Jehu Femi Chesson II (born December 29, 1993) is a
Liberian professional
American football
American football (referred to simply as football in the United States and Canada), also known as gridiron, is a team sport played by two teams of eleven players on a rectangular field with goalposts at each end. The offense, the team wi ...
wide receiver who is a free agent. He played
college football at
Michigan
Michigan () is a U.S. state, state in the Great Lakes region, Great Lakes region of the Upper Midwest, upper Midwestern United States. With a population of nearly 10.12 million and an area of nearly , Michigan is the List of U.S. states and ...
, and was selected by the
Kansas City Chiefs
The Kansas City Chiefs are a professional American football team based in Kansas City, Missouri. The Chiefs compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the league's American Football Conference (AFC) West division.
The ...
in the fourth round of the
2017 NFL Draft
The 2017 NFL Draft was the 82nd annual meeting of National Football League (NFL) franchises to select newly eligible American football players. It was held in front of the Philadelphia Museum of Art on April 27–29, returning to Philadelphia ...
. He owns the school record for most receiving touchdowns in a game, tied with
Derrick Alexander with four. His 207 receiving yards against
Indiana
Indiana () is a U.S. state in the Midwestern United States. It is the 38th-largest by area and the 17th-most populous of the 50 States. Its capital and largest city is Indianapolis. Indiana was admitted to the United States as the 19th s ...
during the 2015 season also ranks as the third-highest total in school history.
Early years
Chesson was born in
Monrovia, Liberia
Monrovia () is the capital city of the West African country of Liberia. Founded in 1822, it is located on Cape Mesurado on the Atlantic coast and as of the 2008 census had 1,010,970 residents, home to 29% of Liberia’s total population. As th ...
, on December 29, 1993, and grew up during the
First Liberian Civil War. His father, Jehu Chesson Sr., worked in the financial industry but joined
Lutheran World Service as a relief worker during the war.
[ Chesson moved with his family to neighboring Côte d'Ivoire at the age of two and then to ]St. Louis, Missouri
St. Louis () is the second-largest city in Missouri, United States. It sits near the confluence of the Mississippi and the Missouri Rivers. In 2020, the city proper had a population of 301,578, while the bi-state metropolitan area, which e ...
, three years later, where his father took a job working for MasterCard.
Chesson grew up in St. Louis and began playing American football in the eighth grade. He attended Ladue Horton Watkins High School
Ladue Horton Watkins High School is a public high school in Ladue, Missouri, United States, that is administered by the Ladue School District. Its namesake, Horton Watkins, was vice president of the International Shoe Company and died in 1949. The ...
where he played at the wide receiver position. He caught 53 passes for 757 yards as a senior,[ and he was selected as a first-team All-Missouri player. He was also the Missouri high school champion in the 300-meter hurdles in 2011.
]
College career
Chesson accepted a scholarship to play football at the University of Michigan
, mottoeng = "Arts, Knowledge, Truth"
, former_names = Catholepistemiad, or University of Michigania (1817–1821)
, budget = $10.3 billion (2021)
, endowment = $17 billion (2021)As o ...
. As a freshman in 2012
File:2012 Events Collage V3.png, From left, clockwise: The passenger cruise ship Costa Concordia lies capsized after the Costa Concordia disaster; Damage to Casino Pier in Seaside Heights, New Jersey as a result of Hurricane Sandy; People gat ...
, he redshirted
Redshirt, in United States college athletics, is a delay or suspension of an athlete's participation in order to lengthen their period of eligibility. Typically, a student's athletic eligibility in a given sport is four seasons, aligning with the ...
and did not see game action.[ As a sophomore in ]2013
File:2013 Events Collage V2.png, From left, clockwise: Edward Snowden becomes internationally famous for leaking classified NSA wiretapping information; Typhoon Haiyan kills over 6,000 in the Philippines and Southeast Asia; The Dhaka garment fa ...
, he had a 33-yard touchdown on his first collegiate reception and caught 15 passes for 221 yards. As a junior in 2014
File:2014 Events Collage.png, From top left, clockwise: Stocking up supplies and personal protective equipment (PPE) for the Western African Ebola virus epidemic; Citizens examining the ruins after the Chibok schoolgirls kidnapping; Bundles of wat ...
, he caught 14 passes for 154 yards.
