I am 225: Ja’Marr Chase

Update: After 225‘s September issue went to press, Ja’Marr Chase announced Aug. 31 he is opting out of the 2020 college football season. Read Chase’s statement on social media here.

He’s the winner of the prestigious Biletnikoff Award, the No. 1-ranked receiver in the nation, and this fall will wear the No. 7 jersey.

Some of the best players in LSU history wore No. 7, including Grant Delpit, Leonard Fournette, Tyrann Mathieu, DJ Chark and Patrick Peterson. The honor is passed down between teammates. And this year, Ja’Marr Chase has stepped into one of the biggest leadership positions on LSU’s team.

The upcoming junior says he plans to not only live up to the expectations that come with wearing the esteemed jersey but to place his name alongside or even above those who left the most notable legacies at LSU while wearing that number.

Chase started his football career at just 7 years old. Growing up in Harvey, he never thought he’d be playing in his home state. But 13 years later, he has made his family, school and state proud.

Last season, Chase became the first wide receiver and 11th player in LSU history to be a unanimous All-American. He set multiple school and SEC records. The Biletnikoff Award he won is presented to the most outstanding receiver in college football that year. Not to mention he did all of this as a sophomore.

So, how does he plan on repeating the same success? Simple. Doing the right thing.

“Doing the right thing can be hard, and it can be easy for some people,” Chase says, “but if you want to be successful in life, if you want to be a leader, you have to do the right things.”