Jalyx Hunt's Journey Into Eagles' Record Book Began With Third-Grade Lesson

PHILADELPHIA – Jalyx Hunt was in third grade, growing up in Hagerstown, Md., when he learned what may have been his most valuable lesson about the game of football. It had to do with the physicality of the sport.

“My biggest thing was contact, because it’s not natural to run into another human being and not stop, or be OK with it, so helping me get over that and helping me build my confidence,” he said.

The journey led to the here and now, as Hunt prepares for yet another postseason with the Eagles, his second since being drafted in the third round last year.

Unlike last season, when he was still learning his way, yet still playing a role in helping the team win a Super Bowl. He has taken some quantum leaps this season. They led to him becoming the first player in the history of the Eagles to lead them in sacks and interceptions.

“I mean, it’s cool,” he said. “I haven’t really taken it in. I have more important things, like the playoffs, to worry about. But I mean, it’s cool, getting a little post on Instagram and being in the history books.

Jalyx Hunt: "It's Cool To Be The First"

“To be the first to ever do anything is something that is extremely cool and something I don’t necessarily chase but something that has been achieved by me before in just different ways, but to add something to the box is really cool. To do it in a loss, that kinda sucked, but it gave me some confidence going into the playoffs for sure.”

The Eagles will open the playoffs Sunday against the visiting San Francisco 49ers. It will be the first time Hunt will see an offense that features quarterback Brock Purdy and running back Christian McCaffrey.

“They play hard, they play physically, they’re confident in what they do and (head coach Kyle) Shanahan, all of them over there, they like to mess with the edges,” he said. “They like to make them wide, they like to run stretch, so we know what they’re trying to do, and I think they know how we play and what we like to do, so it’s gonna be good on good.”

Hunt led the team in sacks entering Sunday’s regular-season finale against the Washington Commanders with 6.5 He didn’t get anymore, but the number held up. Still, he was disappointed.

“I wanted another sack,” he said. “I wanted 7.5 in the regular so fell a little bit short.”

His interception on Sunday broke him out of a four-way tie with teammates who each had two this season – Andrew Mukuba, Cooper DeJean, and Zack Baun. It wasn’t an easy catch, his third pick of the year, having to dive low and pull the ball in before it hit the ground.

“We do that drill on the sideline all the time, believe it or not,” he said. “I believe we do it twice in our catch circuit. Just getting to the ball, locating the ball, putting your body between the offensive player and where the ball’s going, and getting on your back as best you can, so there’s no type of replay that they can take the ball away. It’s a catch regardless. I didn’t fully get to my back. I tried to get to my side, but we still got it.”

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