Travis Hunter laughs at doubters as he works through first training camp with Jaguars

Travis Hunter is used to this.

The Jacksonville Jaguars began training camp with a clear, but fluid plan for their second-overall pick. Hunter will play on both sides of the ball, and the current trajectory and expectation are that he will play a large number of snaps on both sides — at a high level.

Before, during and now after the NFL Draft, many assumed Hunter would ultimately focus on just one side of the ball, whether that's offense as a receiver or defense at cornerback. Many have assumed incorrectly, but Hunter doesn't worry too much about any detractors or doubters he may have.

JAGUARS TRAINING CAMP DAY 3: Defense wins again but pads come on soon

"Just the work that you put in, and when they try to criticize it, it's like, I'm already doing all this extra work," Hunter said with a smile. "You're going to keep telling me I can't do the same thing I've been doing and showing you. So, it's just that a lot of people keep downplaying this, but I'm going to just be quiet and just go to work."

Hunter has played on both sides of the ball on a semi or full-time basis since high school. Last year at Colorado, he averaged over 120 snaps per game, a total of 1,460 snaps of the team's total 1,725. He was a star wideout on offense and a generational-talented cornerback on defense.

So, it really doesn't bother him when he reads or hears people doubting. He smiles through it.

"It actually makes me smile. They don't know what to say, so they're just going to keep hating," said Hunter.

Meanwhile, the Jaguars organization has been Hunter's greatest advocate. He works extra during special teams drills on whichever side of the ball he's not spending the majority of practice at that day. For instance, Hunter did individual drills at receiver on Friday, while playing full-time defensive back.

Two days prior, the opposite was true with Hunter working with his secondary coaches and defensive coordinator Anthony Campanile.

“It's just a blessing. They actually trust me, they put a lot on my plate, but I just have to go out there and continue to attack the work that they give me," Hunter said when asked about the team making a plan for him.

Liam Coen says Travis Hunter's plan is more challenging for coaches

Jaguars head coach Liam Coen has a minute-to-minute schedule for his prized player, but the challenge is passed on more to the coaches rather than Hunter himself.

"It's probably harder, I mentioned this before, logistically for us as coaches to navigate it and make sure that we're making use of all his time. I think it doesn't bother him as much. He's pretty unfazed by some of this stuff," Coen said.

Hunter mentioned, too, that he isn't necessarily staying later than everyone else, but he does have some more work on his plate.

"I just continue to switch between the meetings," he said.

During meetings, Hunter may have to change his mindset to continue talking about different plays and terms. But, on the field, the second-overall pick said it's all the same to him.

"I just go to work," he added.

The plan will continue to evolve as Hunter does throughout camp. The next part of the process after a day off on Saturday, will be a good benchmark for how far he's come along.

"These next few days will be very important though because he was on defense today. He'll have an off day tomorrow making sure that he's ready to go for the next few days," said Coen.

"He'll have to use this weekend off day tomorrow as well to make sure that he's studying on offensive stuff. So he's been great in terms of his attitude and just kind of the way he approaches it.”

Hunter isn't necessarily receiving all of the reps on both sides of the ball. He plays more offense than defense at this point. But he understands what it'll take to get more involved on either side of the ball.

“Just technique on the defensive side of the ball as well as the offensive side of the ball. I want to make sure that my technique is up to par so the coaches can trust me more and make sure I know my plays," Hunter said.

The Jaguars will continue with their plan for Hunter, and Hunter will continue just being himself. Smiling through it all.

Demetrius Harvey is the Jacksonville Jaguars reporter for the Florida Times-Union. You can follow him on X, formerly known as Twitter, at @Demetrius82 or on Bluesky @ Demetrius.

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This article originally appeared on Florida Times-Union: Jaguars' Travis Hunter on doubters: 'They're just going to keep hating'