Panthers' Tetairoa McMillan Looks Ahead to Travis Hunter Matchup

The Jacksonville Jaguars kick off the preseason against the Pittsburgh Steelers this weekend, but the reality is that all eyes are truly on Week 1 vs. the Carolina Panthers.

And while there will be a host of storylines facing the Jaguars in Week 1 -- ranging from Travis Hunter's debut to Trevor Lawrence to Liam Coen -- there is one matchup that will take center stage: Hunter vs. Panthers first-round pick Tetairoa McMillan.

Tetairoa McMillan Weighs In

carolina panther — Aug 2, 2025; Charlottle, NC, USA; Carolina Panthers wide receiver Tetairoa McMillan (4) takes the field during Fanfest at Bank of America Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Jim Dedmon-Imagn Images | Jim Dedmon-Imagn Images

Speaking with NFL Network's Tom Pelissero and Cameron Wolfe, McMillan was asked about his Week 1 matchup against Hunter. Here is what he had to say.

"Man, you know, I don't know. You know he's probably going to play both sides, so hopefully he going to be a little bit more fatigued," McMillan said.

This is not the first time the two will matchup against one another, doing so in Colorado Buffaloes and Arizona Wildcats matchups in the past.

It will remain to be seen just how often Hunter will be on McMillan considering he will also have a more-than healthy dosage of snaps on the offensive side of the ball.

But for the snaps when Hunter and McMillan are matched up across from each other, the full focus will be on two of the most talented rookies in the entire draft.

Hunter has been rotating between both offense and defense since he was drafted by the Jaguars, practicing at both spots even in the same practice and, last week, in the same scrimmage.

“Yeah, we kind of had that set in motion, where he was going to be, but he does a lot of that in practice," Jaguars defensive coordinator Anthony Campanile said in practice earlier this week.

One period he may be with us, the next period he's with them. Some days he may start on defense, then he's working offense. His meeting schedule is very much like that, so like I said, the last time I was up here, he's done a really good job with that and I think Liam's [Head Coach Liam Coen] has done a great job coordinating that. It's been demanding on him, but he's responded in every way.”

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