Jaguars' Liam Coen on progress of Travis Hunter after offseason programs

USA Today

02-07-2025

Jaguars' HC Liam Coen recently discussed the progress he saw from Travis Hunter during offseason programs.
On the latest episode of the E.V.Podcast, Jacksonville Jaguars' head coach Liam Coen was asked about second overall pick Travis Hunter, specifically what he's seen from him during offseason programs.
"He loves football," Coen said. "He loves to compete. You feel his energy out on the grass. His endurance out on the grass is just non-stop. He definitely brings a little bit of that youthful energy to our team, to our offense and defense. He's made some really good plays, and he's continuing to have to learn as he goes."
Since arriving in Jacksonville after the NFL draft, Hunter has been learning both the offensive and defensive playbooks and the terminology that goes along with each of those schemes. However, on the practice field, the bulk of this playing time has come at wide receiver up to this point, which has been the plan all along.
As GM James Gladstone described recently, the reason behind this is that the team views cornerback as Hunter's more natural position. So in the early going, they wanted him to get more reps at wideout and hone in on the nuances that come with playing that position.
"I mean, he's learning to do something that not a lot of people have done," Coen added. "And so he's learning a complex offensive system with a ton of moving parts. He's learning a brand new defense and also playing in the National Football League for the first time in his life.
"So, I've been really pleased with the maturity level, his ability to seamlessly move on, maybe from a negative play to the next play. And you know, I think he's getting along really well with the guys."
Outside of the final drill during the Jaguars' last minicamp practice, Hunter has practiced entirely on one side of the ball up to this point, either spending an entire day on offense or defense, depending on what the plan dictated.
The next step for Hunter once training camp arrives will be practicing on both offense and defense during the same practice, since that will have to be the norm in-season.
As far as what Hunter's playing time on offense and defense will look like in games, Tony Khan said recently that the week-to-week game flow will play a key role in determining that.
"The thing that I appreciate, and this goes for Travis Hunter, is the willingness to think outside the box," said Tony Boselli. "I think one of the things that I love about working together is the competitive nature of not being satisfied and saying, 'Okay, we're not worried about how it's been done,' but we have a vision and it might be not correct Day 1. We might have to pivot, but being unafraid to make decisions and say, okay we're going to go try to do something that hasn't been done.
"It might look different through the process of how do we onboard him or how does he learn or whatever it is. Not just for Travis, but any player coming in, and being unafraid to do whatever it takes to try to create a championship organization to be the best we can in everything. I think that's the most fun."