JACKSONVILLE, Fla. — When Travis Hunter walked the stage within the College of Colorado’s undergraduate graduation ceremony at Folsom Area stadium on Thursday, the white sash that topped his black robe informed the world he is a first-generation faculty graduate.
What he wore below his tutorial costume informed the world he is trying ahead to his first post-graduate job as an NFL receiver and cornerback.
Three weeks in the past, the Jacksonville Jaguars traded as much as choose the 2024 Heisman Trophy winner No. 2 general within the 2025 NFL draft. After all of the celebrating, cellphone calls, interviews, hugs, handshakes and congratulations had been over, Hunter’s first buy as a professional athlete was a pair of Jaguars pajama pants to put on at commencement.
“That is the very first thing I ordered off of Amazon after I bought drafted,” stated Hunter, a two-time first-team tutorial All-American who graduated with a level in anthropology.
Simply 18 hours after drafting Hunter, Jacksonville’s first-year normal supervisor, James Gladstone, set stratospheric expectations on Hunter’s shoulders.
“He elevates not solely this soccer group, not solely this metropolis, however the sport itself, proper?” Gladstone stated. “Alongside the way in which you possibly can depend nonetheless many drafts you wish to, there are gamers who’ve the capability to change a sport. There are gamers who’ve the capability to change the trajectory of a group. There are only a few gamers who’ve the capability to change the trajectory of the game itself. Travis, whereas he nonetheless has quite a bit to be taught, in our eyes, has the potential to just do that.”
That is actually nothing new for Hunter, who has been billed as a generational expertise since he starred on either side of the ball at Collins Hill Excessive Faculty in Suwanee, Georgia, then at Jackson State College, and eventually Colorado — defying conventional positional expectations as a full-time receiver and cornerback alongside the way in which.
Hunter’s 2024 season at Colorado was one of the spectacular in NCAA historical past. He was the primary participant to earn two first-team All-America honors in the identical season (all-purpose and cornerback), and he was a second-team All-American at receiver. He additionally was the primary participant within the historical past of the Walter Camp Soccer Basis — the nation’s oldest All-America group — to be named first-team All-America on offense and protection.
Those that coached him alongside his journey have known as him a prodigy and soccer savant whereas noting his humility. Now Hunter has the problem of turning into the face of a long-struggling franchise whereas making an attempt to determine himself because the NFL’s first full-time two-way participant in additional than 50 years.
Nobody has been a full-time participant on either side of the ball since Chuck Bednarik, who did it as a middle and linebacker for the Philadelphia Eagles from 1949 to 1962.
To excel at each positions in 2025 would make Hunter one of many league’s largest stars, and people round him imagine he can’t solely deal with that sort of stage however thrive — as a result of he has been doing all of it alongside.
“The quantity of consideration he had in 2021, 2022 as a highschool senior — I do know it pales compared to the NFL — however at that age, the way in which he dealt with himself [was impressive],” stated Otis Riddley, who was Jackson State’s director of participant personnel when Hunter arrived.
And as his Jackson State and Colorado coach Deion Sanders stated earlier than the draft: “Ain’t no person like Travis.”
IN THE SUMMER of 2018, Hunter confirmed up at Collins Hill Excessive Faculty for soccer exercises as a 150-pound child with a brilliant, broad smile. Behind that smile, although, was a voracious work ethic and perception he needed to be one of the best at no matter he did.
Hunter performed within the secondary as a freshman. It wasn’t till his sophomore yr that he began taking part in receiver, too, intercepting seven passes and catching 49 passes, 12 of which went for touchdowns.
As a junior and senior he was top-of-the-line gamers within the nation, amassing 3,404 all-purpose yards and scoring 40 complete touchdowns. He caught 222 passes for 3,030 yards and 36 touchdowns, ran 24 occasions for 239 yards and two scores, and intercepted 12 passes for 235 yards and two touchdowns.
As a senior, he was named a first-team All-American and the Atlanta Journal-Structure’s Georgia Participant of the Yr.
“He was too good to not play all the things, and he by no means got here off the sector,” stated Collins Hill head coach Drew Swick, who was the college’s exterior linebackers coach when Hunter arrived in 2018. “He simply has a motor and a drive that I had by no means seen earlier than.”
Swick stated Hunter was a employee in the course of the summer time, too. His each day four-hour exercises on the faculty began at 7:30 a.m., after which he hung out on his footwork along with his private coach, Drew Johnson. He’d squeeze in some therapy, together with cryotherapy to scale back irritation, when wanted every day.
When he wasn’t doing any of that, he was watching movie of future opponents.
“Most children love soccer, however Travis Hunter lives soccer each single day,” Swick stated. “That is the easiest way I can describe it. He lives it every single day and that is his No. 1 ardour. And he’s very, excellent at it.
