Jarquez Hunter Appreciation Thread

[AUpreacherman22 3,945]

J. Hunter was an incredible late pick up by this coaching staff!!!!!   How many coaches are kicking themselves for not getting him during the early period.    I like seeing my MS boys getting it done at AU!!!

[Paladin 3,307]

The many feats of Jarquez Hunter, Auburn’s Mississippi muscle

Published: 7:20 a.m.

By Tom Green | tgreen@al.com

The boots are unmistakable.

The russet leather is worn, and remnants of dried superglue can be seen around the toes from the times he had to put them back together. Jarquez Hunter has had this particular pair of cowboy boots for a few years now; they’re his favorite ones. He wears them everywhere — even in the settings they seem out of place.

The Philadelphia, Miss., native wore them in his senior portraits while on horseback. He has worn them in the Neshoba Central High basketball gym while dunking a basketball. He even wore them with his singlet while deadlifting 590 pounds as a high school junior during a power-lifting meet in which he took first place.

“That’s what’s special about him — he didn’t care what people thought of him with the cowboy boots on in shorts,” Neshoba Central athletics director Tommy Holland said. “He didn’t care. He was who he was, and he was proud of being that person.”

The truth is, Hunter is “a country boy in every sense,” according to his mother, Kenyatta Ragsdale. He grew up working on his family’s farm in a town of fewer than 7,000 people, and he keeps a couple of cowboy hats stashed inside his Chevrolet Tahoe.

The boots are just part of who Hunter is. It’s why Auburn’s breakout freshman running back has yet to discard them, even through all the wear and tear and repair they’ve seen over the years.

“If coach (Bryan) Harsin would let him, he’d wear those boots on Tiger Walk,” said Patrick Schoolar, Hunter’s coach at Neshoba Central High.

Jarquez Hunter likely wouldn’t be at Auburn if it weren’t for Will Friend.

The Tigers’ first-year offensive line coach is also a Philadelphia native and graduated from the same high school as Hunter. More on that in a minute.

Hunter was a force for Neshoba Central as both a sophomore and a junior. He ran for 1,986 yards and 26 touchdowns in his 10th-grade season, and he followed it up with 2,088 rushing yards and 29 touchdowns the following year.

“He was different,” Schoolar said. “His work ethic, and he ran so angry. We knew we had a good player, but to what extent, we didn’t know.”

Hunter rushed for 1,687 yards and 22 touchdowns in eight games as a senior, averaging 210.9 yards per game for an offense that ran through him. Opponents knew the ball was going to No. 27 and yet each week “everybody knew they were going to struggle to stop him,” according to Schoolar.

Hunter broke the Mississippi high school career touchdowns record previously held by Marcus Dupree, a distant cousin of his, finishing with 92. He was also Mississippi’s Mr. Football as a senior.

Despite the gaudy numbers, records and accolades, Hunter flew under the radar in recruiting. He was rated as a three-star recruit in the 247Sports Composite and as the No. 710 overall player in the country. Schoolar blames that on the pandemic, which shut down in-person recruiting during the spring after his big junior season and prevented Hunter from attending camps.

Without being able to see him in person, several major programs shied away from Hunter. Some coaches thought he was too small, telling Schoolar he looked closer to 5-foot-8 and 170 pounds instead of the 5-foot-10 and 202 he stands at today. Schoolar, each time, told them their perception was incorrect. One SEC school, he said, made the comment that Hunter was too small, too slow and not strong enough.

“That just shows you didn’t evaluate well, because those are complete fallacies,” Schoolar said.

Tennessee was one of the SEC schools interested in Hunter because of Friend who spent last season as the Vols’ offensive line coach. Friend first saw him as a sophomore and came away impressed, comparing his body type and running style to former Georgia running back Nick Chubb.

The problem was Tennessee already had two running backs in its 2021 class and couldn’t offer Hunter a spot. When Friend arrived at Auburn, after a quick pit stop at South Carolina, he sold new head coach Bryan Harsin and offensive coordinator Mike Bobo on the running back from Neshoba Central. The new Auburn staff quickly realized it needed depth at running back after losing D.J. Williams and Mark-Antony Richards to the transfer portal after last season. Auburn returned Tank Bigsby and Shaun Shivers but the Tigers needed a running back recruit after four-star running back Armoni Goodwin decommitted in November.

“He kept telling them, ‘I got the running back; just watch and give him a chance. I promise you you’ll be pleased,’” Schoolar said.

