Hunt happy to be with Razorbacks
FAYETTEVILLE — Two different University of Arkansas coaching staffs liked and wanted running back Javion Hunt out of Midwest City, Okla., and the feeling was mutual for Hunt.
“It was honestly a no brainer,” Hunt said of choosing the Razorbacks over a multitude of other offers. “I came up here with the old staff and obviously I liked it. After that whole debacle I came up again and I just fell even more in love with the school.
“Honestly, me and my dad and my mom felt like that was God telling us that no matter who was here that this was where we wanted to be. It didn't matter what staff was there, we felt the same about the school.”
Hunt took a mature approach to the recruiting process, helped by his father Jay, who was a star running back at Carl Albert High School in the Oklahoma City suburbs just like his son and a University of Oklahoma player during the national championship season of 2000.
Hunt had an old-school approach that turned in Arkansas' favor.
“I love the program, and kind of love how they used to play Texas,” he said. “I liked watching those old-time games. I love watching them, and I
always have, and I love watching SEC football.”
A top prospect as a running back and safety, Hunt fought through hamstring issues to rush for 1,114 yards and 25 touchdowns as a junior and 771 yards and 12 touchdowns as a senior.
“He's just an awesome kid,” said Jimmy Corley, Hunt's head coach at Carl Albert who is now a defensive assistant for the program.
“You're not going to find a better kid that fits the mold of a student athlete. He's a very bright kid. He's a hard worker.
“There's never an issue with Javion. Just a great citizen, great student and a really, really good football player for us. He checks all those boxes for sure.”
Hunt enrolled early with the Razorbacks and jumped into a running back room that included Trelon Smith, TJ Hammonds, Josh Oglesby, Dominique Johnson and fellow freshman Rocket Sanders in the spring, plus another Oklahoman in AJ Green for fall camp.
“I enjoyed it,” Hunt said of the 15 practices of spring. “I'm glad I got that out of the way rather than going to fall camp and it being the first time I put on pads and competed with these guys.
“I started building relationships with older guys. I just know I jumped ahead going into the fall. Really comfortable with competing and going to work with these guys.”
Hunt said the intensity of workouts at Arkansas let him know he had leveled up from high school.
He said he didn't really have a “welcome to the SEC” moment in camp, more like a “you belong here” awakening.
It came early in spring during a oneon-one blocking drill against Bumper Pool, who Hunt said “is a great player who I love competing against,” who pushes him in workouts every day.
“We went against each other and I definitely held my own and possibly won the rep against him,” Hunt said. “In that moment, it was the first day of pads and everyone was extremely hyped up, I just kind of knew I belonged then.”
Hunt bonded with running backs coach Jimmy Smith after his commitment last May, and even helped fill out the class by working on Green, who was a standout tailback at Tulsa Union.
“Me and coach Smith both kind of recruited AJ after I committed,” Hunt said. “Coach Smith said we need one more back and he asked who we thought kind of fit well and I want to go after him, and we did. It was just a great fit.”
Hunt said the camaraderie in the running backs room is real.
“They're really fun guys,” he said. “I think our room may be one of the most close-knit rooms. We come in every day and our motto is ‘No Selfishness.' We want each other to be better and we want each other to work and that's all we ask each other to do.”
Hunt, who wears No. 21 like his father before him, developed a reputation in high school as a player who would do whatever it took for the team to succeed.
“He was a very powerful, headsy player, team player,” Corley said. “He blocks in protection. We played Piedmont and a kid comes through. He steps up there and just waylays him.
“Really just an all-around player. Unselfish. Some guys who can really run the football don't like blocking, but he wasn't that guy. He was willing to step up there and do whatever we needed him to do.”
Hunt said he was “extremely confident” in his knowledge of the offensive coordinator Kendal Briles' playbook.
“I got here in the spring and memorized that and we installed some more and I'm just kind of refreshing my memory right now,” Hunt said in late June. “I'm very confident in the playbook.”
Hunt will enter the fall back on the depth chart, but understanding what his role will be.
“I want to keep pushing Trelon and the guys who have been here to do better and keep working,” he said. “I definitely want to try to get on as many special teams as I can and do anything I can to help this team. Overall I want to just continue to grow as a player, a leader and a person.”