MORGANTOWN, W.Va. — When eyes were first laid on West Virginia defensive lineman Jordan Jefferson as he arrived on campus this year, you would be hard pressed to believe he was a freshman.
Not only is he a freshman, but he isn’t even considered an adult yet.
“I think his birthday’s at the end of this month, he finally turns 18,” coach Neal Brown said.
At 6-foot-2 and 295 pounds, Jefferson certainly looks the part of an interior defensive lineman. He has all of the physical tools to play right away, and he has after earning his first start last week against N.C. State, finishing with a tackle and pass breakup.
Out of necessity, Brown needed to play a lot of younger players, something he said he’d prefer not to do, but guys like Jefferson made the need a little easier with the way they’ve performed.
“As a coach, you would prefer to be a little bit older, but we’ve got to play the best guys,” Brown said. “Our young people have shown they are ready to play. Jordan Jefferson is a great example of that. He started the game and played really well. Those young guys, the more the play, the better they’ll get.”
Brown credited Jefferson’s father, AJ, and his high school program at Navarre (Fla.) for getting him physically ready for big-time college football, but with his youth, Brown said Jefferson will have limited reps as the season progresses to keep him healthy, similar to a pitch count in baseball.
With solid depth along the defensive line, junior Darius Stills will likely get the bulk of the reps at nose tackle, but having someone reliable like Jefferson to come in and take up blockers inside will help keep Stills fresh, and will also help defensive ends like Dante Stills, Reuben Jones and Reese Donahue.
Donahue, who also played as a true freshman in 2016, knew Jefferson had the size and strength to compete right away, but that doesn’t mean the freshman mistakes weren’t obvious.
“From a speed and knowledge of the game aspect, I would say it was obvious he was new,” Donahue said. “All freshmen are a little bit lost on campus. They don’t know how college football works with meetings and all of this. In high school, football is part of your life. Football when you’re here consumes everything you do.”
Donahue, a senior in his last year with the program, wanted everyone to know that Jefferson is someone to keep their nose out for.
“The improvement he’s made has been substantial,” Donahue said. “If he continues to improve like this, you guys are going to have a special player on your hands. You all need to keep an eye on him. I’m not only excited to see how he develops the rest of the season, but I’m excited to see how he turns out in four years.”