On Jan. 11, Auburn’s staff called Hunter and offered him a scholarship. It was a dream come true for Hunter, who had been an Auburn fan since Cam Newton guided the program to the 2010 national championship. Says Schoolar, “If Auburn had offered three years ago, it would’ve been shut down three years ago.”

Tommy Holland sent a text to Hunter the day after Auburn’s 62-0 win against Alabama State.

Hunter was stellar, opening his college career with a second consecutive 100-yard rushing performance. He led Auburn with 147 yards on eight carries, including a 94-yard touchdown that broke the school record for longest run. Afterward, Harsin awarded him the game ball in the locker room.

Holland wasn’t texting Hunter about that touchdown, though. He wanted to talk about another play — a nine-yard run on the final play of the first quarter, when Hunter bounced off a would-be tackler at the 35-yard and then proceeded to drag two Alabama State defenders seven yards downfield before getting out of bounds.

“He’s a bulldog,” Holland said. “I told him that was his best run of the day because that defines him. He has a no-quit mentality.”

Hunter has been one of the early surprises for Auburn this season, and the freshman has quickly established himself as the steal of the Tigers’ 2021 recruiting class. He’s averaging 15.1 yards per carry and leads the team in rushing through two games. This week, he was elevated to the No. 2 spot on Auburn’s depth chart, behind Bigsby and alongside Shivers, who is day-to-day heading into this weekend’s showdown with No. 10 Penn State.

Back home in Philadelphia, they expected these kinds of performances from Hunter. Like that time in eighth grade when he broke off a game-winning 60-yard touchdown on the final play of a game. Or that time as a junior in the first round of the state playoffs when, playing outside linebacker, he blew up a screen pass late in a game against Grenada High, intercepting it with one hand while shedding a block and returning it for the go-ahead touchdown.

What Hunter did through his first two games was standard, to those back in Neshoba County; they just didn’t think his opportunity would come as soon as it has. Within Auburn’s program, Hunter’s strong start hasn’t surprised, either.

Players first realized he was a different kind of freshman during summer workouts. That’s when Hunter first left teammates gobsmacked in the weight room, squatting 600 pounds “like it was 225.”

“It was ridiculous when we saw that,” Bigsby said. “It was crazy when he did that. He came in and just squatted it. That was the craziest thing I have seen him do.”

It was par for the course for Hunter, who won the Class 5A power-lifting championship for his weight class (198 pounds) as a senior, when he benched 300 pounds, squatted 575 and deadlifted 575 more. “He’s pound for pound the strongest guy I’ve ever coached,” Schoolar said. “He’s just a big, walking muscle that can run.”

On one of Auburn’s many early mornings spent running the steps in the upper deck of Jordan-Hare Stadium this summer, Hunter was the last player to finish. It wasn’t because he was lagging behind the rest of his teammates during their 17 trips up and down the steps; it was because he was running extra decks — 23 or 24 in all, according to center Nick Brahms.

“It’s really uncommon for freshmen to think like he does,” Brahms said. “His work ethic was outstanding. You don’t see that a lot with freshmen. He’s one of a kind.”

Those are just some of the tales shared about Hunter by those who know him well.

Among the others: The time in the summer before his junior year of high school, when he did a backflip and simultaneously caught a pass before landing on his feet while messing around on Neshoba Central’s practice field. Or the time he waded through the shallow end of a swimming pool and jumped out of it, landing on two feet.

“Man’s a freak, to be honest with you,” linebacker and team captain Chandler Wooten said.

If Shivers can’t go on Saturday, Hunter is likely to have his biggest opportunity yet as part of a potent one-two punch in the backfield. Auburn will look for its first road win against a top-10 team since 2014, and the country boy from Philadelphia will have a chance to add another early entry to his growing collection of feats.

[Quietmaninthecorner 2,032]

14 minutes ago, Paladin said:

The many feats of Jarquez Hunter, Auburn’s Mississippi muscle

 

WOW!   That was a great read.    It reminds me of early Bo Jackson hype and rumors about the things he did in high school. (jumping the VW bug etc).    It sounds like Jarquez has already started doing unbelievable things in college.  Continuing to add to the list of unnatural ability in college,  Similar to Mr. Jackson.

