How the Jacksonville Jaguars split Travis Hunter's workload in training camp is currently one of the biggest storylines to keep an eye on both nationally and locally. Given that it isn't often that teams have to devise a plan to get the most out of a two-way player in practice, you could make the case that the Jags have an issue at hand. However, the 2024 Heisman Trophy had a strong offseason and should continue to make strides ahead of the preseason.
Offensive coordinator Grant Udinski, for his part, is embracing the challenge of how to best split Hunter's workload.
Udinski recently made an appearance on the NFL Spotlight with Ari Meriv podcast and said that he's excited about Hunter's potential, pointing out that he's thrilled about the chance to coach him.
"Yeah, he's been an injection of energy into not just the offense, but I think the team. What you see on TV, of him dancing around, or bringing the juice and all that energy to practice, that is genuine," Udinski responded when asked what it's like to be around Hunter. "That's the real deal, right there. So he's a lot of fun to be around, not only because he brings that energy, but because he is a football guy, in the sense that he loves football, wants to be great, willing to work, wants to talk about things, wants to go over things, and like Liam said, I know he's mentioned it multiple times, can run all day, so he's out there excited about practice, and he's practicing hard for the entire time he's practicing."
Udinski continued, "So that's exciting for me as a coach, to be a part of that, let alone to have a guy like that to get to work with. So I'm excited about the challenges of splitting time between offense, defense, and the many different roles that help play on our team. And if there's a guy that can do it, I'm excited about seeing him approach that challenge."
When the Jags traded up to select Travis Hunter second overall back in the 2025 NFL Draft, they did it with a clear plan in place. At the time, general manager James Gladstone said that the West Palm Beach, Florida native would start his onboarding on offense and get reps on defense as the regular season approached.
While there are questions about how the coaching staff will divide Hunter's workload in training camp, they've shown that they're willing to make tweaks to his development and adjust on the fly.
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The Jaguars are doing a good job of bringing Travis Hunter along
So far, Travis Hunter has been everything the Jacksonville Jaguars expected and then some. Although he's facing a learning curve like any other rookie, he's routinely showcased his talent. In fact, he began to get reps at corner at mandatory minicamp, and nothing is impeding him from building off his strong offseason.
Now, there's a chance Hunter won't play two ways full-time because of how stacked the Jags are at both wide receiver and cornerback, but the team's brass will surely find a way to get him onto the football field.
Simply put, Travis Hunter is too talented to stay on the sidelines and Grant Udinski is eager to get the most out of him in training camp.