From high school stardom to flipping his commitment to Jackson State, and becoming a household name under coach Deion Sanders at at Colorado, Jacksonville Jaguars rookie Travis Hunter’s path has consistently faced doubters along the way. And now, as the former Colorado Buffaloes two-way star enters his rookie season in the NFL, not much has changed.
Hunter, the No. 2 overall pick in the 2025 NFL Draft, is attempting to accomplish something no other player in the modern NFL era has achieved. Consistently play both sides of the ball at the professional level.
But while the spotlight is as bright as ever, the pressure doesn’t seem to faze him at all.
After Day 3 of Jaguars training camp, Hunter was asked about the most challenging part of playing both offense and defense, something many fans and critics might not fully grasp.
“Just the work that you put in,” Hunter explained. “And then when they try to criticize you, it’s like, ‘I’m already doing all this extra work, you gonna keep telling me I can’t do the same thing that I’ve been doing and showing you?’ So, it’s just that. A lot of people keep doubting us, but I’m just gonna be quiet and go to work.”
“I’m gonna just be quiet and go to work… They don’t know what to say so they’re just gonna keep hating.”@TravisHunterJr
pic.twitter.com/cDiGH8ILJ7— Ossacin’s Ducktail (@OssacinDucktail) July 25, 2025
That line, “be quiet and go to work,” might capture Hunter’s mindset best as he enters his rookie season. He’s always brought personality and presence, but now he’s focused on letting his performance speak for itself.
When asked if the criticism gets under his skin, Hunter just smiled.
“Nah, actually, it makes me smile,” he said. “They don’t know what to say, so they’re just gonna keep hating.”
Hunter’s confident response should come as no surprise to those who saw him thrive at Colorado, but his measured and mature approach this summer has still been impressive for a rookie. And it hasn’t gone unnoticed by his new coaching staff.
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“He’s pretty unfazed by some of this stuff,” said Jaguars coach Liam Coen following camp. “So these next few days will be very important because he was on defense today, we have an off day tomorrow—making sure that he’s ready to go for the next few days. He’s been great in terms of his attitude and just kind of the way he approaches it.”
Video: Jaguars coach Liam Coen talks about rookie Travis Hunter and how well he’s handled learning both sides of the ball in the first week of training camp. pic.twitter.com/dFpYenbtvy
— Greg Auman (@gregauman) July 25, 2025
The Jaguars haven’t laid out a public plan for how often Hunter will be used on both sides of the ball, but once the pads go on and preseason approaches, we should start to see a clearer picture of how Jacksonville intends to unleash his rare versatility.
Hunter knows he’s under a microscope. Everyone is questioning whether two-way football is sustainable at the NFL level. Analysts and fans online continue to debate if it’s a gimmick.
But none of that seems to shake the Heisman Trophy Award winners’ confidence.
It’s a confidence that comes not from hype, but from hours logged in the weight room, film study, and on the football field. It’s the same quiet belief that carried him from Jackson State to Colorado to the first round of the NFL Draft.
