Collegiate Times

Virginia Tech got a special talent on February 18, 2012 when Cequan Jefferson from Henrico High School in Richmond, VA verbally committed to play football for the Hokies.

As a senior this fall, Jefferson’s team struggled, going just 2-8. Despite his team’s lack of success, Jefferson managed to put together quite an impressive season statistically, scoring eight touchdowns offensively as a wide receiver and allowing just three passes to be completed on him all year defensively as a cornerback.

Jefferson is listed as an “athlete” on all of his scouting profiles. When a scout lists a player as an “athlete,” it just means that there are various positions that the player could fit into at the collegiate level. However, after an outstanding high school career as a cornerback, Jefferson will come to Blacksburg expected to exclusively play cornerback alongside fellow 2013 recruit Kendall Fuller.

Jefferson and Fuller both will be getting lots of reps early in their careers as a result of the injury to Antone Exum’s ACL. Both recruits will look to help improve on the 30th-ranked pass defense in the nation that the Hokies boasted last season.

When asked about what it was like to coach Jefferson throughout his high school career, Henrico High School head coach Robert Brookes III said: “It was great, he was a great player to coach. He’s very versatile and has great speed. Special teams, offense, defense. He helped us out everywhere.”

Associate head coach Shane Beamer was the man responsible for landing Jefferson. 

“Shane came by here a bunch of times to meet with him," Brookes said. "They had a great relationship.” 

The first thing that jumps off the screen when watching Jefferson’s film is the blazing speed he possesses. He’s been clocked at 4.4 in the 40-yard dash at one of the scouting combines he attended. With this speed, Jefferson is able to break on the ball to make an interception or bat the ball down with great consistency.

“You have to be more than just fast to play cornerback in college," Brookes said. "He’s hard-nosed. Gritty. He’s hard to complete a pass on.”

Coach Brookes also said that Jefferson’s family is “very excited about the opportunity” and that they can’t wait to see him play.

Although some of his coverage skills are still raw, Jefferson has the chance to make a huge impact on the Virginia Tech football program. He’s not particularly small and has the chance to work with one of the best defensive minds in the game today in Bud Foster. In two or three years, look for Jefferson and Kendall Fuller to be one of the most prolific cornerback tandems in the country. It will certainly be exciting to watch Jefferson’s progress throughout his career.

A version of this article appeared in the Feb 7 issue of the Collegiate Times.