Hunt Becomes First HCU Player Selected in NFL Draft

Photo credit: Juan DeLeon Creative | Story: HCU Athletics

The Philadelphia Eagles select the HCU all-American in round three with pick 94

DETROIT, Mich. - On Friday evening, the Philadelphia Eagles selected Huskies linebacker Jalyx Hunt in round three with pick 94 in the NFL draft to make the Huskies' all-American the first-ever player drafted out of HCU.

Hunt joins Caleb Johnson, linebacker with the Jacksonville Jaguars, and Bailey Zappe, quarterback with the New England Patriots, as Huskies in the NFL. Johnson signed with the Chicago Bears as an undrafted free agent and now has three years of experience, the last two in Jacksonville, with 29 NFL appearances to his name. Zappe, meanwhile, spent four seasons as the Huskies' quarterback before playing his final season at Western Kentucky before being drafted in the fourth round by the Patriots.

For the 2023 season, Hunt piled up three separate all-America awards, was named the Southland Conference Defensive Player of the Year, first team all-SLC and was a finalist for the Buck Buchanan Award. Additionally, he earned invites to both the Reese's Senior Bowl and the East/West Shrine Bowl before accepting the Senior Bowl invite and playing in the game on Feb. 3.

Hunt filled up the stat sheet this season with 46 tackles, nine tackles for loss, 6.5 sacks, two forced fumbles, two fumble recoveries, one interception with a return for a touchdown, three quarterback hurries, two pass breakups and a blocked kick in 10 games.

In league play, Hunt averaged more than a sack per game with all 6.5 of his sacks coming in six games against conference opponents. The next-highest total in SLC play was four. In just two seasons, Hunt has racked up 13.5 sacks, ranking second all-time at HCU, while his five forced fumbles are tied for most by an HCU player in their career. His three sacks this season vs. Lamar is the second-most in a single game in program history.