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Published Dec 28, 2021
PEACH BOWL: Jordan Addison will give Michigan State stiff test
Mark Feather
SpartanMag.com

Just do a Google video search for Pittsburgh sophomore wide receiver Jordan Addison and you will see exactly why he is who he is.

And who is he exactly?

Well, besides being one highlight-reel after another on YouTube, he’s a lot of things to the Panthers but he is undoubtedly the biggest threat and a key focal point for the No. 10 Michigan State football team as the Spartans prepare to face No. 12 Pittsburgh in the Peach Bowl in Atlanta, Ga., on Thursday.

Addison is also this year’s Biletnikoff Award - given to the nation’s top wide receiver - and rightfully so, considering he caught 93 passes for 1,479 yards (15.9 yards avg) and 17 touchdowns, which were the most in the country at the position.

“You don't win the Biletnikoff without being an outstanding player,” said MSU defensive coordinator Scottie Hazelton. “And he's a guy we need to know where he is and where he's at. Because they'll put him everywhere. They'll put him in the backfield and out wide and everything in between. So, we're trying to have some awareness of where he is. And definitely try to get a situation where the safety knows and whoever is on him knows and we kind of build a package and really started with him.“

Since the award was first issued in 1994 Addison is the third Pitt receiver to win the honor, with the first being Antonio Bryant in 2000 and the second being Larry Fitzgerald in 2003.

MSU’s Charles Rogers (2002) is the Spartans’ sole Biletnikoff Award recipient, but Addison is a different breed of receiver in comparison to his predecessors.

At 6-feet tall, Addison is not the lengthy, imposing deep-ball catching threat of guys like Rogers, Fitzgerald, or Bryant. But his combination of speed, route-running, body awareness, and sure-handedness garnered consensus First-Team All-American honors this season.

“Every day at our practice facility, I walk past the Biletnikoff Award trophies won by Larry Fitzgerald and Antonio Bryant,” Addison said in a press release after receiving the award.

“I always go up and put my hand on the trophy because it was my goal to one day win it. I am so humbled and blessed to join those all-time greats.”

Michigan State safety Xavier Henderson had his own comparison for Addison.

Henderson said he’s like a mix of Purdue’s David Bell, for his ability to attack the catch, and Penn State’s Jahan Dotson, for his quickness and route running.

“He’s just really smooth, I know he will be fast when we get out there, but it doesn’t look like he needs to run too hard,” said Henderson. “He runs smooth routes and attacks the ball well so it’s going to be another challenge we’ve got to face.”

Addison said he looks up to a pair of NFL receiving pros in Minnesota’s Stefon Diggs and Atlanta’s Calvin Ridley and molds his game after those guys.

All skill sets, comparisons, and admirations aside, perhaps the most important trait possessed by Addison is his heart and motivation to make it to the next level.

The 19-year-old native of Frederick, Md. is a former three-star recruit and has a total of nine siblings - three sisters and six brothers. He emphasized their importance in achieving his ultimate goal of getting selected in the first round of the NFL draft.

“Get to the NFL and provide for my family,” Addison told the Pittsburgh Tribune of his goals prior to the start of his spectacular season. “Get my whole family in one neighborhood. I’m a big family person.”

Addison will be performing for the first time this year without Heisman Trophy candidate QB Kenny Pickett, who opted out of the game in order to focus on the NFL Draft. New starter, Nick Patti, a 6-foot-3, 220-pound junior, will take over for Pickett.

A strong performance in the bowl game from Addison, like the one he had against Virginia on Nov. 20 (14 catches for 202 yards and four touchdowns), would go a long way in helping him achieve his dream and he’s excited for the opportunity to do so. MSU’s problems in defending the pass this year would seem to be a poor matchup for the Spartans, but Addison doesn’t necessarily see it that way.

“I'm not excited because I've seen everybody else had success against them,” Addison said of his matchup with MSU. “I'm excited because it's just another opportunity for me to go out there and play and show what I can do.”

MichiganState
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Scores / Schedule
footballfootball
30 - 7
Overall Record
17 - 3
Conference Record
2024 schedule not available.
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