After a long recovery following a gruesome non-contact injury at the U.S. Army All-American Bowl, Torii Hunter Jr. fought his way back to the field in 2014. Now comes the hard part—playing up to the potential that had many so excited before the broken femur.
We’ve heard plenty of promising reports on Hunter the past two seasons in South Bend. And while he flashed some of that ability in spurts last season, entering his third year in the program it’s time for Hunter to make his step forward.
While he spent some time this spring with the baseball team, his future is clearly on the gridiron. So amidst a packed depth chart, Hunter enters his junior as a contender to breakout.
Let’s take a closer look at Hunter.
TORII HUNTER JR.
6’0″, 190 lbs.
Junior, No. 16, WR
RECRUITING PROFILE
A four-star recruit and U.S. Army All-American. Hunter chose Notre Dame in late September, picking the Irish over Arizona, Arkansas, Nebraska and Oklahoma.
Hunter was the MVP of The Opening, and would’ve likely been a candidate to contribute early if he didn’t suffer a major injury in All-Star practices in San Antonio.
PLAYING CAREER
Freshman Season (2013): Did not see action, recovering from injury suffered at U.S. Army All-American game.
Sophomore Season (2014): Named Notre Dame’s Offensive Newcomer of the Year. Played in 10 games, missing the opening three due to a groin injury. Had seven catches for 65 yards and a touchdown, scoring against Syracuse.
WHAT WE SAID LAST YEAR
It’s a shame that a groin injury slowed Hunter down to start the season. Pair that with a tough depth chart, and this prediction seems pretty spot on.
This is a wait and see season for Hunter. Could the prep injury hinder him for another season? Quite possibly, as broken femur’s are a tricky healing process that’s rarely associated with football. Then again, injuries are hardly the only thing in the way. So is a depth chart with DaVaris Daniels, Will Fuller, Corey Robinson, Amir Carlisle and C.J. Prosise. Hunter likely starts fall camp behind all of them.
That said, only Daniels seems to have his role in the Irish offense cemented. So if Hunter walks into fall camp ready to roll, there’s not much of a line to work through on the depth chart. The young receiver caught the eye of Kelly during bowl prep, and certainly had the type of skills that lead to productivity when he was slicing and dicing his way through The Opening.
We might not ever know what a full speed Hunter looked like, or if the femur injury took something away from his top end speed. But all reports have him healthy and ready to compete. And with four years of eligibility remaining, the clock only now starts ticking.
FUTURE POTENTIAL
As a third-year sophomore, this is when you’d expect Hunter to turn it on. Of course, the same depth chart that made it so difficult to contribute last season greets him when training camp opens. And finding the footballs to more than double Hunter’s seven catches isn’t the easiest of scenarios.
That said, there’s a reason why Hunter is routinely mentioned as one of Notre Dame’s best athletes and a candidate to breakout. He showed a nice knack for making plays when he got the opportunity last season. Add another year removed from the broken femur and another season in the system, and there’s still a chance Hunter turns into a very productive college receiver.
CRYSTAL BALL
I’m high on Hunter, though I still put his ceiling at 20 catches. In reality, unless the Irish are an insanely productive offense, I’m just struggling to find the footballs to make Hunter happy, especially when he’s probably the fifth-best option as a pass catcher.
(That’s no insult, Will Fuller, Corey Robinson, Chris Brown and C.J. Prosise are all really good players.)
A redshirt season was a great thing for him. He’s basically a sophomore at this point, meaning there’s plenty of time for him to work his way up a depth chart that is pretty top-heavy right now.
We’ve heard about Hunter’s ability to make plays in space and be a versatile receiver. And he’s got the versatility to play inside and out, something that always helps when you’re looking for ways to get a player noticed.
New offensive coordinator Mike Sanford will likely see some of the same things this August that had Kelly and Mike Denbrock excited. It’d be even better if we saw those things happen on Saturdays this fall, instead of making most of his noise on the practice field.
THE 2015 IRISH A-to-Z
Josh Adams, RB
Josh Barajas, OLB
Nicky Baratti, S
Alex Bars, OL
Asmar Bilal, OLB
Hunter Bivin, OL
Grant Blankenship, DE
Jonathan Bonner, DE
Miles Boykin, WR
Justin Brent, WR
Greg Bryant, RB
Devin Butler, CB
Jimmy Byrne, OL
Daniel Cage, DL
Amir Carlisle, RB
Nick Coleman, DB
Te’von Coney, LB
Shaun Crawford, DB
Scott Daly, LS
Sheldon Day, DL
Michael Deeb, LB
Micah Dew-Treadway, DL
Steve Elmer, RG
Matthias Farley, DB
Nicco Fertitta, DB
Tarean Folston, RB
Will Fuller, WR
Jarrett Grace, LB
Jalen Guyton, WR
Mark Harrell, OL
Jay Hayes, DL
Mike Heuerman, TE
Kolin Hill, DE
Tristen Hoge, C
Corey Holmes, WR
Chase Hounshell, TE
