BleedGopher
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per The Athletic:
Benjamin St-Juste’s football career was supposed to end in 2019. After he saw action in 12 games as a freshman at Michigan in 2017, St-Juste missed all of his sophomore season with a hamstring injury.
That’s when Michigan tried to move on from St-Juste, but that was a tall task considering the 6-foot-3 cornerback isn’t the kind of player who can easily go missing without someone noticing. Questions were asked, and a school spokesman said St-Juste elected to medically retire from football.
But there was one problem: The Montreal native had done no such thing. Although Michigan wouldn’t clear him to play again, St-Juste received a medical hardship waiver from the NCAA and searched for a program that would give him a chance to use his three remaining years of eligibility.
“To clarify things on my situation, I never retired from playing football,” St-Juste said then. “I had no power in that decision.”
One person who did was Minnesota coach P.J. Fleck, who got St-Juste’s career back on track and helped him become a third-round draft pick by the Washington Football Team in April. It was a little bit like love at first sight when he first saw St-Juste, Fleck said. There simply aren’t that many corners his size who want to play for his program.
And once the coach got to know St-Juste — his goals in life, how hard he worked, how devoted he was to improving his body — he immediately knew he’d fit into the team culture, too.
Add what Fleck saw once he watched the tape on St-Juste and the coach felt like he and his staff had found a gem.
“It’s hard for us to be able to get those types of guys, so when he walked through the door, I mean, physically?” Fleck said. “He passed the eye test immediately. … You saw an incredible amount of athleticism, and then incredible length. When you have those two things, you’re an athlete, and you’re loose-hipped, you can run, you’re long.
“It wasn’t a ton of film, so it was a little bit more of a chance. We took kind of a chance on him, and it was high-risk, especially somebody with injuries and leaving a program like Michigan. But he was leaving for all the right reasons, where he wanted an opportunity to continue to play. … Sitting down with him, getting to know him and watching the film that you had, you saw this guy that was really just untapped potential. Needed to be coached, needed his fundamentals and techniques to be cleaned up, but you know that he put that work in to be able to become the player that he is.”
theathletic.com
Go Gophers!!
Benjamin St-Juste’s football career was supposed to end in 2019. After he saw action in 12 games as a freshman at Michigan in 2017, St-Juste missed all of his sophomore season with a hamstring injury.
That’s when Michigan tried to move on from St-Juste, but that was a tall task considering the 6-foot-3 cornerback isn’t the kind of player who can easily go missing without someone noticing. Questions were asked, and a school spokesman said St-Juste elected to medically retire from football.
But there was one problem: The Montreal native had done no such thing. Although Michigan wouldn’t clear him to play again, St-Juste received a medical hardship waiver from the NCAA and searched for a program that would give him a chance to use his three remaining years of eligibility.
“To clarify things on my situation, I never retired from playing football,” St-Juste said then. “I had no power in that decision.”
One person who did was Minnesota coach P.J. Fleck, who got St-Juste’s career back on track and helped him become a third-round draft pick by the Washington Football Team in April. It was a little bit like love at first sight when he first saw St-Juste, Fleck said. There simply aren’t that many corners his size who want to play for his program.
And once the coach got to know St-Juste — his goals in life, how hard he worked, how devoted he was to improving his body — he immediately knew he’d fit into the team culture, too.
Add what Fleck saw once he watched the tape on St-Juste and the coach felt like he and his staff had found a gem.
“It’s hard for us to be able to get those types of guys, so when he walked through the door, I mean, physically?” Fleck said. “He passed the eye test immediately. … You saw an incredible amount of athleticism, and then incredible length. When you have those two things, you’re an athlete, and you’re loose-hipped, you can run, you’re long.
“It wasn’t a ton of film, so it was a little bit more of a chance. We took kind of a chance on him, and it was high-risk, especially somebody with injuries and leaving a program like Michigan. But he was leaving for all the right reasons, where he wanted an opportunity to continue to play. … Sitting down with him, getting to know him and watching the film that you had, you saw this guy that was really just untapped potential. Needed to be coached, needed his fundamentals and techniques to be cleaned up, but you know that he put that work in to be able to become the player that he is.”
'Don't sleep on this guy': Washington's Benjamin St-Juste in position to prove he's special
The rookie cornerback is unique, but in Washington, he'll have to overcome the same uncertainty he has addressed twice before.
Go Gophers!!