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They said he was too short, and everybody knew he couldn't play quarterback at the next level. But he had one thing that nobody could deny: the ability to flat-out dazzle. Jairus Byrd played a plethora of positions for Clayton High School in the St...

Oregon CB Jairus Byrd Is Flying Under the Radar

by Peter Fleischer (Senior Writer)

14

2,287 reads

Opinion

August 21, 2008


They said he was too short, and everybody knew he couldn't play quarterback at the next level.

But he had one thing that nobody could deny: the ability to flat-out dazzle.

Jairus Byrd played a plethora of positions for Clayton High School in the St. Louis area—and regardless of where he played, he shined.  Quarterback was his primary spot, but this amazing athlete also played Running Back, Wide Receiver, Defensive Back, Punter, and Kicker.  He almost single-handedly delivered his school the Class 4-A state title as a senior—and then received very little attention from colleges.

Byrd, whose father is an NFL secondary coach and whose brother Gill played Division I ball at New Mexico State, clearly had the "it" factor about him.  Anybody who actually took the time to watch him play knew that he was something special.  Whether he was shifting in high gear between the tackles or blowing up a player in the secondary, the kid was the real deal.

But back in 2005, as the 20th-ranked player in the state of Missouri, Byrd found himself getting almost no attention from the local state school, University of Missouri.  In fact, no school in the Midwest was very interested.  Not hearing from Big 12 schools, Byrd finally chose to play at the University of Oregon.

After redshirting in his first season at Eugene, Byrd started to catch many eyes as a cornerback/rover type of player for the Ducks.  The previously "diminutive" Byrd grew to a respectable, if not ideal, six-foot frame and 208 pounds of 4.5 speed with top-notch technique and ball skills.

Five interceptions as a redshirt freshman earned him a starting spot, and seven more as a sophomore earned him All-Pac-10 honors.  Now Byrd is poised for big things this season.  As a junior, alongside talented teammates Patrick Chung and Walter Thurmond, Byrd has a chance to crack the All-America lineup at season's end.

Recently named as the 19th-best secondary player in the country, the sky is the limit for Byrd.  People claim that he might be too small to play in the NFL, but the stats speak for themselves.

Don't take my word for it.  Watch him play this year.  For a kid that was only a two-star prospect out of the halls of CHS, this guy never fails to prove his doubters wrong.

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14 comments Last one added 10 months ago — Leave a Comment

  1. Lisa Horne 10 months ago

    The Ducks secondary is sick. I mean sick. Hands down the best secondary in the nation, especially at CB. Chung is a great rover (I met him on media day...really sweet guy) and his cohorts will have a stellar year.

    Hey, this got my pick. Nice job!

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  2. Tristan Holmes 10 months ago

    It is hard to decide who is the better starting corner for Oregon, Byrd or Thurmond III, they both play so well. The only player Byrd had trouble matching up with last year was DeSean Jackson, but he is mismatch for almost anybody. The Ducks have a tradition of great cornerback tandems (Herman O'Berry and Alex Molden, Rashad Bauman and Steve Smith, Aaron Gibson and Justin Phinisee), and Nick Allioti's defenses are at their best when the corners can be left on an island. Byrd is a tremendous asset for Oregon and they'll need him and all his defensive teammates at the top of their games to whether the growing pains at quarterback.

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  3. Aron Glatzer 10 months ago

    Great stuff. The guy may not blow you away with his 40 or size, but his instincts are top-notch. The guy is a born football player.

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    • Peter Fleischer 10 months ago

      Yes. That's the thing about Jairus. He is definitely a phenomenal athlete, but not elite maybe. But he KNOWS how to play football. It's like breathing to him. He's certainly got the pedigree.

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  4. Thomas Brown 10 months ago

    ha u love this guy more than the world huh peter

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  5. Thomas Brown 10 months ago

    how much did he weigh coming out of high school would u guess peter.?

    dont give me the rivals crap, i want to know what you legitimately think he weighed

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    • Peter Fleischer 10 months ago

      Ha, hey I gotta love him. My high school has a punter in the NFL, a few players scattered around college sports, and that's it! When somebody does it big, I gotta salute them.

      Coming out of high school, I'm guessing he was 5'11'', 185. And that is from somebody that scrimmaged against him during basketball season.

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  6. Travis Rice 10 months ago

    How is he under the radar?? Chung has said openly that they have the best secondary in the nation. Everyone knows about him now...agreed UofO is stacked and will produce very good numbers, but no longer are they under the radar.

    Nice article though.

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    • Peter Fleischer 10 months ago

      Thanks Travis.

      I think he's under the radar because he doesn't get nearly the love that Chung gets, and maybe even less then Thurmond III too, but had seven INTs and a fumble for a TD last year. He is one of the best 20 secondary players in the country, so that's CBs and safeties too, AND he's only a junior, but not many know about him.

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  7. Travis Rice 10 months ago

    stupid fumble for TD...we know who that was against and how that shifted momentum before half time. i wish I could find that replay somewhere...amazing game.

    Agreed, outside of the Pac I guess all people hear about is Chung and "the secondary" not really mentions of the other two role players. Looks like the state of Oregon has some amazing defensive backs this season between ThurmondIII, Byrd, Chung, Afalava, Hughes, and Lewis.

    I'm excited for the Pac-10 race this year. Guess it helps that my team is one of the possibilities to share the title (although some would argue).

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  8. Peter Fleischer 10 months ago

    Ha, sorry Travis! I didn't even realize you were a OSU guy! Don't wanna re-open an old wound lol.

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  9. Ben Weixlmann 10 months ago

    Peter, I just noticed you wrote this! JB was unreal in high school and has lived up to our expectations and more at Oregon. It was definitely difficult trying to guard him in practice. Wow.

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    • Peter Fleischer 10 months ago

      Atta boy Ben. I just remember playing against him, Chuck Grady, and David Martin, and feeling like it was pointless to even play defense. Lol.

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