Jalyx Hunt playing at Senior Bowl with a chip on his shoulder

Houston Christian EDGE Jalyx Hunt has been overlooked at every turn. He committed to Cornell out of high school as an unranked prospect. After spending two seasons with the Big Red, Hunt entered the transfer portal.

Again, teams weren’t knocking at his door. Hunt bet on himself and committed to Houston Christian, a school with under 3,000 undergraduate students. His gamble paid dividends. In two seasons at HCU, Hunt amassed 133 tackles, 20.5 tackles for loss, 13.5 sacks and an interception.

Now, with his future on the line, Hunt is ready to introduce himself on one of college football’s biggest stages: the Reese’s Senior Bowl.

“I definitely have a chip on my shoulder because of that,” Hunt told On3’s Andy Staples. “Being called a ‘small-school guy.’ I’m not a small-school guy. I just play football and I happen to go to a little bit different of a competition level.”

Standing at 6-foot-4, 248 pounds, Hunt is significantly larger than the average “small-school guy.” Evidently, NFL scouts agree. Hunt had representatives from 31 of the 32 NFL teams attend at least one of his practices this past season.

If any scouts missed the opportunity, they’ll have no shortage of chances to watch him this week. Hunt is the first player in HCU history to be invited to the Senior Bowl. He’s ready to show everybody why he deserved the invitation.

Jalyx Hunt is ready to introduce himself

“That’s the main objective,” Hunt said. “That was the only reason really for coming here. Just to show all the scouts I [can] play football at any level. Just put me on the field.

“It’s exactly how I thought it would be, a lot faster than what I was used to, a lot different talent level as far as the tackles go, and as far as everybody, honestly. I went from the FCS level to literally the best in all of football in the college world.”

Hunt strictly played linebacker before stepping foot on HCU’s campus, where he began playing EDGE. Hunt hopes he can continue to play the hybrid position at the next level.

“I see myself playing the hybrid position in the NFL. I’m still new to the position, and I know I’ve got a lot more to learn about the position,” Hunt said, per Dave Campell’s Texas Football. “I watch Micah Parsons and want to be at that level one day. I have a lot of work to do, but it’s something I can and will be doing in the future.”

Watch Hunt in the Reese’s Senior Bowl at 1 p.m. ET on Saturday. The game will be broadcast on the NFL Network.