returner after being named a first-team All-American by the Walter Camp Football Foundation and "The Sporting News".His ability to thrust laterally and break away from pursuers made him one of the nation's most dangerous return specialists.