Once a spectator, Navarre’s Jordan Jefferson thrilled for Senior Bowl role, opportunity

An annual trip to Mobile with family during his boyhood days gave Navarre High grad Jordan Jefferson the chance to dream big when watching the Reese’s Senior Bowl.

“My dad, my uncles and cousins, they used to take us every year when we were kids,” said Jefferson, who finished his collegiate career in 2023 as a starting defensive tackle at LSU.  “Watching those games, the players, it’s crazy to think back now.”

He’s now living a moment once only imagined, as one of the 146 players competing next week to boost an NFL future during practices that lead up to the 75th annual Reese’s Senior Bowl on Feb. 3 at Hancock Whitney Stadium, located on the University of South Alabama campus.

“It’s just surreal,” said Jefferson, a 6-foot-4, 317-pound player, as he looked around the gymnasium Wednesday night at the Gateway Church of Christ in Pensacola where fellow Senior Bowl players visited with kids involved in Pensacola’s NFL FLAG youth football program.

Navarre High grad and LSU defensive tackle Jordan Jefferson signs autographs for kids at Gateway Church of Christ during a visit Wednesday, Jan. 24, 2024, by Reese’s Senior Bowl players.

“Just growing up in this area and now I am playing in it, man, it’s a blessing,” said Jefferson, a former PNJ All-Area defensive player, who began his collegiate career in 2019 at West Virginia, then used his extra year of eligibility after four seasons at WVU to play in 2023 for the LSU Tigers. “I’m not taking it for granted. It’s special.”

He was among 10 players Wednesday visiting with children and signing autographs. Members of the Tate High football team helped lead kids through light drills with soft footballs before the Senior Bowl players arrived.

The event was originally scheduled at the University of West Florida’s Pen-Air Field, where Senior Bowl…


Source link : https://sports.yahoo.com/once-spectator-navarres-jordan-jefferson-164434045.html

Author : Pensacola News Journal

Publish date : 2024-01-25 16:44:34

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