CFB Coach Hypes Travis Hunter, Says Jaguars Offense, Defense Will 'Fight' for Snaps

One college football coach foresees some jostling within the Jacksonville Jaguars' staff over how to utilize No. 2 overall pick Travis Hunter.

"There'll be a fight to see who gets to use him," the coach said to ESPN's Adam Rittenberg.

The Jags traded up in order to land Hunter. The cost included the Nos. 5 and 36 picks this year along with their 2026 first-rounder.

"He's somebody who is deserving of a first-round draft pick as a wide receiver, and he is worthy of a first-round draft pick as a corner," general manager James Gladstone told reporters. "Certainly look forward to each of those elements showing themselves over the next few years while he's under his rookie contract. But yeah, we're excited about just getting him in the boat, so to speak."

Based on Gladstone's comments and what Jacksonville invested in Hunter, it stands to reason he'll become a two-way player in some form eventually.

For now, head coach Liam Coen was pretty clear that the Heisman Trophy winner will start on offense:

With that in mind, the performance of the Jaguars secondary will be a minor subplot to follow as the 2025 regular season unfolds.

As good as he was as a wide receiver, Bleacher Report NFL scout Cory Giddings compared Hunter to eight-time Pro Bowl cornerback Patrick Peterson. If Jacksonville is struggling to contain opposing passing attacks, it might become harder to resist the temptation to throw Hunter out there on defense.

Imagine having a potentially elite corner standing on the sideline all game as your defensive backs are getting torched.

Perhaps even more so than how star quarterback Trevor Lawrence is progressing under Coen's tutelage, how Hunter is splitting his reps in practice may be the biggest offseason storyline for the team.