Jehu Chesson

Jehu Chesson
Michigan Wolverines No. 86
Position Wide receiver
Class Senior
Career history
College

High school Ladue Horton Watkins (St. Louis, MO)
Personal information
Date of birth (1993-12-29) December 29, 1993
Place of birth Monrovia, Liberia
Height 6 ft 3 in (1.91 m)
Weight 207 lb (94 kg)
Career highlights and awards

Jehu Femi Chesson II (born December 29, 1993) is an American football wide receiver who is a senior for the 2015 Michigan Wolverines football team. He is tied with Derrick Alexander for the University of Michigan record with four receiving touchdowns in a game. His 207 receiving yards against Indiana on November 14, 2015, also ranks as the third highest total in Michigan football history. He led the team with 1,085 all-purpose yards and 12 touchdowns in 2015 and was received the Most Valuable Player award for the 2015 team.

Early years

Chesson was born in Monrovia, Liberia, during the attack on Monrovia by Charles Taylor (later convicted as a war criminal) during the First Liberian Civil War . His father, Jehu Chesson I, worked in the financial industry, but joined Lutheran World Service as a relief worker during the war.[1] Chesson moved with his family to Ivory Coast at age two and to St. Louis, Missouri, at age five.[2] His father worked for MasterCard Worldwide in the St. Louis area.[1]

Chesson grew up in St. Louis and began playing American football in the eighth grade.[3] He attended Ladue Horton Watkins High School where he played at the wide receiver position. He caught 53 passes for 757 yards as a senior,[4] and he was selected as a first-team All-Missouri player. He was also the Missouri high school champion in the 300-meter hurdles in 2011.[5]

University of Michigan

Chesson accepted a scholarship to play football at the University of Michigan. As a freshman in 2012, he redshirted and did not see game action.[4] As a sophomore in 2013, he had a 33-yard touchdown on his first collegiate reception and caught 15 passes for 221 yards.[6] As a junior in 2014, he caught 14 passes for 154 yards.[4]

As a senior in 2015, Chesson became a regular starter for Michigan. Michigan head coach Jim Harbaugh said of Chesson: "He's the fastest guy on the team -- clear cut. There is nobody faster than Jehu."[3] Harbaugh added: "I like that guy's face. You get to know him, and he has good insight, too. He's a first-class individual -- a winner all the way."[3]

Chesson also saw action on kickoff returns, and in an October 10, 2015, game against Northwestern, he returned the opening kickoff 96 yards for a touchdown.[7] Chesson's return against Northwestern was the first kickoff returned for a touchdown by a Michigan player since Darryl Stonum accomplished the feat in 2010 against Notre Dame.[8]

On November 14, 2015, Chesson had a breakout game, catching 10 passes for 207 yards and four touchdowns against Indiana.[9] Three of the four touchdowns were scored in the first half,[10] and the fourth came on a fourth-down play with two seconds remaining in regulation and Michigan trailing 34 to 27.[11] Chesson's 207 receiving yards ranks as the third highest single-game total in Michigan football history. He also tied Derrick Alexander's Michigan single-game record of four receiving touchdowns set in 1992.[10][12] He was subsequently named the Co-Big Ten Offensive Player of the Week, along with Jake Rudock. Chesson and Rudock became the second-ever pair of teammates in conference history to share the Big Ten Offensive Player of the Week Award.[13]

During the 2015 season, Chesson led Michigan with 1,085 all-purpose yards and 12 touchdowns. He established new career highs with 50 receptions and 764 receiving yards and nine receiving touchdowns. He also had 166 return yards and one touchdown on four kick returns and 155 rushing yards and two touchdowns on eight carries (19.4 yards per carry).[14] Following the 2015 season, Chesson was named to the All-Big Ten offensive first-team, and was awarded the Bo Schembechler Most Valuable Player Award, by his teammates.[15]

See also

Lists of Michigan Wolverines football statistical leaders

References

  1. 1 2 "Lifting Employees of African Descent’ at MasterCard". St. Louis American. July 26, 2012.
  2. ↑ Angelique S. Chengelis (August 3, 2015). "UM's Jehu Chesson living his American dream". The Detroit News.
  3. 1 2 3 Steve Kornacki (August 3, 2015). "Chesson is Hard to Beat in Many Ways". Mgoblue.com. University of Michigan.
  4. 1 2 3 "Jehu Chesson Bio". University of Michigan. Retrieved November 14, 2015.
  5. ↑ Kyle Meinke (May 30, 2012). "Michigan commit Jehu Chesson hopes track exploits translate to football field". The Ann Arbor News.
  6. ↑ "Jehu Chesson can't stop scoring touchdowns". ESPN.com. November 2015.
  7. ↑ Aaron McMann (October 10, 2015). "Watch Jehu Chesson's 96-yard kickoff return for TD to start Michigan-Northwestern". Mlive.com.
  8. ↑ Mark Snyder (October 11, 2015). "U-M notes: Jehu Chesson's kick return sets tone early". Detroit Free Press.
  9. ↑ "Jehu Chesson Game By Game Stats". ESPN.com. Retrieved November 15, 2015.
  10. 1 2 Mark Snyder (November 15, 2015). "U-M notes: Chesson catches four TDs, ties school record". Detroit Free Press.
  11. ↑ "Chesson saves Michigan with 4th TD". ESPN.com. November 14, 2015.
  12. ↑ "Record Days from Rudock, Chesson Help U-M Outlast IU in Double OT". Mgoblue.com. University of Michigan. November 14, 2015.
  13. ↑ "Rudock, Chesson Share Big Ten Weekly Offensive Honor". MGoBlue.com (CBS Interactive). November 16, 2015. Retrieved November 16, 2015.
  14. ↑ "2015 Michigan Football: Michigan Overall Team Statistics (as of Jan 01, 2016) All games" (PDF). University of Michigan. Retrieved January 1, 2016.
  15. ↑ "Chesson's Selection as Team MVP Highlights Awards at Bust". MGoBlue.com (CBS Interactive). December 7, 2015. Retrieved December 7, 2015.
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