“He makes it appear like an artwork when he’s on the market taking part in. Not many guys can do it.”
Hunter’s mom, Ferrante Edmonds, beforehand informed ESPN that she moved the household to Suwanee in 2018 in hopes of a greater life. After spending time residing with a good friend, the household finally moved into an prolonged keep resort. By his sophomore yr, Hunter had requested to maneuver in with Collins Hill secondary coach Frontia Fountain, which meant Hunter needed to get to highschool early every day.
Fountain lived exterior of the district, so Hunter needed to experience with Fountain each morning, which meant a 5:20 a.m. arrival. Faculty did not start till 7 a.m., so Hunter would catnap below the desk in Fountain’s workplace for one more hour or so.
Residing with Fountain additionally meant homework needed to be accomplished earlier than he did anything. No video video games, no watching bass fishing movies (a pastime of his) or movie of upcoming opponents.
“I knew he was going to be nice as a result of he was so centered,” Fountain stated. “He was so centered and pushed. Solely Travis can cease Travis, no person else, as a result of he will discover a approach to make it occur.”
By the point his junior season started, Hunter was the No. 2 prospect within the nation within the 2022 ESPN 300 (defensive deal with Walter Nolen was No. 1) and was being recruited by prime applications like Alabama, Florida and Oregon, amongst others.
Hunter made one factor clear to all of them: He wished to proceed to play either side of the ball in faculty.
Florida State coach Mike Norvell expressed curiosity in Hunter doing so, and Hunter dedicated to play for the Seminoles in March 2020, 5 months earlier than the beginning of his junior season.
However simply as that faculty yr started, Jackson State employed former NFL cornerback and Corridor of Famer Deion Sanders — who additionally took professional snaps at receiver over his 11-year NFL profession that started in 1989 — and Hunter’s collegiate plans quickly modified.
SANDERS, WHO PLAYED three sports activities (soccer, monitor and baseball) at Florida State, aggressively recruited Hunter, who took an official go to to Jackson State in November 2021 to observe the Tigers play Alcorn State. Hunter met Sanders’ son, quarterback Shedeur Sanders, on the journey and the 2 stored in contact. Shedeur Sanders later stated that he inspired Hunter to flip his dedication.
On Dec. 15, 2021, Hunter introduced he was signing with Jackson State, turning into the primary five-star recruit to signal with a traditionally Black faculty or college.
Having graduated highschool a semester early, he enrolled in faculty that spring and caught two touchdowns and two interceptions within the Tigers’ spring sport, which was nationally televised on ESPNU after Hunter and Sanders helped increase this system’s profile.
Hunter missed 5 video games in his freshman season due to an undisclosed harm; he completed the season with 18 catches for 188 yards and 4 touchdowns on offense and broke up eight passes, intercepted two and scored a defensive landing. He was named a finalist for the Jerry Rice Award, given to the highest freshman participant in FCS soccer.
Riddley remembers how impressed he was with the way in which Hunter dealt with the eye he bought, each from his resolution to signal with the Tigers and the stress that got here with being one of many nation’s finest freshmen.
“He was totally different from the day he stepped foot on campus,” stated Riddley, now the college’s affiliate head coach/tight ends coach and normal supervisor. “He was gentle years forward and from the maturity standpoint, however he additionally was gentle years forward from the work ethic standpoint. He does not thoughts working. He does not thoughts doing the issues off the sector to make him a greater athlete on the sector.”
Jackson State had Hunter be taught the protection first and slowly added some offensive workload. The method went faster than anticipated, and Riddley stated any hesitation the teaching workers had about Hunter taking part in each methods evaporated just some weeks into spring apply.
“As soon as we bought him on campus and noticed how sensible he was as a soccer participant it was a no brainer to permit him the chance to not less than attempt each methods,” Riddley stated. “… I simply assume that he is a savant with regards to soccer.”
1:44
Travis Hunter able to take the NFL by storm with the Jaguars
Try the explanations Travis Hunter generally is a famous person within the NFL.
Hunter excelled on the FBS stage when he transferred, following Sanders to Colorado in 2023. Hunter caught 11 passes for 119 yards and had three tackles and an interception within the Buffaloes’ season-opening upset of TCU. Three video games later, he caught 13 passes for 140 yards and two touchdowns in a loss to Stanford. He had two interceptions towards UCLA in Week 9.
Hunter missed three video games after present process surgical procedure for a lacerated liver, an harm he suffered in Week 3 towards Colorado State. That season, he performed 984 complete snaps (sixth within the FBS), caught 5 touchdowns, intercepted three passes and allowed a 68.3 opposing QBR (rating 282nd in FBS) in 9 video games.
