It’s not every day you get the future face of your quarterback room locked up several years ahead of schedule, but that was the case for Kentucky when Knoxville (Tenn.) Bearden quarterback DJ Hunter announced his commitment back in April. A 2027 recruit taking spring visits to Clemson, Virginia Tech, Tennessee and Virginia, he decided to shut things down after meeting with the Wildcats in Lexington.
Why? It not only felt like home, but it’s his family’s actual home.
“I ended up committing to Kentucky because my family’s up there, I got family up there,” he said on this weekend’s edition of WLAP’s Sunday Morning Sports Talk. “I could tell (the staff) really wanted me up there. The coaches, they’re good people. They recruited me pretty hard. They wanted me to come up there. I just love the school, I love Kentucky.”
Hunter threw for over 1,400 yards in his first season in Knoxville this past year following his start at Horn Lake (Miss.) High as a freshman. He impressed as a sophomore when he was on the field, but the injury bug couldn’t stop biting the future Wildcat. The 6-2 quarterback sprained his AC joint in the second game of the season, forcing him to miss three weeks. Then he sprained his ankle the week he came back, forcing him to miss the following week before returning for the final two games of the regular season. When he got to the state playoffs, though, he suffered ACL and meniscus tears in the quarterfinals, leading to surgery in January.
Now four months post-surgery, he’s been throwing for two weeks — Kentucky actually came up to watch him on Friday — and will be cleared for full contact in late July, just before his junior campaign starts. Where could that be? Born in Lexington with his dad starting his basketball career at Eastern Kentucky, he may be returning to the Bluegrass state.
“It’s a possibility,” he said. “Me and my family are still trying to get some things figured out for my junior year. I like the idea of being closer to family in Lexington and being closer to the University of Kentucky.”
A cousin of Kentucky defensive back Ty Bryant, Hunter previously lived in Memphis — his dad transferred from EKU to Southwest Tennessee Community College — then again to Central Missouri before starting his post-playing days back in Memphis. From there, they moved to Mississippi for the standout quarterback’s freshman year of high school, followed by Knoxville for his sophomore year.
“It’s been kind of a journey for me,” he said, part of the intrigue in settling down back home in Kentucky for the remainder of his high school career and committing to the Wildcats so early. He’s done plenty of moving up to this point and wouldn’t mind getting comfortable in one spot for a change.
What is UK getting in Hunter when the day comes for him to arrive on campus a few years from now? He’s considered a dual-threat quarterback and grew up watching Cam Newton, but he views himself as a true passer who can also make plays with his legs when necessary.
“I feel like I’m more of a passer, but I can really run if I really need to,” he said. “If I have the opportunity to run, I’m going to take it, but it’s not my number one priority. I’m a pass-first quarterback. I’m looking to pass all the time, but if there is an opportunity to run, I’ll take it.”
Offensive coordinator Bush Hamdan made the trip to watch him throw on Friday, and he agrees with Hunter’s assessment: he’s got an arm.
“Coach Bush came down to watch me. He said everything looks good, he said my mechanics look fluid,” he said. “Everything looks good, the ball is coming off my hand good.”
He’s got plenty of time until he gets to represent his hometown in blue and white. Until then, all eyes are on his injury rehab and a potential transfer back home to the Bluegrass state.
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