Florida State commit analysis: Scouting Travis Hunter

Florida State Seminoles football has made a huge effort on the recruiting trail lately, making in-roads on 2021 and 2022 prospects via offers and on-campus visits. With the efforts have come some setbacks, however, as the Seminoles have lost some commitments.

Enter, Travis Hunter, a 2022 cornerback recruit relatively unheralded by the recruiting services, but one who holds plenty of majors offers to validate his talent. Early offers included the Alabama Crimson Tide, Auburn Tigers, Florida Gators, and Georgia Bulldogs, but it was the FSU offer and the relationship with defensive backs coach Marcus Woodson and time spent with head coach Mike Norvell that eventually sealed the deal.

Up to this point, the most impressive attributes by Hunter are his anticipation, body control, play recognition, and ability to play the ball like a natural receiver. Don’t get it twisted; Hunter’s ability to react quickly and break on the ball, recover, and agility aren’t too shabby either.

Let’s take a closer look at the aforementioned attributes.

Play recognition

On of Hunter best attributes, is his ability to understand play development. This is largely evident from the amount of time and success he’s had on offense. In the above clip, Hunter shows you just how comfortable he is. The defense disguises their pre-snap coverage look and drops into Cover 3 post-snap. Because the outside receiver runs a whip route, this frees Hunter to “help out” his safety. Due to the cushion prior to the snap, Hunter is able to run go under the route for the athletic pick.

Plays the Ball Like a Receiver

In this clip, you see the flanker and slot WR run a shallow cross route, anticipating that Hunter and his teammate are manned up. What they don’t account for is a poorly thrown ball. Hunter play soft off-man coverage, allowing the play to develop in front of him. Best of all, Hunter was able to adjust to the pass and corral the ball like a receiver, while falling to the ground.

Off-man coverage

Hunter plays very good off-man coverage, as this evident in all of his highlight clips. He is keenly aware of how the routes unfold, how the wide receiver is looking to establish himself to the QB, and consequently, is often able to disrupt that from happening. Case in point in clip #3: defense coverage is Cover 1 (or 7), but Hunter off coverage is deep enough where it allows him to stay square the outside WR with more of a zone look. As the QB, throws the ball to the back streaking down the sideline, Hunter is able to adjust for the pick.

Hunter is an excellent pickup for the Noles. He is not yet rated, but I expect him to be a comfortable 4 star recruit when it is all said and done.

UPDATE: Hunter made a MAJOR move in 247’s rankings, as he’s now the 10th best player in the ’22 class, and their top cornerback prospect: