Chase won a national title with LSU after catching 88 passes for 1,780 yards and 20 touchdowns in 2019.
Bengals wide receiver Ja'Marr Chase is in the midst of one of the best rookie years in NFL history as his team prepares for the upcoming AFC championship this Sunday. When speaking to reporters on Wednesday, he was asked for a story that encapsulated his mindset to prove people wrong, and he shared one that stuck with him.
While in high school in Louisiana, former LSU coach Les Miles told Chase he didn't think he could play wide receiver at one point. In 2018, Chase ended up committing to LSU, where he won a national championship under coach Ed Orgeron after catching 88 passes for 1,780 yards and 20 touchdowns. Miles was fired in 2016.
“One of my best stories ever, Les Miles told me I couldn't play receiver when I was coming out of high school,” Chase said. “So that was something that I had on my shoulders growing up. Les Miles told me he thought I could play cornerback. I wasn't really in full position at receiver yet. I just kept working on my craft—offseason, waking up early in the mornings to work out. I just kept focused.”
Chase is a favorite to win offensive rookie of the year after a season where he broke multiple records and tallied 1,455 receiving yards, 13 touchdowns and 81 receptions in 17 games. He's coming off a 109-yard performance against the Titans in the wild-card round, and now the Chiefs are the only thing standing between Chase and a Super Bowl appearance.
Kickoff in Kansas City is slated for 3 p.m. ET on Sunday.
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