Trieu: Defensive standout Jah'Von Grigsby delays commitment, but MSU still looking strong
Baton Rouge (La.) Scotlandville defensive back Jah’Von Grigsby was originally planning on announcing his college commitment Wednesday. While that date has been pushed back, the 247Sports Crystal Ball predictions favor Michigan State over offers from Auburn, Kansas, Louisville, Purdue and others.
Whether those predictions hold true, the delay is because this is not a decision that is being taken lightly. Nothing in Grigsby’s life is.
“He is a 4.1 GPA student and basically the man of his home,” Scotlandville head coach Lester Ricard said. “He is fluid in two languages. He is one of the best kid I’ve ever coached. He is second to none. There were days when his mother asked if he could be late to practice because he had to pick his siblings up off the bus because she had to work late. He doesn’t shy away from responsibility.”
That is how Grigsby approached recruiting, as well, with a maturity that helped him juggle relationships with the 16 universities that offered him, maintaining his GPA, family responsibilities and still trying to work out during a pandemic.
“He is a once-in-a lifetime kid who knows how to prioritize things,” Ricard said. “I always say, ‘God will never put more on you than you can bear’ and he bears that responsibility. Some kids say it’s too much and they don’t want to do all this and play football or they want to play football so they eliminate other things, but he relishes all the responsibility. He’s phenomenal in that.”
After everything there is to say about Grigsby character-wise, he is a very good athlete, as well.
He ran the 200-meter dash and did the long-jump in track and field. On the football field, he recorded 66 tackles, two interceptions and recovered four fumbles.
“He is very explosive and very instinctive,” Ricard said. “He doesn’t have bad days. He brings infectious energy to the practice field every day and to the game field and it makes my job easy. We absolutely love him to death on sheer attitude and approach. He is very physical. He doesn’t shy away from contact and will lay that boom. He is everything you want in a safety.”
Ricard said they moved Grigsby to cornerback for parts of last year and he was able to lock down his side of the field.
After his junior year completed, Grigsby still did not have any major offers. Those began coming in January and his offer list quickly reached double digits.
In early April, Michigan State offered.
“They offered me, and from then, we’ve just been talking football, talking about the school,” he said. “I did a virtual visit with them. Ever since then, I pretty much talk to Michigan State — text and call — like every day.”
The increased emphasis in Louisiana has come with the addition of graduate assistant Cordae Hankton, a Louisiana native.
“Cordae, he’s the plug,” Ricard said. “Michigan State has been on him hard and Jah’Von and Cordae have a great relationship.”
Grigsby is looking into studying engineering in college.
2022 OL offered down south
Michigan State has offered a scholarship to Maumelle (Ark.) offensive tackle Andrew Chamblee.
A rising junior, the 6-6, 285-pound Chamblee also has offers from Nebraska, Missouri, Kansas, Tennessee, Mississippi State, Arkansas and more.
247Sports rates Chamblee a four-star and the No. 21 offensive tackle nationally in his class.
More information
Allen Trieu covers Midwest football recruiting for 247Sports. He has been featured on the Big Ten Network on its annual Signing Day Show. His Michigan and Michigan State recruiting columns appear weekly at detroitnews.com.