LSU Football Safety JaCoby Stevens Confirms Ole Miss Will Be Last Game With Tigers

Senior safety JaCoby Stevens confirmed with reporters that he plans on entering the 2021 NFL Draft after the season. Stevens, like all college football players, was granted an extra year of eligibility by the NCAA but entered the 2020 season as a formidable draft prospect.

He still figures to be a relatively high pick come next April's draft and leaves behind a great legacy in Baton Rouge, which was one of the primary reasons he elected to return for a senior season in the first place.

Stevens was an All-SEC second-team selection during the Tigers' quest for a national championship in 2019 and has recorded 58 tackles, six tackles for a loss and three sacks during his senior campaign. Stevens said one of the career lessons he's taken from his path towards success in the program is simply having the patience to wait his turn and put in the hard work to earn the opportunity to take the field.

"Patience and hard work. Coming in here as a high recruit, not playing, changing positions and not having success early really tested my patience," Stevens said. "That's something I always talk about that's a struggle of mine and it forced me to be patient. It forced me to put in the work and when I got that opportunity I made the best of it and didn't look back."

This season in particular has been a memorable one for Stevens and while not always for the right reasons, he was able to take some lifelong lessons away from being on top of the mountain to falling off the cliff.

"You're gonna get hit, you're gonna get knocked down and I can guarantee 100% it's about how you respond and how you get back up," Stevens said.