Blue & Gold Illustrated: 2012 Notre Dame Football Preview
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54 ✦ BLUE & GOLD ILLUSTRATED 2016 FOOTBALL PREVIEW would have any idea of what it is these guys go through. The commitment of time and the pull on your body, trying to find time to sleep, trying to find time to eat, trying to find time to prepare for your classes and everything else. "The level of focus and the habits and the routine you have to create in order to accom- plish something like this is something both [former Irish basketball and baseball star Pat Connaughton] and Torii have been able to accomplish, and it is mind-boggling. The av- erage person wouldn't have the slightest idea of what these kids do in order to follow their passion for playing multiple sports and their desire to excel in the classroom." Over the past two years with the Irish base- ball squad, Hunter Jr. has seen action in 23 games, primarily as a pinch runner. He was 2 for 11 at the plate with a two walks (.182 average and .308 on-base percentage), scored seven runs and stole two bases. Although Hunter Jr.'s professional future appears to be in football, it doesn't mean that baseball isn't an option. Out of high school he was drafted in the 36th round of the 2013 Major League Baseball Draft by the Detroit Tigers, and this June the Los Angeles Angels grabbed him in the 23rd round. "Here's what I told him: 'Sixth-round draft picks in football this year … had a $100,000 signing bonus," head coach Brian Kelly told South Bend radio station Sportsbeat 960. "So if you were a 23rd-round pick in baseball, would you get $100,000? And I think you're way better than a sixth-round pick in football. So how about you play really well this year for everybody." Hunter Jr. medically redshirted in 2013 because of a broken femur, so he would be eligible in 2017 if he decides to return. If all goes as planned this fall, however, his best op- tion might be to move on to the NFL. "He's a guy who could do quite well for himself," Kelly said. "You saw what kind of bonuses second- and third-round [NFL] picks can get. It's a whole lot more than $100,000. He's got a lot of options in front of him." While some might view the two-sport deal as a negative for the football program, there is a bonus that Kelly appreciates. "When you go into that forum where it's in-season for [baseball], he carries that com- petitiveness into the first day of practice," Kelly "The level of focus and the habits and the routine you have to create in order to accomplish something like this is something both [former Irish basketball and baseball star Pat Connaughton] and Torii have been able to accomplish, and it is mind-boggling. The average person wouldn't have the slightest idea of what these kids do in order to follow their passion for playing multiple sports and their desire to excel in the classroom." IRISH BASEBALL COACH MIK AOKI ON HUNTER JR. Hunter Jr. notched 28 catches for 363 yards and two touchdowns in 2015 and is expected to become the team's leading receiver this fall. PHOTO BY BILL PANZICA