Edited September 16, 2021 by Quietmaninthecorner

[steeleagle 2,945]

Just now, Quietmaninthecorner said:

WOW!   That was a great read.    It reminds me of early Bo Jackson hype and rumors about the things he did in high school. (jumping the VW bug etc).    It sounds like he is already started doing unbelievable things in college just like Mr. Jackson.

With Tank entrenched as a bonafied starter and future NFL player, this reminds me of the Bo and Brent Fullwood days, where Fullwood was a great runner but had to stay in the shadows of Bo until he graduated.

This could be the same way, assuming Tank leaves after next year....

[ValleyTiger 2,894]

Them country farm boys are built and wired different. The boots, the dunk, the speed, and the power lifting soon as I found out I was sold on Hunter. Nick Chubb is a good comp for his running style, but personality wise he reminds me of Devin White. 

[McLoofus 35,182]

9 minutes ago, ValleyTiger said:

Them country farm boys are built and wired different. The boots, the dunk, the speed, and the power lifting soon as I found out I was sold on Hunter. Nick Chubb is a good comp for his running style, but personality wise he reminds me of Devin White. 

Great minds...

 

[WFE12 9,350]

A true diamond in the rough. Glad to have him on our side. 

[auburndkel 100]

On 9/15/2021 at 7:07 AM, McLoofus said:

What a petty, unnecessary, crap post this is. Quoting the entire creed only enhances the cringe. This is the worst kind of self-righteous crap that Auburn fans do. Especially in a thread meant to celebrate a current player.

Just for your edification, though, coaches encourage players to transfer all the time. That was probably the case with DJ Williams. 

 

Whoa, same team, same team!  Could I have worded my comments better after cut and pasting stats? In retrospect, obviously. And apologies for the delayed response but I’ve been held up for a few days in the hospital. I certainly don’t want to stir up anything with another response. The reason I wanted to reply is because my intention WAS to post how fired up I am about Jarquez Hunter. Not only his stats, but his work ethic and the way he runs. Yeah, there’s our competition the first two games, but he’s exceeded all (of my) expectations. I’m thrilled Hunter is an Auburn Tiger!

You have almost 30,000 likes (thumbs up). While I’ve been a part of AU for decades, I haven’t been a part of the AU Family that long. This site has been great to follow the thoughts of fellow alumni/fans/friends. I know you’re in tune with the goings on behind the scenes than I am. Selfishly, if for depth purposes only, I would like to have kept one of the three (or four if we count Barrett) in the AU fold. I did not realize the coaches encouraged these guys to play elsewhere. Nor did I know that Harold Joiner had a concussion. He’s a guy I personally wish the previous staff had given more opportunities. 

Finally, as for the Auburn creed, I do believe in Auburn and love it! This is one of the very few posts I’ve included the creed at the bottom, and that was due to how excited I am about Hunter. A largely overlooked guy, that the original thread post does very well at capturing, who is proving to be a Dude. I sure hope he keeps it up this weekend, and throughout the season to follow Tank as another Auburn RB to become SEC freshman of the year. War Eagle!

[McLoofus 35,182]

3 minutes ago, auburndkel said:

Whoa, same team, same team!  Could I have worded my comments better after cut and pasting stats? In retrospect, obviously. And apologies for the delayed response but I’ve been held up for a few days in the hospital. I certainly don’t want to stir up anything with another response. The reason I wanted to reply is because my intention WAS to post how fired up I am about Jarquez Hunter. Not only his stats, but his work ethic and the way he runs. Yeah, there’s our competition the first two games, but he’s exceeded all (of my) expectations. I’m thrilled Hunter is an Auburn Tiger!

You have almost 30,000 likes (thumbs up). While I’ve been a part of AU for decades, I haven’t been a part of the AU Family that long. This site has been great to follow the thoughts of fellow alumni/fans/friends. I know you’re in tune with the goings on behind the scenes than I am. Selfishly, if for depth purposes only, I would like to have kept one of the three (or four if we count Barrett) in the AU fold. I did not realize the coaches encouraged these guys to play elsewhere. Nor did I know that Harold Joiner had a concussion. He’s a guy I personally wish the previous staff had given more opportunities. 

Finally, as for the Auburn creed, I do believe in Auburn and love it! This is one of the very few posts I’ve included the creed at the bottom, and that was due to how excited I am about Hunter. A largely overlooked guy, that the original thread post does very well at capturing, who is proving to be a Dude. I sure hope he keeps it up this weekend, and throughout the season to follow Tank as another Auburn RB to become SEC freshman of the year. War Eagle!

