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It’s no secret the “student” aspect of “student-athlete” can be an afterthought for many people who play sports in college, and Ja’Marr Chase wasn’t afraid to admit that was the case while discussing his approach to classes he took during his time at LSU.
There are a ton of student-athletes who take full advantage of the academic opportunities that come with playing a college sport, but anyone who’s even remotely familiar with the world of college athletics knows pursuing a degree is not a top priority for plenty of people who are primarily concerned with other aspects of life on campus.
In 2012, Ohio State quarterback Cardale Jones said the quiet part out loud with the legendary tweet where he bemoaned the requirement to attend classes while proclaiming “We ain’t come to play school” (he had some fun at his own expense by plastering the phrase on his graduation cap when he received his degree in 2017).
That’s a sentiment that’s probably shared by many guys who mostly view college sports as a platform that will allow them to take their game to the professional level, and while that can obviously be a bit of a gamble if they end up flaming after making the leap, it is a bit hard to blame people in that position for prioritizing athletics over academics.
It’s safe to say Ja’Marr Chase benefitted from the decision to leave LSU after three years (he only played for the Tigers for two seasons and sat out the 2020 campaign to avoid an injury with the potential to hurt his draft stock), as the Bengals wide receiver has raked in more than $30 million midway through his fourth season in the NFL.
On Tuesday, Chase acknowledged he was not exactly a model student in college while addressing the accelerated preparation that comes with gearing for games on Thursday night, as he admitted he wasn’t really hitting the books during his time in Baton Rouge.
Ja’Marr Chase, on getting ready for a Thursday game is like cramming for a test in school: “I didn’t study in school.”
— Ben Baby (@Ben_Baby) November 5, 2024
According to Chase’s profile on LSU’s website, the WR was a Sport Administration major who is still pursuing his diploma as a member of the Project Graduation degree program, so he may have had a change of heart now that he’s a bit older and wiser.