Hunter goes from Titans to Memphis grad assistant
Justin Hunter grew up in Virginia but the state of Tennessee has felt just like home with his travels through the state.
He became an ALL-SEC receiver at Tennessee before spending his first three NFL seasons with the Titans, who selected him in the second round of the 2013 NFL Draft. After he retired, he kept moving west across the state to Memphis where his wife is from.
So it seemed natural that with his transition to coaching, he’d find his way to the Tigers. Hunter will be a graduate assistant for the 2023 season working with the receivers, and for that, he can thank several unexpected connections.
“It’s such a small world. Coach (Ryan) Silverfield and my head coach in high school, Chris Scott, actually went to the same college (Hampdensydney) together,” Hunter told the Commercial Appeal.
Hunter started as a high school assistant coach at St. Benedict where he worked alongside former Tigers tight end and fellow graduate assistant Joey Magnifico. But he felt a pull to get back into college and work with older athletes.
At 31, he’s young enough to relate to players, yet he also is experienced with wisdom from six NFL seasons.
“I love being around the excitement. I love helping people out. High school showed that but then I wanted to move up and try college,” said Hunter. “That’s where I made my money to get drafted. So I understand where (players) want to go and it’s a little bit more serious where time’s ticking and a kid’s got to put stuff together.”
Before meeting Silverfield, Hunter met offensive coordinator Tim Cramsey because their sons played tackle football with the Lakeland Lions. At the beginning of last season, Hunter introduced himself and asked about any open coaching positions.
Cramsey said he’d keep him in mind if something opened. Once Larry Smith was hired this offseason as receivers coach, Hunter was added and the two bonded over playing in the SEC.
The two played against each other in 2010 when Smith was the quarterback for Vanderbilt. Smith was injured
in 2011 when the two teams met again. Hunter realized Smith's name was familiar when he looked up his resume for his time as UAB receivers coach.
“When he first got here, we chopped it up for a while and picked each other's brain to see what we knew,” Hunter said. “We're really on the same page so to get the guys now, we've checked out the film and found some ways where we can help them elevate their game.”
He's learned quickly that Memphis fans carry themselves differently than Tennessee's fans but the passion is similar. Even before his move, he watched the program grow through his brother-in-law Sam Craft, who played both football and basketball.
Now he'll see it up close as he helps develop a Tigers' receiving corps that must replace all three starters from last season.
“Memphis defines themselves as its own state. I like that they rally around their football team,” Hunter said. “I'm ready to see what it looks like during football season.”