NEW ORLEANS – Ja’Marr Chase’s journey to the NFL began at Archbishop Rummel.
In the first game of his junior season against University Lab, he caught four touchdown passes with 226 receiving yards. Both school records in a game.
At Rummel, Chase was the program’s record holder for catches with 115, yards with 2,152 and touchdowns with 30.
“Nobody worked harder than Ja’Marr at practice and in the weight room,” said Jay Roth. “It was nothing for him to work out on a game day if he had to get a workout in. He was very humble.”
Chase played in all 13 games as a freshman at LSU, where he caught three touchdown passes.
In his sophomore season, Chase would explode. Catching twenty touchdowns and winning the Biletnikoff Award as the nation’s best receiver.
Ja’Marr Chase said, “Yeah those years was fun. The offense was really exciting that’s why we made it look so easy everything was coming to us really easy real fun you know. Everything was perfect for that season so it was one of a kind.”
Chase ended his college career last August. Declaring he would sit out of the 2020 season to prepare for the NFL Draft.
His father Jimmy said the entire family contracted COVID-19, helping lead to Ja’Marr’s decision to opt out.
Jimmy said his son had unusual symptoms in the SEC Championship against Georgia, causing Ja’Marr to miss time in the game.
“They sat him down in the game, people don’t know that they sat him down in the game,” said Jimmy Chase. “He couldn’t breathe. He caught that one touchdown that was in the first quarter and then after that I think it kicked in because he went to hyperventilating and we couldn’t figure out what it was.”
This past year, Chase trained in Frisco, Texas. It was time well spent.
He ran a 4.38 40-yard dash at LSU’s Pro Day.
Chase says even after a season away from football he got better.
Ja’Marr Chase said ,”I felt like my biggest improvement was you know, catching low balls. I felt like I was doing a lot of that. I was catching a lot while I was off and I was working on my speed so that was a big tremendous jump for me and I just proved it.”
Now Ja’Marr Chase is expected to be a top-five pick in the 2021 NFL Draft. When his name is called, he’ll have realized a dream he’s said from the beginning was bigger than himself.”
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