In 2024, Hunter improved. His 15 landing catches had been tied for second within the FBS, and his 96 catches had been tied for fourth in FBS. He intercepted 4 passes and allowed a 21.6 QBR (57th in FBS) — a giant enchancment from 2023.
Along with profitable the Heisman on the finish of the season, he grew to become the primary participant in faculty soccer historical past to win the Chuck Bednarik Award (defensive participant of the yr) and Fred Biletnikoff (most excellent receiver) Award.
Throughout these two seasons at Colorado, Hunter performed 2,442 snaps over 22 video games — 457 extra snaps than the subsequent highest FBS participant, OT Hayden Conner. There have been 34 situations during which an FBS participant performed 100 snaps in a sport; Hunter accounted for half of them (no different participant had multiple such sport).
“You’ve a prodigy which will play piano, you will have a prodigy which will do violin, after which you will have a prodigy that performs soccer, and I feel that is what he’s,” Riddley stated.
Swick, Fountain and Riddley all used the identical phrase to explain how Hunter has been capable of deal with the fixed consideration, stress and scrutiny of the previous 5 years and stay the identical child he was when he first bought to Collins Hill: humble.
“It is humorous. I do not actually see Travis such as you see him,” Fountain stated. “All people sees Travis because the well-known Travis. I see Travis because the little child that used to experience residence with me after faculty and experience to highschool with me within the morning. We discuss the place he wished to go to highschool and who he wished to be and what it took to get you to the subsequent degree and the subsequent degree. That is what I see.”
THE JAGUARS HAVE largely been irrelevant apart from their first 5 years of existence. Since posting 4 consecutive profitable seasons and playoff appearances from 1996 to 1999, the Jaguars have had back-to-back profitable seasons simply twice (2004-05 and 2022-23) and solely 4 playoff appearances (2005, 2007, 2012 and 2022).
Gladstone believes Hunter will likely be a serious a part of altering that.
“Travis Hunter, he embodies perception,” Gladstone stated. “He is a uncommon individual. He is a uncommon participant. However he is additionally a reminder that the boundaries of the sport of soccer had been constructed to be challenged.”
That was the Jaguars’ plan once they made the transfer to go get Hunter. They plan to begin Hunter on offense and provides him a bundle on protection, however they don’t seem to be but positive whether or not meaning 45 snaps on all sides of the ball, 75% on offense and 25% on protection, or another breakdown.
First-time head coach Liam Coen stated Hunter has been studying the offensive and defensive playbooks, however they opted to have him simply catch passes in the course of the Jaguars’ two-day rookie minicamp after which get him some defensive reps for the primary time this week — which is the final week of Part 2 of the offseason conditioning program.
Coen emphasised the have to be versatile of their strategy with Hunter as a result of all the things will depend on how shortly he can be taught the offense and protection, his conditioning and stamina, and the way shortly his physique can rebound every week.
However the one factor everybody is certain about is what they need the consequence to be.
“We wish it to appear like what it seemed like at Colorado,” Coen stated, “and that will be fairly good for us.”
Hunter has embraced the problem.
“My job is to return out and be Travis Hunter,” he stated. “Come out and play how they envision me to play and exceed all of the expectations.”
2:02
Why Stephen A. nonetheless does not view Jags as ‘field workplace’ with Hunter
Stephen A. Smith reacts to the Jaguars’ commerce to maneuver as much as No. 2 and choose Travis Hunter.
Hunter’s former coaches are assured he’ll deal with the highlight that can include taking part in either side of the ball within the NFL due to all the things he has skilled over the previous 5 years, which incorporates having disposable revenue due to NIL offers with United Airways, NerdWallet, Cheez-It, Dick’s Sporting Items and Hey Dude sneakers, amongst others.
“And he has not modified,” Riddley stated, “simply from a personality standpoint within the years in between. I simply assume watching how he dealt with his recruitment out of highschool and coming to Jackson State after which even going to Colorado, he did all the things with grace. And for a child that age, that is fairly exceptional.
“I do not see an NFL examine or NFL life-style altering that as a result of, regardless that he did not have cash three or 4 years in the past, he is had cash the final three years. And I do know it is not first-round cash, however I feel the way in which he is managed himself up till this level, it does not lend me to imagine he’ll be a child that’ll be distracted from the life-style that he might be offered with off the sector.”
Hunter has been constant in saying that he is not pressured by something. He needs to play either side of the ball within the NFL and believes he will likely be profitable doing so. He isn’t anxious about what anybody thinks relating to that, nor does he concern himself with anybody who doubts that he can.
As for being a franchise changer, Hunter is not pondering that manner.
“I will come out and do my job,” Hunter stated. “I am not going to say I will change something. I do not wish to set the expectation too excessive. I am simply going to return in and do my job and hopefully we alter the environment.”
