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Jayden Reed describes feeling of bringing back No. 1 jersey to Spartans
By Paul Harvey
Published:
The No. 1 jersey has a long history among Michigan State receivers, but it has not been donned in nearly 2 decades.
The last Spartan to wear the single digit was the late Charles Rogers in 2002. Rogers was an All-American that season after 1,351 yards receiving and 13 touchdowns.
Prior to Rogers, Andre Rison and Muhsin Muhammad also wore the number. Both were productive in standout careers for Michigan State.
Over the summer, Reed was presented with the opportunity to bring the No. 1 back to the Spartans after wearing No. 5 in 2020. According to Stephen Brooks with Spartan Tailgate, Reed explained how the coaching staff felt he was the right player to bring it back with Reed calling it an “honor” to get the number:
“So they said they think I was someone that would represent that number well, because I work hard and my mentality and everything like that,” he said. “I didn’t have a problem with it. I actually wore No. 1 my junior year of high school, so nothing new.”
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“It’s an honor, with Charles Rogers and Andre Rison,” Reed said. “So it’s an honor to wear that number here at Michigan State. I just gotta follow their footsteps and work as hard as I can and try to produce as much as I can.”
Hopefully, Reed takes a step forward in 2021 with the new number. He finished with 33 catches for 407 yards and 3 touchdowns during his first season in East Lansing.
Paul is a lifelong fan and student of all things college football. He has been covering college football since 2017 and the B1G since 2018.