2015 Football Roster
Roster
A.J. Jefferson
- Position:
- DL
- Height:
- 6-3
- Weight:
- 277
- Class:
- Junior
- Hometown:
- Summit, MS
- High School/Previous School:
- North Pike HS
2016 SEC Academic Honor Roll
2016 SEC Defensive Lineman of the Week (vs. South Carolina)
CAREER: A leader at defensive end his entire career for the Bulldogs … Pound for pound, one of the best defensive ends in school history … Started the final two years of his career, playing in 50 games with 24 starts ... Among the SEC leaders in tackles for loss his final two seasons … Tallied 125 tackles, 35 tackles for loss, 13.5 sacks, six forced fumbles, two fumble recoveries and four pass breakups … Finished third in MSU history in tackles for loss, recording the most since Willie Evans’ school record 48.5 from 2002-05 … Ended 11th in MSU career annals in sacks … As a starter, notched at least 0.5 tackle for loss in 15 of 24 games … Spent five years with the program after redshirting in 2012 … Graduated from MSU in December 2016 and was an honor student as a senior … Underwent shoulder surgery the first week of December following the 2016 Egg Bowl.
2016 SENIOR SEASON: A starter at defensive end for the second straight year … Started all 11 of the games he played … Missed the Samford (10/29) and St. Petersburg Bowl vs. Miami (12/26) due to a shoulder injury … Finished second on the squad and 19th in the SEC in tackles for loss with 10.5 for a loss of 52 yards … Added four sacks, one forced fumble and 30 total tackles … Collected a season-high seven tackles and a career-best four tackles for loss against South Alabama (9/3) … The four TFL were the most by an MSU player since now NFL Pro Bowler Fletcher Cox had four on Oct. 15, 2011 … Named SEC Defensive Lineman of the Week following a win over South Carolina (9/10), making five tackles and two tackles for loss … Two weeks later, made 2.5 tackles for loss in road win at UMass (9/24) … Was all over the field at BYU (10/14), making one sack and forcing a fumble in overtime.
2015 JUNIOR SEASON: Delivered a breakout junior season in which he led the squad in tackles for loss (13.5) and was second in sacks (5.0) … Finished with 47 total tackles and had one forced fumble … Recorded at least one TFL in nine games, including the first six contests of the year … Started all 13 games at defensive end … Ranked ninth in the SEC in TFL and 11th in MSU single-season annals … Made his first career start in the season-opening victory at Southern Miss (9/5), tallying seven tackles and a career-high two sacks … Tied a career high with two tackles for loss to go along with a career-high eight tackles versus No. 14 LSU (9/12) … Credited with five tackles, a career-high tying two tackles for loss, one sack and a forced fumble in the win at No. 25 Auburn (9/26) … Registered seven tackles, a career-high tying two tackles for loss and a sack vs. Troy (10/10) … Collected three tackles and a sack in the victory at Missouri (11/5) … Broke up two passes and had a tackle for loss in the win at Arkansas (11/21).
2014 SOPHOMORE SEASON: Saw action in all 13 games with zero contests started ... Made 28 tackles, including 2.5 sacks and seven for loss ... Totaled three tackles, one tackle for loss and a fumble recovery in the season-opener against Southern Miss (8/30) ... Tied a then-career high with 1.5 tackles for loss versus UAB (9/6) ... Made three tackles at No. 8 LSU (9/20) ... Had best game of the season against No. 6 Texas A&M (10/4), collecting 1.5 sacks for -14 yards, three tackles and four more quarterback hurries ... Registered three tackles and a pair of QB hurries versus No. 2 Auburn (10/11) ... Tallied three stops against UT Martin (11/8), including one behind the line of scrimmage ... Had a tackle for loss at No. 3 Alabama (11/15) ... Recorded four tackles, 1.5 tackles for loss, a sack and a forced fumble in the Orange Bowl against Georgia Tech (12/31).
2013 REDSHIRT FRESHMAN SEASON: Participated in all 13 games, finishing with 19 tackles (12 solo) ... Added 4.0 hits for lost yardage, including two sacks ... Credited with three quarterback hurries, one pass breakup and one forced fumble ... Had multiple tackles in five contests (Alcorn State, Troy, Bowling Green, South Carolina and Alabama) ... Booked 15-of-19 tackles on rushing plays ... Recorded first two tackles against Alcorn State (9/7), making first stop on a John Gibbs Jr. rush, halting him for a four-yard loss ... During three plays of the Braves’ third drive of the game, recorded two quarterback hurries, broke up a pass and made the TFL on Gibbs Jr. ... At Auburn (9/14), registered first career sack, dropping Nick Marshall for a seven-yard loss during the Tigers’ opening drive of the game ... Tallied all four stops against Troy (9/21), all in the first three quarters ... Recorded a season second-best three tackles against Alabama (11/16) … Forced first fumble of career versus the Crimson Tide, knocking the ball away from Kenyan Drake in the fourth quarter, getting MSU the ball at the Alabama 24-yard line ... Tallied one of the team’s four sacks in the AutoZone Liberty Bowl (12/31), dropping Rice quarterback Driphus Jackson for a four-yard loss in the third quarter.
2012 TRUE FRESHMAN SEASON: Was redshirted during initial year on campus.
HIGH SCHOOL: A four-star recruit by 247Sports and a three-star prospect by Rivals.com, Scout.com and ESPN.com ... Named to the Dandy Dozen by the Clarion-Ledger, the first player in school history to earn the honor ... The No. 7 player on The Mississippi Press Fantastic 15 list ... Rated the sixth-best player in the state by Rivals.com ... Made over 400 tackles and 40 sacks during final three varsity seasons under head coach Chris Smith ... Earned Clarion-Ledger First-Team All-State honors following senior campaign ... Booked 110 tackles and 12 sacks while catching four balls for 81 yards at tight end as a senior ... Selected to the 2011 Super Southeast 120 by the Mobile (Ala.) Register ... Played in the Mississippi-Alabama All-Star Game, totaling two tackles for loss, including a safety ... Named the Class 4A Defensive Player of the Year by the M.A.C. after junior year as well as 4A First-Team All-State by the Mississippi Association of Coaches ... Recorded 144 tackles, 19 sacks, six forced fumbles, three fumble recoveries and two blocked field goals as a junior, when North Pike went 14-2 and reached the Class 4A state championship game ... Trip to the state title tilt was the first in school history ... The 19 sacks were the second most in Mississippi regardless of classification ... Booked a season-best 16 tackles against rival McComb ... During sophomore season, was credited with 148 tackles, 11 sacks, three forced fumbles and a blocked field goal ... Also played goalie for his school’s varsity soccer squad.
PERSONAL: Born Anthony Jefferson Jr. on March 3, 1993, to parents Melinda and Anthony Jefferson ... Earned his undergraduate degree in human sciences in December 2016 … Twitter handle is @JEFFERSON_47_AJ.
JEFFERSON’S CAREER HIGHS
Tackles: 8, vs. LSU (9-12-15)
Sacks: 2.0, (twice) last vs. South Alabama (9-3-16)
Tackles for loss: 4.0, vs. South Alabama (9-3-16)
Fumbles forced: 1, (six times) last at BYU (10-14-16)
Fumbles recovered: 1, (twice) last at BYU (10-14-16)
Pass breakups: 2, at Arkansas (11-21-15)
