Jehu Chesson Answers Your Questions

Jehu Chesson
(image via stlhighschoolsports.com)

If you've seen the results of the latest TTB poll, glanced at the roster, or read Jehu's "Ask a Question" post, then you know that Michigan has a need at wide receiver. Enter Mr. Jehu Chesson. Although Chesson is a 3-star player to the four major recruiting sites, there remain dissenting evaluations forecasting a higher ceiling, including his TTB commitment post and updated TTB rating. Chesson is currently working hard to reach his potential by training at Velocity Sports performance with former Detroit Lion Brett Fischer while running track in the latter part of his senior year. He also takes time to communicate with the media, study Michigan football history, and answer questions from Michigan fans.

Reasons for choosing Michigan: "It came down to Northwestern and Michigan. They're both very good academic institutions, and I felt that both of their football programs were on the rise. But Michigan's the school where I felt I could do more at because of their status. If Northwestern had the alumni base behind it, then I feel they could be just like Michigan, but that's what they lack. . . . The thing that really separated Michigan were the kids in the recruiting class. I felt way closer with them than I did with any other group. I mean, I just related with them almost immediately."

A workin' man: "I work for my community center. Yesterday what I was doing was being a referee for basketball, and then on Friday night I was a DJ for a father-daughter dance . . . and then over the summer and spring break - a lot of kids go out of town for spring break - but I usually volunteer to be a camp counselor and hang out with the kids, which is pretty fun.

Parallels with Amara Darboh: "Well, right off the bat, we were both born in Western Africa, so we both thought that was really neat because we really haven't seen anyone like our age since the war . . . .and we both have similar personalities; we both like to have fun, be a little goofy sometimes."

Physical Development: "From a physical standpoint, I understand that I do need to get bigger, so I'm working on that. . . . I'm 185 lbs., and right now I'm running track, and I probably won't virtually put on any weight, but if I do it'll be only two to three solid pounds because of track. But when track is over, I really have about three weeks, and then I leave for Michigan, so hopefully I'll be about 188 lbs. and then when I get down there, they'll probably get me up to 195 lbs. or something before the first game. I don't know; we'll see. I talked to Coach Hoke and he said [the ideal playing weight will be] 210/215 lbs. I've heard from other coaches from other schools anywhere from 210 - 225 lbs."

Hitting another gear senior year: "Well, it really is all mental. . . . My junior year, they [the coaches] never really put me on special teams because they didn't want me to get hurt. But then they put me on special teams my senior year, actually in the last couple of games, and every time I got the ball I would score, except for once. Those [plays] aren't even on my highlight tape because I couldn't figure out how to put them on. But it was just what the team demanded of me mentally and physically because every single game I played both ways. I played safety on defense; I was sometimes the kicker, and then on kickoffs I was the return man. I just played what the team needed me to play, and that leadership role just kind of took over."

The #1 jersey: "Yeah, I know a lot about the #1 jersey. . . . The last to wear it was Braylon Edwards. He wore #80 before he wore the #1 jersey. But it might draw attention that might not be necessary also. It's very positive and negative at the same time. A positive is that you deserve to wear it. . . . A negative is that if you do something wrong, it's magnified. It's like a blessing and a curse. . . "

Goals/ambitions at Michigan: "I want to maximize my potential and be the best player I can be. A lot of people ask me about the NFL, but that's in the background; it's not in the foreground. Because right now I'm just trying to get to each step to try to get to that point. . . . I'm just looking forward to being a part of Michigan's future."