In his team’s 41-10 victory last year over Northwestern, Michigan sophomore receiver Jason Avant broke the hearts of Wildcats fans everywhere with his unbelievable one-handed catch in the end zone.
The reception crushed any hope for an upset and gave then-No. 5 Michigan a 28-point lead at halftime.
“I just remember me running and sticking my hand out, and I caught it,” Avant said. “It was just a good catch.
“Actually I could have jumped up and caught it with two hands if I would’ve been running fast enough. I stopped running, so I made it harder on myself.”
The sheer speed of the throw from quarterback John Navarre, coupled with the full-body extension from Avant, led replays of the catch to be played over and over across the nation.
After the game Michigan receiver Braylon Edwards called the catch the greatest he had ever seen.
But Edwards and a few of the other Wolverines’ wideouts have amassed their own collections of one-handed catches, leading some to assume the receivers work on those types of catches in practice.
“At Michigan we never practice one-handed catches in practice,” Avant said. “If you get caught catching with one hand, you get cussed out for it.”
After finishing last season as Michigan’s second-leading receiver, with 47 catches and 772 yards receiving, Avant started his junior season a bit slower.
In Michigan’s first five games, Avant had only 10 catches for 126 yards receiving.
But Avant now is back in his role as the No. 2 option in the passing game, thanks to the growing development of true-freshman quarterback Chad Henne.
Avant had a breakout performance in the Wolverines’ win over Minnesota on Oct. 9, when he caught six passes for 87 yards.
“It was rough for Jason in the early going because, with a freshman quarterback, you can’t get everyone involved with a thin playbook,” Edwards said. “Jason has been doing the same things all season, but now Chad is more familiar with the offense. He is making his second and third reads and is able to get Jason the ball more.”
Avant didn’t start catching passes until his sophomore year at Carver High School on Chicago’s South Side. Until then, basketball was the most important sport in his life.
But Avant’s basketball coach, Willie Simpson, who was Carver’s football coach as well, approached him during his sophomore year and encouraged him to try playing both sports.
By his senior year, Avant was ranked by ESPN recruiting analyst Tom Lemming as one of the top five prep receivers in the nation.
“Chicago is a basketball city,” Avant said. “(But) I think I made the right decision.”
But that’s not all there is to Avant. At first glance, he appears to be a skilled, athletic wide receiver that is destined to become the go-to guy at Michigan when Edwards graduates after this season. If you look a little deeper, though, you will see a man who is completely devoted to God.
After every interview he tells reporters, “God bless.” Instead of sleeping in on Sundays after a big game, he attends True Worship Church on Detroit’s West Side. Rather than joining a gang while growing up in the South Side, he performed community service for his church.
“I strive to live a holy life,” Avant said. “That’s my goal: to give God glory in everything that I do. That’s just me.”
When his football career is over, Avant aspires to be a social worker so he can help the children growing up in the same neighborhoods as he did.
He currently performs community service with his teammates in Ann Arbor, Mich., and readily accepts any opportunities to speak at schools and to help children.
“There are so many negative things going on in my neighborhood (in Chicago) that a lot of children could avoid,” Avant said. “I just want to help them do that by keeping them active.
“It’s not for me, but it’s glorifying God and helping the kids.”
Reach Zach Silka at [email protected].