I hope everything is okay with you and yours.

Don't be impressed by my site stats. You'd have just as many if you wasted as much time here as I do.

Going forward, don't assume things about players because they leave Auburn. Assume things about them because they got here in the first place. Cheers and WDE

[woodford 3,732]

Hope this guy goes off tomorrow. If Auburn can run the ball they can beat anyone. Simple as that.
 

You can save the whole “well in modern football” sorry, the basics of the game will never change unless they get rid of the clock. Control the clock and field position and you usually win. 

[ValleyTiger 2,894]

 

[WFE12 9,350]

Idk what's going on with Tank but until he gets sorted out feed the man

[Tigerpro2a 5,650]

I don't know if it has been said or not, but I am so thankful Armoni Goodwin decided to go to LSU. Not saying he wouldn't have turned out to be a great RB, but I don't think there is another player in that class as electric as J. Hunter and he would have never came here if AG doesn't flip. Love this kid. 

 

After last season would anyone have believed that we have Tank Bigsby on the roster and he may not even be our best RB? I am not saying JH is better than Tank, but an argument could most definitely be made. Glad we have both studs. RBU is back.

[SRBautigerfan 1,040]

35 minutes ago, Tigerpro2a said:

I don't know if it has been said or not, but I am so thankful Armoni Goodwin decided to go to LSU. Not saying he wouldn't have turned out to be a great RB, but I don't think there is another player in that class as electric as J. Hunter and he would have never came here if AG doesn't flip. Love this kid. 

 

After last season would anyone have believed that we have Tank Bigsby on the roster and he may not even be our best RB? I am not saying JH is better than Tank, but an argument could most definitely be made. Glad we have both studs. RBU is back.

It's pretty clear Hunter is running the ball a little better than Tank at the moment.  It seems like Tank is running more east and west instead of north and south.  

[EagleEye67 1,948]

On 9/11/2021 at 11:30 PM, Mims44 said:

Meh, it's not short for much.

meh

[AuburnTiger4Life 2,225]

 

[tgrogan21 6,198]

1 hour ago, AuburnTiger4Life said:

 

This is why I'm okay with Harsin pulling in 3 stars. If their eye for talent is good they can find some steals in recruiting and having some really good 3 stars to complement the 4 stars and everything will be fine.

[DAG 34,763]

2 minutes ago, tgrogan21 said:

This is why I'm okay with Harsin pulling in 3 stars. If their eye for talent is good they can find some steals in recruiting and having some really good 3 stars to complement the 4 stars and everything will be fine.

I hear what you are saying and I think CBH has a great eye for talent but I am ready for a little more elite talent and we will see why come this weekend. I can’t wait till we put it all together 

[tgrogan21 6,198]

Just now, DAG said:

I hear what you are saying and I think CBH has a great eye for talent but I am ready for a little more elite talent and we will see why come this weekend. I can’t wait till we put it all together 

Oh, I am as well. Don't get me wrong, I would love to be pulling high 4s and 5s all day long but I'm also cautiously optimistic the first year or so until he can establish the relationships and get the train rolling. But yeah, give me a 5 star, please.

[DAG 34,763]

Just now, tgrogan21 said:

Oh, I am as well. Don't get me wrong, I would love to be pulling high 4s and 5s all day long but I'm also cautiously optimistic the first year or so until he can establish the relationships and get the train rolling. But yeah, give me a 5 star, please.

Right . But imagine if we upsetted them haha talk about a recruiting pitch.  Please baby Jesus let it happen 

[RunInRed 18,354]

 

[WFE12 9,350]

1 hour ago, tgrogan21 said:

This is why I'm okay with Harsin pulling in 3 stars. If their eye for talent is good they can find some steals in recruiting and having some really good 3 stars to complement the 4 stars and everything will be fine.

Ready for him and staff to have a whole recruiting cycle to work through.

[woodford 3,732]

On 9/12/2021 at 8:18 AM, Zeek said:

100m track state qualifier. 

Also square 600 lbs.

When he tweeted a video of him dunking a basketball in boots I knew he was legit lol. 

He wore a cowboy hat at Tiger Walk last week. He’s a country boy and that means he’s country strong. 

[woodford 3,732]

On 9/19/2021 at 5:57 PM, ValleyTiger said:

 

I am loving that play. 

[RunInRed 18,354]