Travis Hunter gaining reps on offense, defense at Jaguars OTAs: ‘He's doing extra every day'

New York Times

6 days ago

It was a busy weekend for Jacksonville Jaguars wide receiver/cornerback Travis Hunter between getting married and surprising a young fan. And on Tuesday, the No. 2 pick in the 2025 NFL Draft reported back for the second week of OTAs with his new team.
After being seen mostly with the Jaguars' offense during rookie minicamp and the first few OTAs, Hunter's two-way implementation is taking shape. Head coach Liam Coen revealed to the media that Hunter worked with the defense last Wednesday, primarily learning fundamentals.
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'It was good, he's still learning,' Coen told reporters. 'He's been learning a ton defensively and offensively.'
Hunter's two-way prowess helped him earn the Heisman Trophy while he starred on offense and defense at Colorado in 2024. Since then, he has made clear his desire to continue playing both ways in the NFL.
'I think he's pretty good,' defensive coordinator Anthony Campanile said with a laugh. 'Fired up to have him out there, and he did a very good job getting out there.
'He's doing extra every day, so I have a ton of respect for everything that he's done to this point.'
The Jaguars traded up to select Hunter in April's draft, signaling their belief in him as a rare athlete — he hopes to become the NFL's first two-way starter in six decades — but also as a person. Hunter's energy was the first attribute quarterback Trevor Lawrence mentioned when he spoke with reporters about the rookie after the first day of OTAs last week.
'Got a lot of juice. He can run all day,' Lawrence said. 'He's like a kid, he doesn't get tired it seems like. You can't have enough of that.
'As far as talent, it speaks for itself, ball skills, run after the catch, he's very explosive. I didn't realize how explosive he was in and out of cuts. He's impressive to watch. We've gotten to connect a couple times, it's only going to get better and better.'
Lawrence is returning after suffering a concussion and AC joint injury in his left shoulder last year, which required surgery and prematurely ended his 2024 season. As Hunter splits time between offense and defense, there's an added layer of complexity for him and his new quarterback to connect, which Lawrence said is something they are navigating.
'You work around all that, you get as many reps as you can, you talk as much as possible out here after reps, after 7-on-7, team reps,' Lawrence said. 'And then in the building, in the meeting room, watching tape, installing, talking about what I'm looking for, what coaches are looking for on different concepts, just to get him up to speed because he's learning a new system. He's super talented, really smart, but it takes some time to learn the system, so we're trying to just get him up to speed so he can go and play fast and free and not think about it.'
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Offensive coordinator Grant Udinski described the dual-threat installation as a challenge, but one he's enjoyed working with Hunter at.
'You're definitely going for maximum efficiency,' Udinski said. 'It's a unique challenge, but it's a fun challenge, an exciting challenge and he's the type of guy, because of that passion and love for the game, the guy that can do it.
'It's definitely different compared to the rest of the guys and his schedule, but it's a unique skill set, it's a unique person and a unique player, so that's been fun as well.'
There's still work to do, and Jaguars OTAs continue this week and next before mandatory minicamp June 10-12. But do the coordinators expect to negotiate for Hunter's skills in game situations?
'That's up to the head guy,' Campanile said. 'We have a plan for Travis, and we're excited to put that in place. It's been going very well to this point, so we're excited to keep it moving through the course of the preseason and regular season.'