Chesson also saw action on kickoff returns, and in an October 10, 2015, game against Northwestern, he returned the opening kickoff 96 yards for a touchdown. Chesson's return against Northwestern was the first kickoff returned for a touchdown by a Michigan player since Darryl Stonum accomplished the feat in 2009 against Notre Dame.
On November 14, 2015, Chesson had a breakout game, catching 10 passes for 207 yards and four touchdowns against Indiana
Indiana () is a U.S. state in the Midwestern United States. It is the 38th-largest by area and the 17th-most populous of the 50 States. Its capital and largest city is Indianapolis. Indiana was admitted to the United States as the 19th s ...
. Three of the four touchdowns were scored in the first half,[ and the fourth came on a fourth-down play with two seconds remaining in regulation and Michigan trailing 34 to 27. Chesson's 207 receiving yards ranks as the third highest single-game total in Michigan football history. He also tied Derrick Alexander's Michigan single-game record of four receiving touchdowns set in 1992.] He was subsequently named the Co-Big Ten Offensive Player of the Week, along with Jake Rudock
Jacob Michael Rudock ( ; born January 21, 1993) is a former American football quarterback who played for five seasons in the National Football League (NFL). He was the starting quarterback for the 2013 and 2014 Iowa Hawkeyes and 2015 Michigan ...
. Chesson and Rudock became the second-ever pair of teammates in conference history to share the Big Ten Offensive Player of the Week Award.
During the 2015 season, Chesson led Michigan with 1,085 all-purpose yards and 12 touchdowns. He established new career highs with 50 receptions and 764 receiving yards and nine receiving touchdowns. He also had 166 return yards and one touchdown on four kick returns and 155 rushing yards and two touchdowns on eight carries (19.4 yards per carry). Following the 2015 season, Chesson was named to the All-Big Ten offensive first-team, and was awarded the Bo Schembechler Most Valuable Player Award, by his teammates.
Professional career
Kansas City Chiefs
Chesson was drafted by the Kansas City Chiefs
The Kansas City Chiefs are a professional American football team based in Kansas City, Missouri. The Chiefs compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the league's American Football Conference (AFC) West division.
The ...
in the fourth round, 139th overall, in the 2017 NFL Draft
The 2017 NFL Draft was the 82nd annual meeting of National Football League (NFL) franchises to select newly eligible American football players. It was held in front of the Philadelphia Museum of Art on April 27–29, returning to Philadelphia ...
. In Week 9, against the Dallas Cowboys
The Dallas Cowboys are a professional American football team based in the Dallas–Fort Worth metroplex. The Cowboys compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the league's National Football Conference (NFC) East divi ...
, he recorded a 10-yard reception for the first catch of his NFL career. He finished his rookie season with two receptions for 18 yards and no touchdowns. He was waived on September 1, 2018.
Washington Redskins
Chesson was signed to the Washington Redskins
The Washington Commanders are a professional American football team based in the Washington metropolitan area. The Commanders compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the league's National Football Conference (NFC) N ...
' practice squad on September 5, 2018. He was promoted to the active roster on September 12, 2018, but was waived on September 17 and returned to the practice squad the following day. He was promoted to the active roster again on October 18 after injuries to Jamison Crowder
Jamison Wesley Crowder (born June 17, 1993) is an American football wide receiver for the Buffalo Bills of the National Football League (NFL). He played college football at Duke, and was drafted by the Washington Redskins in the fourth round of ...
and Paul Richardson.
Chesson was waived on August 31, 2019, but was signed to the practice squad the following day. His practice squad contract with the team expired on January 6, 2020.
New York Jets
Chesson signed a futures contract with the New York Jets on January 9, 2020. He was waived on September 5, 2020.
See also
* Michigan Wolverines football statistical leaders
The lists of Michigan Wolverines football statistical leaders identify individual statistical leaders of the Michigan Wolverines football program in various offensive categories, including passing, rushing, and receptions. Within those areas ...
References
External links
Michigan Wolverines bio
Washington Redskins bio
{{DEFAULTSORT:Chesson, Jehu
1993 births
American football wide receivers
Kansas City Chiefs players
Washington Redskins players
New York Jets players
Living people
Ladue Horton Watkins High School alumni
Michigan Wolverines football players
Players of American football from St. Louis
Sportspeople from Monrovia
American people of Liberian descent
Liberian players of American football