Kornacki: Chesson is Hard to Beat in Many Ways
8/3/2015 12:00:00 AM | Football
By Steve Kornacki
CHICAGO, Ill. -- Michigan wide receiver Jehu Chesson is greased lightning in a foot race.
Wolverine head coach Jim Harbaugh said, "He's the fastest guy on the team -- clear cut. There is nobody faster than Jehu."
What's Chesson's time in the 40-yard dash?
"We haven't timed them in the 40 yet," said Harbaugh. "We've had races, though. It's just like in grade school, we line up, and we race. And everybody who thinks they are fast has had a shot at it. But nobody's beaten him."
Chesson said his top competition in the sprints is safeties Jabrill Peppers, Delano Hill and Jeremy Clark and his good friend and fellow receiver, Amara Darboh. Chesson noted that defensive lineman Chris Wormley is surprisingly fast.
"I won the state championship in the 100 meters and 300-meter hurdles," said Chesson, who clocked a 10.7-second 100 for Ladue (Missouri) Horton Watkins High. "But what means the most to me is just beating the guy across the line."
He noted that the difference in most of the races is very close, holding his thumb and index finger one inch apart to emphasize his point.
Chesson made four starts last season, catching 14 passes for 154 yards. He contributed but will have an opportunity for much more with Devin Funchess off to the NFL's Carolina Panthers.
Still, when asked about improving his personal statistics given the opportunity presented, Chesson chose to shift his response to a desire to be a "more vocal leader" and simply making the most of every play while making more big plays.
"I want to be diligent in all areas," said Chesson. "God has a funny way of working; he'll put the person where they belong. And the chips will fall where they may fall. I'm really excited to lead the younger guys. Amara and I are excited to carry on what was put in our hands when Jeremy Gallon, Roy Roundtree and Funchess were here."
Darboh and Chesson visited the same weekend as high school seniors and immediately connected.
Their paths to Ann Arbor are very unique, and yet very similar. Both were born in Africa and came to the central U.S. as young boys.
Darboh was seven when his family moved from Sierra Leone to Des Moines, Iowa.
Chesson's family moved from Liberia to Ivory Coast and eventually St. Louis when he was seven.
"I don't have much of an accent when I'm talking to American people," said Chesson. "But when I'm with my family, I have sort of an accent. My mom has an accent, and when Amara heard it he asked my dad where we were from. And he found out we were from Africa. He went wild.
"His sister lives in Ohio and cooks African food for us. It's so wild because the dorms are never going to serve African cuisine. And my mom will bring up stuff to eat, and he'll come over. So, it's good knowing some of your culture is never lost."
Chesson said they love palm butter and also FuFu.
"I try to describe it to people," said Chesson. "I'd say FuFu is mashed potatoes, but it's really condensed and packed together. It's mushy, like Play-Doh. We usually eat it with our hands, but you can eat it with a spoon. It's some type of grain ground together, and I'm not exactly sure what's in it."
All he knows for sure is that it tastes great.
"You can eat it with fried okra," said Chesson, who likes to load it up with pepper and make it spicey.
His first name, Jehu, is pronounced jay-YOU.
"I'm named after my father," said Jehu Femi Chesson, Jr.
His father and mother, Yvette, make it to every game the Wolverines play along with his younger brother, Dale, 14.
Jehu Jr. played soccer his entire life, in Africa and America, until getting bit by the football bug in eighth grade.
"Football was the thing to do," said Chesson.
He was a receiver from the start but also was briefly a placekicker and punter in high school. Chesson assured that "you'll never see me kick in college" and joked about his longest field goal being 32 yards. But he does stand out on special teams for the Wolverines.
Chesson is a "gunner," streaking down field on punts and kickoffs, and he primarily blocks on punt and kickoff returns.
His love of special teams ties into his selfless approach to playing football.
Harbaugh said, "The thing that's special about him is that as much as it means to him personally, I think it means more to him what the sum of the rest of the guys are, what he's a part of. He wants them to be great maybe more than himself. He's truly unselfish, and that's a rare quality. You don't see it very often."
Chesson's dedication extends to the weight room. He weighed 178 pounds three years ago as a freshman who didn't see game action, and now he is a solid 205 pounds, having added 12 pounds since last year.
"I'm still very lean, but I'm going to continue to bulk up," said Chesson, who can handle the extra weight on his 6-3 frame.
He savors everything about being at Michigan, adding that "it's a privilege" to be here while squeezing everything he can out of the opportunity.
His personality and smile can light up a room.
"I like his face," Harbaugh said with a real sense of conviction. "I like that guy's face. You get to know him, and he has good insight, too. He's a first-class individual -- a winner all the way."
