The Wolverine: Covering University of Michigan Football and Sports
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2012 FOOTBALL RECRUITING ISSUE Receiver Jehu Chesson Wants To Be Dre Washington had 29 receptions for 467 yards and five touchdowns during his senior season in 2009. He was the only wideout on the team to catch more balls than Jehu Chesson, just a sophomore then, who had 23 grabs for 402 yards and four scores. Chesson looked up to Washington and was eager to follow in the 6-2, 165-pounder's footsteps as St. Louis Ladue Horton Wat- kins' go-to target, but there was something else about Washington that Chesson admired more. "That offseason, we're going through our individual A Great Teammate goals, and you'd expect Jehu to say he wanted to lead the team in receiving, score the most touchdowns, that kind of stuff, but what he wanted was to block like Dre," Rams coach Mike Tarpey said. "Jehu was pretty wiry at that point [6-3, 170 pounds], but he really wanted to add that component to his game because he knew it would help the team if he was an extra blocker on every running play. He put on about 10 pounds, and he really just assumed this mindset where he would challenge anyone. He was taking on our linebackers, and some of our bigger defensive linemen early in camp. I loved his toughness, but it got to the point where I had to tell him to back off. "He really loves the physical game. He doesn't just want to be a guy that runs his route and catches a few passes. He wants to be involved in every play because he wants to be a great teammate. "Sometimes those kind of intangibles get lost or overlooked by people that rank kids, but if you talk to coaches, they want those kids that believe they are one of 11, with a job to do whether he's running a route, being a decoy, blocking downfield or at the point of attack. "Jehu is that kind of selfless kid dedicated com- pletely to the team." Chesson's high school career was defined by both his big plays — he is LHW's career record-holder with 129 receptions, 1,764 receiving yards and 22 receiving touchdowns — and his willingness to do whatever was asked of him for the good of the team. That is how he ended up playing both cornerback and safety in his final two years, and how he became the Rams' punter and kickoff specialist as a junior. He even kicked four extra points in his freshman campaign. Chesson's ability to split the uprights or punt a ball ture of Junior Hemingway and with the dismissal of Darryl Stonum. Junior Jeremy Jackson (6-3) and red- shirt sophomore Jerald Robinson (6-1) will be given the first opportunity to replace Hemingway's produc- tion, but Chesson could help fill some of that void 42 THE WOLVERINE MARCH 2012 end over end isn't what caught college coaches' atten- tion, however. The wide receiver with the long arms and long legs showed an incredible ability to navigate a defensive backfield, accelerate with the ball arcing through the air and meet the football at its highest point. Michigan is losing that dimension with the depar- Chesson, Rivals.com's No. 89 wide receiver nationally, notched 129 receptions, 1,764 receiving yards and 22 receiving touchdowns — all school records for St. Louis Ladue Horton Watkins High. PHOTO COURTESY RIVALS.COM also in the short term, while his long-term future is promising. "He could easily be a 6-4, 215-pound guy someday that is just a nightmare to match up with," Tarpey said. "Will that happen? It's up to him, but I'd expect it because Jehu is a hard worker. Academics don't come easy to him, yet he gets good grades. Getting bigger, stronger, is a struggle, but he's added muscle and weight every year with us. He's the kind of kid that always applies himself, so the sky is the limit." Chesson is eager to play whatever role is needed of him in 2012 and beyond. He chose Michigan because of head coach Brady Hoke and his fellow coaches, because of the players, and the academics, but mostly because he found in U-M a place that will require his best. "I couldn't go to a school where a lot wouldn't be demanded of me and my teammates, where we wouldn't be productive, where winning champion- ships and succeeding in all phases of our lives wasn't a huge emphasis," he said. "And that's what I kept in mind when I was narrowing down schools and mak- ing my decision. "I liked Iowa and Northwestern, but Michigan was the ideal school." — Michael Spath