Jay

Ward

Ward (5’10/193) is a twitchy athlete who doesn’t have the sought-after length desired by NFL teams but makes up for it with elite mobility. He earned a starting job in 2021, logging half of his snaps at free safety before transitioning to a more coverage-oriented role, logging 408-of-633 snaps from the slot or covering wideouts from the boundary. He has functional athleticism to mirror wideouts out of breaks, but he is much more instinctive in zone schemes. He’s a decent athlete that broad jumped 11” (98th%) and ran a 1.54s 10-yard split (89th%), but his agility drills were poor which inhibited his 6.70 RAS. Perhaps his biggest issue is poor tackling, as Ward’s 22% career missed tackle rate is an objectively terrible mark and will cost him dearly at the next level if he doesn’t tighten up his technique. He will also have to clean up the miscues, as he was called for seven penalties last year which is simply too many for a safety. Ward is but may be more of a rotational nickel corner given his limitations.

LSU is monitoring the status of S Jay Ward as the team prepares for its second matchup of the season against McNeese State. The overall defensive performance of the Tigers declined when Ward was sidelined against UCLA, so his status for this weekend could prove to be a crucial factor. LSU has standout members of its secondary with cornerbacks Derek Stingley Jr. and Elias Ricks on the roster, but that doesn’t change the fact Ward’s presence -- or lack of it -- is a difference-maker.

One day after saying that Stingley (6'1/195) could be back practicing as soon as Tuesday, Orgeron was even more optimistic about his star corner’s status. “He’s good to go. I am sure they will probably take it easy with him this week, but I am pretty sure he may wind up playing, as well,” Orgeron said. “It is one of those moments where, me personally, I would hate to relive and go through it again. But he’s good. He is good and he is healthy and he is ready to go ... he has no restrictions. He is good to go.” Stingley wasn’t the only cornerback dealing with health issues last week, as Jay Ward played despite having not practiced for weeks after undergoing surgery to address an undisclosed injury.

Ward (6'1/175) was also kicking around a Kentucky signing. He was committed to the Wildcats up until November. On the 247Sports composite board, the Tigers currently boast the No. 6 class for the 2019 cycle. DB U just keeps on keepin’ on. Ward pads out their secondary depth in the class, but most notably, they have one out-and-out CB stud already enrolled from this class in the person of five-star Derek Stingley.