‘Too soft’ – Travis Hunter stuns fans with dramatic new look but two-way NFL debut raises eyebrows

It’s finally Travis Hunter time in the NFL – and he has prepared for the occasion with a brand new look.

The Jacksonville Jaguars rookie arrived for his NFL debut a couple of hours before the Jags kicked off against the Carolina Panthers in Florida.

And even before he was making plays on both sides of the ball, the 22-year-old left fans shocked as his arrival took over NFL social media early on Sunday afternoon.

In dramatic fashion, Hunter turned up to his new Everbank Stadium home flashing his trademark smile, but it was his hairstyle that drew the gasps.

Gone are his signature locs, with Hunter instead sporting a fresh tight crop with a hint of a fade, as he prepared to hit the field.

As expected, social media went into overdrive with one user writing on X (formerly Twitter): “Brother is focused.”

“He’s going to be fast,” another wrote.

“This looks like 250 yards 2 TD’s and a pick six,” a third user joked.

“Opposing WRs already nervous — aerodynamic Hunter is coming,” a fourth commented.

Those predictions might have been ambitious, but Hunter was a winner on his NFL debut, as the Jaguars overcame a weather delay to run out 26-10 winners over the Carolina Panthers in Florida.

After the Jags traded up to sign Hunter at No. 2 overall, they penned him to a four-year rookie deal worth $46.6 million, with him receiving a $30.6 million signing bonus.

The former Colorado Buffaloes star was box office entertainment in college football due to lighting up the field on both the offense and defense.

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He was active on both sides of the ball on Sunday, catching six of his eight targets for 33 yards, and also playing a couple of snaps on defense that featured his first tackle as defender in the league.

His first plat as cornerback saw him go up against Carolina’s first round receiver Tetairoa McMillan, and not everyone was impressed with what they saw.

“Yeah he’s clearly not a DB. Stick to WR bud,” one X user posted.

Another added, “That was way too soft. Even for a zone.”

One of his former teammate’s Shedeur Sanders‘ – son of Buffs head coach Deion Sanders – favorite targets, as a wide receiver Hunter notched 1,979 receiving yards from 153 receptions and had 20 touchdowns.

As a cornerback on defense, he also had 47 tackles, three tackles for loss and seven interceptions for 55 yards. He allowed just 22 catches.

As such, Hunter was named the recipient of the 2024 Heisman award, beating out the likes of running back Ashton Jeanty and first overall pick Cam Ward, becoming the first player from Colorado to win the award since running back Rashaan Salaaam did in 1994.

Now he set his sites on making even more history in the NFL by becoming the first true two-way player in the league.

There is no doubt that he will play a prominent role in Jacksonville’s offensive scheme, with quarterback Trevor Lawrence at the helm.

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But his role on defense may be more limited than he’d perhaps like.

“We’re going to have to figure it out,” Jaguars head coach Liam Coen told reporters Friday when asked about what their plans were for Hunter’s usage.

“We’re going to have to all be flexible. We’ll come up with that plan over the next 24 hours in terms like, alright, what are the exact maybe numbers we want to hit on both sides or usage?”

It is expected that they will determine his usage on a week-to-week basis, giving them somewhat of an advantage over their opponents as they have to make schemes with the possibility in mind that Hunter does or doesn’t play.

While Hunter has full confidence in himself that he will thrive in the NFL on both sides of the ball, veterans such as Kansas City Chiefs tight end Travis Kelce and Los Angeles Rams wide receiver Davante Adams each have their doubts due to toll playing in the NFL takes on the body.

Nonetheless, Hunter has set his sites firmly on becoming the MLB equivalent of Los Angeles Dodgers superstar Shohei Ohtani, who is both a pitcher and a leadoff batter.

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