Power Player
Jalyx Hunt "Throwing Around Weight"
It wasn’t until Corey Clark noticed a package shipped to his training facility, Champions League Performance Facility in Houston, that he learned one of his burgeoning clients would be returning for another round of training sessions before departing back to Philadelphia for training camp.
The package, containing 30 specialized shakes, belonged to Eagles second-year pass-rusher Jalyx Hunt, who has been tasked with a specific offseason goal.
“[The Eagles] wanted him to put on weight going into this season,” Clark, owner of Champions League Performance and Hunt’s primary trainer, explained. “So [Jalyx] had all his protein shakes shipped to the gym. I reached out to him and I was like, ‘Hey, you know you got some protein shakes here?’ He’s like, ‘Yeah, I’ll be home next week.'”
The weight increase, which Clark strategizes around training to ensure a delicate balance, hasn’t at all impaired Hunt’s springiness or ability to maneuver with fluidity. The returns on the heels of a productive offseason were evident during spring practices, though the enhancements feel like a natural progression for Hunt, who has ascended at a rapid pace.
Working with Hunt four days a week from now until players report to training camp, Clark witnesses Hunt’s development firsthand.
“He’s still moving the same,” he said. “I think he’s a little bit more powerful – he’s definitely stronger in the weight room – ‘cause he’s throwing around weight that he wasn’t throwing around last year.”

GETTY IMAGES: Eagles EDGE Jalyx Hunt is hitting the weight room hard this summer to prepare for a breakout second season.
The building momentum foreshadows what could be a breakout year for Hunt, who elevates into a starting role after appearing in 16 games and all postseason contests as a rookie. The Houston Christian product produced 21 tackles, 1.5 sacks, three quarterback hits and a pair of forced fumbles over 241 regular season snaps. Hunt equaled his regular season sack total during the Eagles’ playoff run.
Hunt, who originally began working with Clark in February of 2024, ahead of Houston Christian’s Pro Day, returned to Champions League Performance in preparation of Organized Team Activities and the Eagles’ lone mandatory minicamp practice. Those sessions, according to Clark, focused on Hunt’s primary directive to add mass.
Clark’s philosophy during that particular phase of the NFL offseason is geared toward reconnecting with the body after a long season. For instance, he doesn’t subscribe to notion of implementing cleats into the workouts before OTAs. Wide receivers and defensive backs aren’t to use gloves.
The intensity level, however, ratchets up over the next few weeks, with the dawn of training camps fast approaching. Workouts this summer are structured differently, with Hunt now a year removed from the initiation phase. The ante has been upped, to which Hunt has responded favorably, maintaining singular focus on daily improvement, unwavering effort and attention to detail.
Calculated in his approach and structuring the sessions with continuity in mind, Clark made it a point to run back the same training group as last summer, apart from the occasional exception. It’s a bunch that includes Hunt, Raiders pass-rusher Elandon Roberts, Seahawks cornerback Shaquill Griffin, Jaguars tight end Quintin Morris and Colts running back Ulysees Bentley IV.
The four-day work week (Wednesday is active recovery), overpowered by the oppressive Texas heat, typically begin around 10:00 a.m. The first session covers about 90 minutes. Allowing an extended lull for adequate rest and recovery, Clark then holds another session around dinnertime twice a week, spanning between 45-50 minutes.
Mondays have been dedicated to acceleration, with emphasis on starts, get-off and working in confined space. Tuesdays are reserved for lateral work and wide dynamic movements. There’s also a focus on lower body.
Thursday is a speed and power day, while Fridays are a designated heavy lift day, where Clark offers the option to squat or deadlift. They also hit the field for conditioning.
“My biggest thing for [Jalyx] right now is making sure he’s eating enough,” Clark said, “because with the way we train for training camp … it’s on ‘go,’ but the safe way. These guys need to be in top-notch shape going into training because of how much they’re doing once they get there.
“So, I know with our speed days and our field days, along with our lifts and stuff like that, I don’t want him to drop too much.”
In addition to adding weight, Hunt communicated to Clark his adamance of strengthening his lower body, which is slated to be a primary focal point over the next few weeks. Clark has devoted two days a week to ensuring that objective is accomplished, likely Tuesday and Friday.
From Clark’s vantage point, the most discernible difference in Hunt’s training compared to this time last summer pertains to the variance in weight reps. There’s a concentration on lifting heavy to ensure strength is maintained with Hunt in the hypertrophy phase, in addition to attentively monitoring his nutritional intake.
But Clark pinpointed a particular evolution of Hunt’s game this offseason that he believes has shown the most growth.
“His power, man,” he said. “His power has been different. His first step has been a lot more explosive. And I think that comes with the experience that he has from this past year. Seeing how strong he’s got, as far as just in the weight room, I can only imagine what it’s like when he’s actually back on the field.
“When he’s doing his hand drills with Chris [Brown, movement specialist], I can see it’s becoming second nature to him. It’s almost like he knows what coming, and he’s beating Chris to the spot. I know it’s drills, but I pay attention to small stuff like that.”
Hunt’s strides, however, aren’t solely relegated to his fruitful offseason. The 24-year-old is also growing into a leadership role, often leading off drills at Clark’s nudging and serving as an example. It’s a position he’s molding into, which should serve him well on a youth-infused Eagles defense.
“It’s a little different this year,” Clark acknowledged. “He’s becoming a spokesperson.”
Watching Super Bowl LIX from the comfort of his home, Clark was joined by a couple of Hunt’s former Houston Christian teammates. Clark texted Hunt as the confetti began to fall and the Eagles’ Super Bowl celebration commenced. Hunt finished with a half-sack over 23 snaps in the 40-22 win. In many ways, the game – Hunt’s entire rookie campaign – validated what Clark and many others had already known. The rise was always in motion.
Upbeat and perpetually radiating energy – or in Clark’s words “always the loudest in the room – and I mean that in a positive way” – Hunt carries an inviting aura laced with an unrelenting, competitive spirit that seemingly becomes infectious.
The high-end intangibles, swiftly developing traits and steady progression fuse a dynamic combination that is tangible, eliciting praise from a veteran member of the exclusive training contingent, who has observed enough working alongside Hunt to forecast what the Eagles hope will be a common occurrence.
Clark fondly recounted the ringing endorsement.
“One of them went to him the other day and he was like, ‘Man, I know you probably don’t see it yet, but you’re a future Pro Bowler. If you stay doing what you’re doing right now – and the rate you’re doing it, with your work ethic – you’re a future Pro Bowler.’
“And he joked with him, he said, ‘When you make that Pro Bowl, I’m gonna be there. No matter where I’m at – retired or whatever – when you make that Pro Bowl, I promise you I’m gonna be there.’”
– Andrew DiCecco (@AndrewDiCecco) is a Staff Reporter/Content Producer for InsideTheBirds.com.
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