Travis Hunter reached the big time. Once a five-star recruit out of Suwanee, Georgia, Hunter began his NCAA career modestly at FCS school Jackson State - under the stewardship of NFL legend Deion Sanders – before transferring to Colorado before the 2023 season.
It was at Colorado where Hunter blossomed into college football's premier two-way threat. In 2024, he led the Big 12 Conference with 96 catches and recorded 1,258 receiving yards while making 36 tackles and picking off four interceptions as a defensive back. For his efforts, Hunter became the second player in school history to win the Heisman Trophy.
Understanding his special potential, the Jacksonville Jaguars moved up to select Hunter second overall in April's NFL draft. On Sunday, Hunter finally signed his rookie contract: a fully-guaranteed four-year pact worth nearly $47 million. The deal includes a $30.57 million signing bonus, paid entirely up front, in a historic decision for a rookie non-quarterback.
"If he is able to replicate what he did in college, and bring that same excitement to the NFL once he gets it and figures it out, on both sides of the ball, he's going to turn the NFL upside down," Chad "Ochocinco" Johnson said Monday morning on the "Nightcap" podcast.
Both Johnson and co-host Shannon Sharpe are former NFL stars on the offensive side of the ball. They both want to see Hunter enjoy a stellar NFL career that could make the Jaguars – historically an also-ran – into a household name.
But the NFL is a different ballgame compared to college football. Hunter's value in playing both sides of the ball at Colorado will be more difficult to achieve in the pros - the game is more intense, the players are faster, and they will be waiting to pounce.
For that reason, Sharpe says Hunter and the Jaguars need to come to an agreement on the rookie phenom: he should play defensive back in the pros, and only sparingly as a wide receiver.
"I think you can come in, you play DB and then they come and say "hey look, we need you (for) a couple of packages here, we need you in a red zone situation, we need you in a two-minute situation," Sharpe said. "But Ocho, you've been playing wide receiver and then all of a sudden they throw you out there at DB, and people don't understand it, bro. The gap between college and pro (football) is bigger than the gap between high school and college."
With Hunter's contract situation now sorted, the next item on the Jaguars' agenda will be taking a closer look at him in training camp next month. But Sharpe has warned Hunter and new head coach Liam Coen: Jacksonville must protect its top asset.
"I think (Hunter) is phenomenal, he's a phenomenal talent," Sharpe said. "But those guys at that next level, I'm telling you, they're waiting."