Champ Bailey all the time retains a eager eye out for “the Georgia guys,” gamers who grew up within the state or performed on the College of Georgia. In spite of everything, Bailey performed high-school ball within the small Georgia city of Folkston and was an All-American for the Bulldogs earlier than his Corridor-of-Fame NFL profession.
This season, a type of “Georgia guys” is the Heisman Trophy favourite and a high prospect for the 2025 NFL draft — and a standard comp to Bailey.
Colorado extensive receiver/cornerback Travis Hunter — a local of Suwanee, Georgia — has captivated the school soccer panorama by dominating on each side of the ball. On offense, Hunter has 92 catches for 1,152 yards and 14 touchdowns. On protection, he has 33 tackles, 4 interceptions, 10 go breakups and a pressured fumble. In Colorado’s regular-season finale towards Oklahoma State, Hunter turned the one FBS participant over the previous 25 seasons with three scrimmage touchdowns and a defensive INT in a single sport, per ESPN Analysis.
“He is doing stuff you most likely will not see once more,” Bailey mentioned.
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Few can relate to what Hunter has completed and can doubtless attempt to do within the NFL higher than Bailey. In his ultimate season at UGA in 1998, Bailey gained the Bronko Nagurski Award because the nation’s finest defensive participant, choosing off three passes at cornerback. However he additionally caught 47 passes for 744 yards and 5 touchdowns as a receiver within the Bulldogs’ offense. He topped 1,000 snaps that season and completed seventh in Heisman voting. However Bailey would play nearly completely cornerback within the NFL after being drafted seventh general by Washington in 1999, seeing 9 targets at receiver over a 15-year profession.
Due to his distinctive perspective, we requested Bailey to weigh in on what makes Hunter so particular, why enjoying each side of the ball is so tough and what lies forward for the Buffaloes’ star within the pre-draft course of. Can Hunter — who might be awarded the Heisman Trophy on Saturday (8 p.m. ET on ESPN) — do one thing that Bailey did not in his NFL profession and play each offense and protection on the subsequent degree? This is Bailey’s take, in his personal phrases.
Bounce to Bailey on:Hunter’s immense talentDifficulties of enjoying two waysWhat might occur within the professionals
What does Bailey see in Hunter?
The scouting experiences for Hunter and Bailey learn equally, albeit 26 years aside. Hunter is listed at 6-foot-1 and 185 kilos, whereas Bailey measured 6-foot, 184 kilos on the 1999 mix. The 2 additionally share nice pace, explosive traits and ball abilities. Bailey has hung out watching Hunter play and sees a future star.
Bailey: He simply loves soccer. You possibly can see it by the way in which he performs — he is the final word competitor. No participant goes to final very lengthy at one place, not to mention two, if he would not love the sport.
Travis might be extra refined in protection than I used to be at that age. He has been schooled higher at this level — I imply, his coach is Deion Sanders, top-of-the-line to ever play nook. His arms are in the suitable place, his eyes are in the suitable place, and he understands route ideas and the place the ball goes. His interceptions are sometimes as a result of he will the spot he is aware of the place the ball goes.
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The massive distinction between me and Travis? Individuals might see him coming extra. Numerous guys play each methods in highschool, return kicks and punts, play within the band at halftime. And so they get to varsity and the coaches who recruited them — who mentioned they liked the flexibility — now inform them the second day of camp, ‘You are right here, you are right here,’ and that is it. However individuals might see Travis coming. He did it at Jackson State earlier than transferring in 2023, and Prime mentioned he was going to let him do it at Colorado. So there wasn’t even a query from his coach.
I type of constructed up, although. I confirmed I might do it, performed some offense my first 12 months, some extra my second 12 months and did the entire thing my final 12 months.
Why is enjoying each methods so tough?
Hunter has performed 1,380 snaps in 12 video games this season, together with 670 on offense, 686 on protection and 24 on particular groups. That is 382 extra snaps than the next-most lively participant within the FBS, and he topped 100 snaps in 10 of these 12 video games. It is an unimaginable workload, particularly when you think about Hunter had 1,007 snaps within the earlier season.
Essentially the most lively NFL gamers routinely crack 1,000 snaps in a wholesome season enjoying on only one facet of the ball, although. The 2-way workload within the professionals could be considerably bigger, even earlier than factoring within the off-field preparation.
Bailey: In my final season at Georgia, I returned kickoffs and punts, performed nook and performed extensive receiver — they did not maintain me out of something. If the ball was on the market, I used to be on the market.
