June 17, 2026
Bill Streicher/Imagn Images
Jalyx Hunt failed out of Cornell, but is on the verge of becoming an NFL star. That's a decent tradeoff.
In April, Eagles rising star edge defender Jalyx Hunt took a trip back to the place where he said he "failed."
Hunt returned as guest lecturer to Cornell University, where his football career and life journey once took a major turn, but not for the better.
Hunt addressed an audience of about 250 students – many of them Eagles fans, according to this story from The Cornell Sun – and brought with him some friends, a Super Bowl ring that he helped the Eagles win in 2024, and his personal stories of failure, perseverance and even envy.
Although Hunt had experienced a remarkable reroute in the arc of his life and career because he left Cornell, he told the crowd that he was "super proud" of them for being able to thrive where he didn't.
"That was such a cool moment because I never thought I was gong to go back," Hunt said recently after an Eagles minicamp practice, with emphasis on the "never" and a laugh. "I have such a love-hate relationship with Ithaca, New York."
For a southerner like Hunt, who spent most of his childhood in South Carolina and Florida, upstate New York can be culture shock – small, remote, rural towns and cities sandwiched between stretches of barren land, a region where winter takes a two-month vacation.
Hunt reminisced about his struggle at Cornell and why he ultimately transferred. He said the campus looked "very pretty" when he went back, which seemed to surprise him.
"When I went back, it was nice, which was crazy," Hunt added. "But my main message to everybody was what you do when life doesn't go to plan. I think it resonated with a lot of people because I was talking where the biggest turn in my life came – that was at Cornell.
"I failed out of Cornell. I didn't cut it. I told them I was super proud of them because they are doing something that is very amazing, something I want to do. But, yeah, what to do in life when life doesn't go as planned and how to get yourself back on track and know that its not the end and be able to approach it in a different way. Knowing that you have a goal in mind and that the road is going to change and you gotta take a little detour."
The redirection of Hunt's life and career journey came at Houston Christian, where the former safety, almost overnight, grew into an edge defender whose athletic traits were already off the charts before the growth spurt.
The Eagles drafted Hunt in third round of the 2024 NFL Draft mainly because his athletic profile suggested he could emerge into fearsome pass rusher down the road. He
By the end of Hunt rookie's season, the idea that he was a developmental prospect years away from making an impact was already tossed out the window.
A free-agent misfire on edge rusher Bryce Huff coupled with a triceps tear for Brandon Graham pushed Hunt up the pecking order. He went from being a special teams maven for the first eight weeks into a key rotational piece of the pass rush, and played about 40 percent of the defensive snaps in the postseason through the Super Bowl win.
Last year, Hunt saw an expanded role in Vic Fangio's defense. His ability to drop into coverage – an important trait for edge defenders in Fangio's scheme – also revealed a playmaking side of his game that stemmed from his days at safety. Hunt led the entire defense with 6.5 sacks. He also led the defense with three interceptions, becoming the first player in franchise history to lead the defense in both of those categories. He played 62% percent of the snaps.
Hunt had arrived, and earlier than anticipated. And now, entering his third season, one of a few Eagles candidates to break out into a Pro Bowl season for the first time, Hunt's impact on Fangio's defense should only continue to peak.
"Just keep doing what he's doing," Fangio said in May when asked about Hunt's next step. "He's had a nice progression. I see him growing his game in all aspects. I think he can and will rush better. He'll play the run better. It's just the natural progression.
"In his rookie year, he didn't play a lot early. Then when BG went down, he started playing more, and I thought for a guy with his background, was kind of a perfect year for him. He ended up playing a good bit if you remember in the playoffs, et cetera. Then last year played a lot, did good. Yeah, I think he's just ready to keep getting better and better."
"I definitely do look back," he said. "You know how on different apps you get the year ago [memory]. I get those type of things. I'm able to to look at those. It's really cool to see and it makes me smile because I have come a long way. It makes me more excited to work.
"I know I've learned some more from last season, just playing. I've learned more just watching a whole bunch more film, being around a whole bunch more people, knowing what questions to ask. I'm excited to put that into effect. I just want to keep on an upward trajectory."
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