Parallels between Travis Hunter and Shohei Ohtani are nothing new, but a fresh report from The Athletic suggests Jacksonville is preparing to maximize their two-star way to his best this season.
Liam Coen’s offense shattered expectations last season, and the most captivating piece on Jacksonville’s roster barely factored into that run.
After a knee injury cut his rookie campaign short, Hunter has returned to training camp intent on dominating both sides of the ball. The Athletic’s Jeff Howe believes Coen’s plan on giving more cornerback reps to Hunter will do just that.
Travis Hunter Deemed NFL’s Shohei Ohtani
GettyJacksonville Jaguars rookie Travis Hunter earns a Shohei Ohtani label.
“However extreme, he was billed as football’s answer to Shohei Ohtani, yet Hunter closed the season as an afterthought,” Howe writes.
The entire offseason, rumors heavily pointed to Hunter spending the bulk of 2026 on defense. Coen and Hunter dodged the questions every time they were asked and instead ended up asserting that Hunter will be playing both ways. Classic football talk.
While Hunter is technically playing both ways, he is clearly seeing the majority of his snaps on defense as the Jags’ first-string cornerback, as Howe confirmed in his report.
The reason is quite simple. Hunter can execute wide receiver routes in his sleep, but defensive coordinator Anthony Campanile’s scheme demands consistency and discipline.
That was the reason why Coen restricted Hunter to only the defense on Thursday’s joint practice with the Panthers, and made him play all 20 snaps on just one side of the ball for the first time in the camp.
“We’re really looking forward to seeing him just go play ball and let him do his thing,” Jaguars coach Liam Coen told The Athletic recently.
Howe mentions that Hunter’s evolving positional role might benefit him too.
“Before being drafted, teams generally believed Hunter was better suited to be a full-time corner and part-time wideout in the NFL, though the Jags saw it the other way. They wanted him to gain as much experience as possible in Coen’s offense while mixing in at corner.”
“Now, Hunter is preparing to serve as the team’s No. 1 cornerback. Defensive coordinator Anthony Campanile’s zone-based system will likely keep Hunter to a side of the field rather than a receiver-based assignment, at least for a majority of the time,” Howe writes.
Hunter a Threat to WR Room as Well
GettyJacksonville Jaguars rookie Travis Hunter earns a Shohei Ohtani label.
Hunter tapping into his defense skills with Campanile doesn’t mean he has his eyes off the offense. Offensively as well, he is emerging as a headache for Parker Washington, Brian Thomas Jr., and even veteran Jakobi Meyers, all of whom have been battling for the first-string receiver position all offseason.
Since Hunter is already handling the starting cornerback reins, Coen handing him the receiver reins too is highly unlikely. But Hunter might come in and swoop in for the backup receiver spot if the depth chart gets into a crisis like the Jaguars’ current offensive interior.
“We expect him,” Coen said, “to really have a huge impact for our team.”
Jaguars’ Travis Hunter Earns NFL’s ‘Shohei Ohtani’ Status Under Unseen Game Plan