I needed to play each side of the ball once I bought to the league, too, and had some possibilities to line up and play some offense. However I believe the issue of actually doing it’s exhausting to grasp.
As you go from highschool to varsity, and school to the NFL, the preparation turns into an enormous factor for the coaches. You begin enjoying all of the snaps on one facet of the ball and plenty of snaps on the opposite and perhaps some particular groups, however coaches do not actually know what you are going via. They have not completed it as a result of not many have. So that you’re attempting to point out them you are ready sufficient to be on the market and which you can maintain up. That takes convincing.
There is not sufficient mentioned in regards to the accountability that comes with what Hunter is doing, too. Enjoying each methods means placing further stuff in your plate, and persons are relying on you to do it, so it may’t simply be one thing you need to strive. That psychological stress will take the most important toll until you actually love what you are doing and go all in. And past the bodily side — which is an immense problem in itself — you additionally must be proficient in two completely different playbooks. Different guys might need had the expertise to do what he is doing, however we by no means discover out as a result of they do not have the mentality to actually decide to doing it.
I spent most of my time on protection in apply and conferences, and I’d get into the offense for particular issues. I believe my coaches checked out me because the nook who was adequate to place on the market at extensive receiver, and I studied sufficient to do it. Offense was extra about examine time than getting reps on the sphere or being in all of the conferences. I imply, everyone meets on the similar time in place teams earlier than staff conferences, so you possibly can’t be in every little thing. A few of it falls on religion you may do the work.
You must be extraordinarily athletic to do what he is doing and maintain focus in his preparation. However apart from all of that’s the snap depend. The intense variety of snaps he is enjoying, the wear and tear and tear and what it takes for him to maintain that — to coach for what his physique is about to undergo.
One factor I handled so much was cramping — there’s plenty of humidity within the SEC. I would get an IV at halftime of each sport, and that turned a factor. However I do not assume I really sat on the bench, even for a second, greater than 3 times all season as a result of I used to be additionally on particular groups. You could have moments the place you are simply so drained. However I did not even take my helmet off fairly often.
Nonetheless, I take a look at Travis, and guys are a lot extra knowledgeable about offseason prep and the restoration sport to sport, season to season. It is means past the place we have been 20-some years in the past.
What comes subsequent for Hunter?
When Washington drafted Bailey, he believed there could be at the least some two-way play in his NFL future. However he finally performed nook — each in Washington and later in Denver — seeing six profession offensive touches (4 catches, two rushes). Can Hunter play each side within the NFL?
Bailey: My conversations with individuals earlier than the draft have been principally, “You are a nook, and we’ll discover some issues on offense for you.” And that is type of how I noticed it early on. Primarily based on the construction of the conferences and the extent of belief a coach must see to place you on the market, it simply wasn’t going to be full-time on each side for me, it doesn’t matter what.
In my second 12 months, coach Norv Turner bought fired halfway via the season. I believe if Norv was the coach longer, I’d have performed offense extra in my early years. I imagine that. So for Travis, it is all about who his coach is within the NFL and the way a lot they assume is feasible. It doesn’t matter what you are able to do on the sphere, the top coach controls the schedule and the way you apply. However I say all that, and it is actually not far-fetched that he’ll at the least get a shot to strive enjoying each methods.
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Travis Hunter makes robust Heisman case with 3 TDs, INT
Colorado’s Travis Hunter places up a Heisman-worthy efficiency towards Oklahoma State with three touchdowns and an interception.
If I used to be that coach making the choice, I would ask Travis to play full-time nook first as a result of it’s far tougher to discover a participant like him at CB with all he brings to the place. He’s a gifted receiver, no query — a superior receiver. However to seek out him at nook is so, so uncommon. He has ball abilities, pace, flexibility, quickness, intelligence and tackling means, and he is aggressive each down.
Nook can also be much less depending on the construction round you. You might be part of a protection, however there’s a solitude to a few of the job within the assignments. His work at receiver will probably be so depending on the offensive construction, the quarterback and the O-line; it is a bit of extra related. Extra issues must line up at receiver for him to point out all of his abilities. And within the conferences, I believe it could be extra environment friendly for him to primarily work on protection and get into the offensive conferences he must for sure issues.
I believe his best arc for locating success whereas attempting to play each offense and protection goes full-time one hundred pc at nook, after which getting some situational work at receiver. I hope he will get an opportunity to do no matter he needs.
The benefit he has is, no matter he performs, he will be top-of-the-line within the league.
