Justin Jefferson is an American professional football wide receiver, playing for the Minnesota Vikings of the NFL. He is currently in his fourth year in the NFL as of 2024 where for the Minnesota Vikings. Jefferson was born in St. Rose, Louisiana on June 16, 1999, to parents John and Elaine Jefferson. For his secondary education, he attended Destrehan High School in Destrehan, Louisiana. At the time he was not a top-level player, being rated as a three-star prospect and was ranked past 300 in the wide receiver rankings.
Justin Jefferson has had a remarkable NFL career since being drafted by the Minnesota Vikings in 2020. He set a rookie record with 1,400 receiving yards, surpassing legends like Randy Moss. In 2022, Jefferson led the NFL with 1,809 receiving yards, earning Offensive Player of the Year. His amazing one-handed catch against the Buffalo Bills was named NFL Play of the Year. By 2024, he became the highest-paid non-quarterback in the league with a $140 million contract extension.
Also Read: Justin Jefferson Parents
Justin Jefferson college
Jefferson was a part of Louisiana State University for 3 years after high school. Coming out of high school, Jefferson was not a well-known player. He was nowhere near the top of the receivers list resulting in no scholarship offers from any Division I colleges. He also needed to get through an exam academically to have any shot at a Division I school so his father even suggested he go the Division II route.
However, Jefferson put in the required work ethic, got through his academic issues, and took help from his older brothers who both had great football careers at LSU. Since both of his brothers had done so well at LSU some years ago, Jefferson was offered a scholarship by LSU. He played three years on the Louisiana State University Tigers football team.
In his freshman year, he got to feature in only 2 games and he had no catches or targets. He only got 1 rushing play where he gained 4 yards. However, things changed quickly in his sophomore season as he became the leading receiver for the Tigers with 54 catches for 875 yards and 6 touchdowns.
His junior year was his best year as he went on a tear. With Joe Burrow as the quarterback, Jefferson led the entire nation with 111 catches for 1,540 yards and 18 touchdowns. His 18 touchdowns were good enough for second most in the country which was just behind Ja’Marr Chase - his teammate at LSU who caught 20 touchdown passes.
In only the second game of the 2019 season, Jefferson caught nine passes for 163 yards and 3 touchdowns in a victory against Texas. Another big game for Jefferson came in the Peach Bowl against the Oklahoma Sooners where he caught 14 passes for 227 yards and four touchdowns.
Justin Jefferson college achievements
- CFP National Champion (2019)
- Second-team All-SEC (2019)
Justin Jefferson college stats
| Season | Receptions (Rec) | Yards (Yds) | Average (Avg) | Longest (Lng) | Touchdowns (TD) | Rushing Attempts (Att) | Rushing Yards (Yds) | Rushing Average (Avg) | Longest Rush (Lng) | Rushing Touchdowns (TD) |
| 2017 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 4 | 4 | 4 | 0 |
| 2018 | 54 | 875 | 16.2 | 65 | 6 | 5 | 26 | 5.2 | 19 | 0 |
| 2019 | 111 | 1,540 | 13.9 | 71 | 18 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Career | 165 | 2,415 | 14.6 | 71 | 24 | 6 | 30 | 5 | 19 | 0 |
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FAQs
Justin Jefferson has two older brothers named Jordan and Rickey.
Justin Jefferson’s parents are John and Elaine Jefferson.
Justin Jefferson stands at 6 feet 1 inch.
Justin Jefferson ran his 40-yard dash in 4.43 seconds at the 2020 NFL Combine.
