How Travis Hunter Gives Jaguars Optimism for 2025

The Jacksonville Jaguars have a lot of reasons to be optimistic about the 2025 season.

First and foremost, the hirings of head coach Liam Coen and general manager James Gladstone in the wake of the departures of Doug Pederson and Trent Baalke have seemingly inspired energy and confidence in both the fan base and inside the facility.

But beyond that, the Jaguars also have a roster with a number of talented players who are looking forward to taking the step forward in 2025.

Perhaps most notable of those players is rookie wide receiver and cornerback Travis Hunter. The former Colorado Buffaloes star and Heisman Trophy Winner was selected with the No. 2 pick and will be expected to contribute on both sides of the ball from Day 1.

As a result, it is hardly a surprise to see Hunter listed by Pro Football Focus as the Jaguars' greatest reason for optimism this season.

"Jacksonville's offseason success will be determined by how well first-round pick Travis Hunter pans out. The Heisman Trophy winner appears poised to get the bulk of his playing time at wide receiver, where he earned an outstanding 89.0 PFF receiving grade at Colorado last year. He may play some cornerback, too, after earning an elite 90.3 PFF coverage grade in 2024 in addition to his work on offense," PFF said.

Hunter has played both positions for the Jaguars in offseason practices, even doing both in one singular practice on Thursday, And while the majority of his reps seemingly will be at wide receiver, it is clear to see what kind of potential impact he can have on the Jaguars' team in 2025 and moving beyond that.

“Yeah, he just has a wealth of talent. He's a super intelligent guy, which makes it really fun. He's really quick on the uptake, so he's a fun guy to coach, to be around. I know his position coaches love coaching him and it's pretty impressive to watch a guy do that," defensive coordinator Anthony Campanile said earlier this week.

"I think it's really cool. It's been really fun, but I also think the coaches, Coach Milus [Secondary Coach Ron Milus], [Assistant Defensive Backs Coach] Drew Lascari, [Defensive Backs Coach] Anthony Perkins and [Senior Defensive Assistant] Bill Sheridan, those guys have done a great job of just getting him up to speed on everything, and he's done a great job responding to it.”