Jernighan Fulfills Promise, Earns Scholarship

STARKVILLE – November 16, 2021 might have been just a normal Tuesday to most of us but it will likely be a day that J.J. Jernighan never forgets.

The Mississippi State redshirt junior running back entered a team meeting prior to practice as a walk-on but exited on scholarship. Head coach Mike Leach had Jernighan's roster page pulled up on the big screen and delivered the good news in front of the entire team.

"The whole meeting room stands up and cheers," Leach said. "They're thrilled to see good things happen to him. The other thing is, they've seen him earn it too."

Jernighan was just as surprised as the rest of the room when the announcement was made.

"They caught me out of the blue with it," Jernighan said. "I wasn't expecting it at all. But God works in mysterious ways. It's really just a blessing. It's something that I've worked my whole life for."

After a congratulatory celebration with his teammates and a quick FaceTime call with his brother, Rico, Jernighan also made sure to show his appreciation to running backs coach Eric Mele. Mele, however, may have been the proudest person in the room.

"He came up and thanked me and I'm fired up for him but he deserves it," Mele said. "It's one of those things where he forced our hand because of what he's doing. He's fantastic in the classroom and is a great team guy. He executes his assignments on the field, is a hard worker and a humble kid. It was a proud papa moment for me."

The 5-foot-11, 215-pounder is the second walk-on to be rewarded with a scholarship this fall joining wide receiver Christian Ford. Jernighan has appeared in all 10 games, caught 10 passes for 65 yards and rushed twice for five yards. Half of his touches this season have gone for first downs.

"We've got to play more than two guys and he stepped up in fall camp and it's been that way ever since," Mele said. "The ball has been finding him the past several weeks and he's making the plays."

In the Bulldogs' past two games at Arkansas and Auburn, Jernighan has hauled in career-long 15-yard catches and combined for 43 receiving yards in those contests.

Jernighan redshirted his initial season at MSU last year without seeing the field. For him to now be fulfilling the role he is in the Bulldogs' backfield has been a rewarding experience for the Amory, Mississippi native.

"It feels really good after all the work and never giving up," Jernighan said. "I just came to work every single day and knew my time was going to come. It's hard to put into words. I'm just grateful and thankful."

This scholarship, however, is not the first for Jernighan. He spent two seasons on scholarship at Copiah-Lincoln Community College where he played in 18 career games and rushed for 538 yards. He led the Wolfpack in rushing as a sophomore, carrying 79 times for 391 yards.

Next up on the agenda for Jernighan is to find the end zone. He scored 40 touchdowns during his prep career at Amory but has yet to cross the goal line in college.

"I get chills just thinking about it," Jernighan said of his first collegiate TD. "I don't know what I'll do. I'll probably just look to the sky and praise God for it all because it'll be my first collegiate touchdown because I didn't score any in junior college."

Receiving a scholarship on Tuesday was the culmination of a near two-year process for Jernighan and also fulfilled a pledge he made to his parents, James and Pearl, whenever he decided to walk-on at State in the spring of 2020.

"I promised my parents that I was going to work hard and get on scholarship," Jernighan said. "I'm glad I was able to do it."

Jernighan Fulfills Promise, Earns Scholarship

Players Mentioned

Scoobie Ford

J.J. Jernighan

Mississippi State University Athletics