The difference in Jabari Hunt-Days throughout the fall was noticeable. After being declared academically ineligible after the spring semester, the Georgia Tech defensive lineman had his scholarship taken away, necessitating a re-evaluation of his priorities.
From the perspective of his coaches, Hunt-Days rose to meet the challenge.
“I think he’s become more accountable with school,” coach Paul Johnson said. “He’s working on it.”
Johnson was optimistic about the possibility of Hunt-Days regaining his eligibility in time to play his senior season and help the Jackets defend their ACC Coastal Division title.
“He’s progressing towards being eligible in the fall (semester),” Johnson said. “He’s on track. He’s just got to keep going.”
Since Johnson’s hire, the Yellow Jackets’ success in the classroom has been among the team’s noteworthy accomplishments. Should Hunt-Days make it back to the playing field, it would represent a different kind of achievement for Tech, Johnson and, not least, Hunt-Days.
Hunt-Days was declared academically ineligible in May after falling behind an NCAA-instituted checkpoint measuring progress toward graduation because of a failing grade in a class. Johnson revoked his scholarship, but Hunt-Days remained in school and participated on Tech’s defensive scout team.
The work of preparing the starters for games is typically the lot of walk-ons and freshmen, not players with two years of starting experience who are among the most talented on the team. However, Hunt-Days eagerly accepted the task, lining up at defensive tackle, often against guard Shaquille Mason.
“Jabari is, to this day, the best ‘D’ lineman I played in the year 2014,” Mason said Saturday. “I can confidently say that. He definitely, I think, got me better every day.”
According to Mason, Hunt-Days further demonstrated a remorseful attitude for costing himself a chance to play with the team’s seniors one final season.
“He definitely felt bad that he wasn’t out there to fight with us each and every game,” Mason said, “but he definitely served us well.”
For his effort, Hunt-Days was named the defensive scout team player of the year. In the spring, he’ll stay at defensive tackle. So long as he regains his eligibility, he’ll pair with Adam Gotsis in the middle. By season’s end, Hunt-Days weighed about 280 pounds, 31 pounds more than his weight listed in the 2014 media guide, which was published last offseason.
Defensive line coach Mike Pelton will have plenty of work to do in the spring — Hunt-Days moved to defensive end last spring, so tackle will be another new position — but he is eager to have a replacement for Shawn Green. Pelton envisions a playmaker who can swap the nose tackle and defensive tackle spots with Gotsis.
“The way he plays and the stuff he does, that’s not coaching,” Pelton said.
And while Mason gives ample credit to Hunt-Days’ scout-team work for helping him achieve his All-American form, Hunt-Days likewise was able to sharpen himself against Mason daily in practice, and thanked him after each practice, Mason said.
Mason is quite optimistic about what Tech’s interior could look like in 2015.
“If (Hunt-Days) and Adam are in the middle, there’s no inside runs,” Mason said.
Before then, though, will come the slow toil of regaining his academic standing, work he appears more able and willing to complete than a year ago.
“Is he perfect?” Pelton asked. “No, none of them are. But as far as being where he’s supposed to be, doing what he’s supposed to do, meeting with the people he’s supposed to meet with, I think he’s got an appreciation of that just a little bit more than he did before.”
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