Jay Ward

OVERVIEW

Versatile defensive back who played safety, cornerback and nickel back during his LSU career … 46 career appearances with 23 starts … 164 tackles, 3.5 tackles for loss and 6 interceptions … Developed into a leader in the secondary for the Tigers and served as a coach on the field … Had breakout season in 2021, ranking among team leaders in tackles with 71 … Followed that with 60 tackles as a senior in 2022 … Has a knack for finding the football and coming up with the big play … Tremendous hand-eye coordination and ball skills, which was evident in his highlight reel interception against Florida in 2020 when he fell out of bounds, re-established himself inbounds and then intercepted a pass on his knees … Also thrived on special teams – blocked a field goal in fourth quarter against Arkansas that helped preserve LSU win in 2020 … Also had a blocked field goal against Auburn in 2021 … Member of the 2020 SEC Academic Honor Roll … Majoring in interdisciplinary studies … Invited to play in the 2023 Senior Bowl … Announced in December his intentions to enter NFL Draft however still played in LSU’s Citrus Bowl win over Purdue.

HISTORY — from college bio

2022 (sr): 2023 Senior Bowl invitee ... Played in 13 games with 9 starts … Started at 3 positions in the secondary – cornerback, safety and nickel – Finished with 60 tackles, 2.5 tackles for loss, an interception and a fumble recovery … Named SEC Defensive Player of the Week after tying a career-best with 11 tackles in win over Mississippi State in conference opener … Added 1.5 tackles for loss (-3), an interception and a pass breakup in win over Mississippi State … Opened season with 8 tackles vs. Florida State … Recovered a fumble and returned it 23 yards for a TD in comeback win over Auburn … The fumble-return for TD ignited a rally that saw the Tigers erase a 17-0 first half deficit to win, 21-17 … Added 6 tackles and a pass breakup vs. Auburn.

2021 (jr): Played and started 11 games in 2021 … Made 7 starts at safety, 2 at cornerback and one at the dime position … Finished third on team in tackles with 71 … Led Tigers with a pair of interceptions … Added 4 pass breakups, a forced fumble and blocked a kick … Had career-best 11 tackles and blocked a 52-yard field goal attempt against Auburn … Other double-digit tackle game came against Ole Miss with 10 stops … Capped year with 9 tackles and 2 pass breakups against Kansas State in the Texas Bowl … Returned an interception 26 yards in the second quarter to setup an LSU touchdown, putting the Tigers ahead 21-6 … Other interception came in second quarter against Louisiana-Monroe and setup another Tiger touchdown, putting LSU up 10-0 … Had 6 tackles in 4 games – at Mississippi State, Florida, at Alabama and Louisiana-Monroe.

2020 (soph): Appeared in nine games with three starts as a sophomore in 2020 … Started three of LSU’s final four games … Starts came against Texas A&M, Florida and Ole Miss … Finished year with 29 tackles, six pass breakups and three interceptions … Also blocked a field goal … Had great all-around game in win over Florida with career-best eight tackles and first career interception … Made a highlight reel interception against Florida after falling out of bounds, then re-established himself inbounds to pick off the Kyle Trask pass from his knees … That interception halted a Florida drive inside the LSU 20-yard line … In win over Arkansas, came off the edge to block a 44-yard field goal attempt that helped preserve LSU victory … At the time of the blocked field goal, LSU was clinging to a 27-24 lead with 1:20 left in the contest … Closed out season with six tackles and two interceptions in win over Ole Miss in Tiger Stadium … Returned a first quarter interception vs. Ole Miss 31 yards for a TD to give the Tigers a 10-7 lead … Picked off a pass in the third quarter against Ole Miss and returned it 16 yards to the Rebel 44-yard line setting up another LSU touchdown … Opened season with five tackles and career-best three pass breakups against Mississippi State ... 2020 SEC Academic Honor Roll.

2019 (fr): Saw action in 13 games in 2019 … Recorded four tackles, broke up three passes and had a quarterback hurry … Had two pass breakups in LSU’s win over Oklahoma in the national semifinals …. One tackle each in games against Florida, Mississippi State, Alabama and Arkansas … Contributed on special teams as well … Quarterback hurry came against Florida.

High school: Another extremely athletic defensive back in LSU’s 2019 class … Led his team to a 14-1 record and an appearance in the Georgia 7A State Championship Game as a senior … Capped his senior season with 50 tackles and six interceptions … As a junior, recorded 46 tackles, 12 pass breakups and four interceptions … Capped career with 11 interceptions … Listed as a three-star recruit by 247Sports, Rivals, and ESPN … Ranked No. 50 nationally among cornerbacks by 247Sports and No. 57 nationally by Rivals … Older brother Johnny Ward played football at South Florida, where he played in 47 games with 18 starts from 2013-16 … Coached by Rush Propst.