Travis Hunter’s old coach says Jaguars star belongs on one side of the ball
It’s not that Travis Hunter can’t play two positions, but his college coach understands where he would be best utilized.
The whole world seems to have an opinion on how rookie sensation Travis Hunter should play ball. The Jacksonville Jaguars dual-threat wide receiver/cornerback is dead set on playing both the offensive and defensive positions in the NFL - full time.
While Hunter has received lots of support, he’s received just as much cynicism - maybe even more. But many of those who are skeptical are just speaking their opinions. One person who knows Hunter and his playing style extremely well, has said what he believes would work best for Hunter, and he speaks from experience.
“Deadly on defense” - Hunter’s college coach give his two cents
During the Alabama Sports Writers Association convention, Jacksonville State head coach Charles Kelly - formerly the defensive coordinator at Colorado - weighed in on where Travis Hunter should focus his NFL career. Kelly, who coached Hunter during his breakout 2023 season at Colorado, believes the Jacksonville Jaguars rookie should primarily play defense.
“I’m playing him on defense and let him play offense in situations. I’m playing him on defense,” Kelly said. “Most important thing you can do on your defense is get the ball. he can go get the ball. I would play him more zone type, he can play man-to-man, but he is deadly when his eyes are to the quarterback, he’s deadly. When he can see where that quarterback is looking, he can find the ball.”
Kelly emphasized Hunter’s ball-hawking instincts and zone coverage skills. While acknowledging Hunter’s offensive abilities, Kelly said they should be used situationally, noting that his defensive talents are where he can make the biggest impact.
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Hunter, who transferred from Jackson State to Colorado with Deion Sanders, earned All-American honors and won the Paul Hornung Award in 2023. Despite his versatility, Kelly noted that Colorado’s defensive weaknesses limited how they could maximize Hunter’s zone coverage ability during that season.
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