Justin 'Jets' Jefferson relishing role as LSU's leading receiver
BATON ROUGE, La. — Justin Jefferson’s biggest issue these days — failing to crack 100 yards receiving. He’s come a long way since his senior year at Destrehan High.
Jefferson, a 2-star prospect in the Class of 2017, left high school with no scholarship offers. He had turned heads at LSU’s elite high school camp in June, but issues inside the classroom forced the wide receiver to take extra classes to get qualified in the summer. That June was all about summer school through the end of June when LSU came calling for the younger brother in the Jefferson Family.
Jefferson was a late addition to the Tigers’ 2017 recruiting class, earning an offer and signing his national letter of intent four months after the other signees and moving onto campus about a month later. Five games into his sophomore season, Jefferson leads the team with 18 receptions for 294 yards. Against Ole Miss, he added his first collegiate touchdown — a 65-yard catch-and-run midway through the second quarter. Jefferson doubled his touchdown total a quarter later when he hauled in a 5-yard pass from quarterback Joe Burrow, LSU’s first third-quarter touchdown of the season.
“It was a long process,” explained Jefferson. “I thank God for giving me the opportunity to come to LSU and do the things I’ve done. I stuck with my technique, stuck to the playbook, and that’s helped me tremendously.”
By the numbers, Jefferson is clearly LSU’s top receiver. It’s only fitting because on a team littered with former 4- and 5-star wide receivers, it’s the 2-star prospect who has emerged as the top target.
Jefferson, appropriately nicknamed “Jets,” has been targeted 26 times through the first five games, eight more than any other receiver on the roster. That trust developed with Burrow started when the Ohio State graduate transfer arrived on campus in June, a little later than most players, something Jefferson can relate to.
Burrow directed Saturday morning passing camps and Jefferson was a regular attendee. The quarterback and sophomore wideout worked on timing, route concepts and, most importantly, chemistry, which translated onto the practice field and eventually college football’s biggest stage.
“Every Saturday morning in the summer, I came to the indoor and ran a couple of routes. I think that helped us with our connections,” Jefferson said. “During those Saturday mornings, I gave him the assumption that I can go out there and make those catches, especially in practice. We’d go out there, connecting with him in practice, and practice makes perfect.”
The results speak for themselves.
“Jets” grades positively in every measured receiving category, according to Pro Football Focus. He boasts 70.6 offensive grade, a 70.7 mark in route-running and a 73.6 score in hands.
Still, a 100-yard receiving performance still eludes him.
Jefferson settled for a 45-16 victory over Ole Miss, a game in which again, he was Burrow’s go-to target in the passing game. Jefferson matched a career-high with 5 receptions for 99 yards, two more than his previous best mark (97) against Auburn. And now, he’s finally put a dent in the touchdown column. His 65-yarder is also a new career long.
All attention is now onto Florida and a vaunted SEC slate that includes home contests against Georgia, Mississippi State and Alabama over the next five weeks — or as Jefferson views, more opportunities to finally reach triple-digits receiving.
“To be honest, I don’t like it … I don’t like being one yard short,” a smiling Jefferson admitted. “We have more games to come and more opportunities to get 100 yards. With Joe, it’s easy (to make plays).”
It’s even easier when you’re Burrow’s top target.