From immature kid to veteran leader, Wildcats defensive end Hunter Echols has matured and grown in myriad ways since his early days as a Trojan.
Michael Lev The 2017 U.S. Army All-American Bowl rosters are a who’s who of young NFL stars. The list includes Najee Harris, DeVonta Smith, D’Andre Swift, Tua Tagovailoa, Tristan Wirfs, Andrew Thomas and Chase Young.
Playing for Arizona has been everything Echols hoped it would be. After playing limited snaps at USC behind a succession of NFL-bound edge rushers, Echols has been placed in a prominent role. He leads the Wildcats in sacks and total tackles for loss . Both figures are career highs. When he was 3 years old, Echols received a Raiders uniform from his grandfather. Echols’ dad, LC, would play with his son in the front yard of their Los Angeles home.When he turned 4, Hunter started playing basketball, just like his oldest brother had. One problem, though: “He would tackle the kids,” LC said with a laugh.
“When he got to ’SC, he was the second-youngest player on the team,” LC Echols said. “He was hanging out with younger kids, doing what 17- and 18-year-old kids do in college. He was lucky he had Porter Gustin and Uchenna Nwosu to take him under their wing, help him mature, teach him how to be a professional.”
LC, who played football at Illinois State, is retired after working for the city of Lawndale, California, doing street maintenance and driving buses. Laronda works as a real estate officer for the City of Los Angeles. If you’ve heard Echols speak to the media, you might guess that he majored in communications. You’d be right.