JuJu Smith-Schuster facts for kids
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Smith-Schuster in 2023
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| No. 9 – Kansas City Chiefs | |||||||
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| Position: | Wide receiver | ||||||
| Personal information | |||||||
| Born: | November 22, 1996 Long Beach, California, U.S. |
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| Height: | 6 ft 1 in (1.85 m) | ||||||
| Weight: | 215 lb (98 kg) | ||||||
| Career information | |||||||
| High school: | Long Beach Polytechnic | ||||||
| College: | USC (2014–2016) | ||||||
| NFL Draft: | 2017 / Round: 2 / Pick: 62 | ||||||
| Career history | |||||||
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| Roster status: | Active | ||||||
| Career highlights and awards | |||||||
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| Career NFL statistics as of Week 11, 2024 | |||||||
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| Player stats at PFR | |||||||
John Sherman "JuJu" Smith-Schuster (born November 22, 1996) is an American professional football wide receiver. He plays for the Kansas City Chiefs in the National Football League (NFL). He played college football for the USC Trojans. In 2015, he earned second-team All-American honors.
The Pittsburgh Steelers picked him in the second round of the 2017 NFL draft. With the Chiefs, he won Super Bowl LVII against the Philadelphia Eagles. Smith-Schuster holds several NFL records. These include being the youngest player to reach 2,500 career receiving yards. He is also the first player with two offensive touchdowns of at least 97 yards. He has many Steelers team records too. Off the field, he is famous for his social media. He loves TikTok, which earned him the nickname TikTok Boy. In 2019, Sports Business Daily called him one of the NFL's most marketable players.
Contents
Early Life and Football Start
Smith-Schuster started playing football when he was eight years old. As a kid, he was coached by famous rapper Snoop Dogg. Snoop Dogg even gave him the nickname "Sportscenter." He believed JuJu's amazing plays would one day be shown on ESPN.
JuJu attended Long Beach Polytechnic High School in Long Beach, California. This school was known for sending many football players to the NFL. He played both wide receiver and safety. Experts rated him as a top player in his class. He chose to play college football at the University of Southern California (USC).
College Football Career
JuJu played right away as a freshman in 2014. In his first game, he caught four passes for 123 yards. He finished his first season with 54 catches for 724 yards and five touchdowns.
In 2015, as a sophomore, he had an even better year. He led his team with 89 catches for 1,454 yards and 10 touchdowns. He was a key player for the Trojans.
In 2016, JuJu continued to perform well. He helped the Trojans win the 2017 Rose Bowl. He caught seven passes for 133 yards and a touchdown in that big game. After this season, he decided to leave college early for the NFL draft. He later returned to USC to finish his degree.
Becoming a Pro Football Player
Before the NFL draft, JuJu showed off his skills at the NFL Combine. He was seen as one of the best wide receivers available. The Dallas Cowboys showed a lot of interest in him.
| Height | Weight | Arm length | Hand size | 40-yard dash | 10-yard split | 20-yard split | 20-yard shuttle | Three-cone drill | Vertical jump | Broad jump | Bench press | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 6 ft 1+3⁄8 in (1.86 m) |
215 lb (98 kg) |
32+7⁄8 in (0.84 m) |
10+1⁄2 in (0.27 m) |
4.54 s | 1.55 s | 2.65 s | 4.18 s | 6.93 s | 33+1⁄2 in (0.85 m) |
10 ft 3 in (3.12 m) |
15 reps | |
| All values from NFL Combine/USC's Pro Day | ||||||||||||
Playing for the Pittsburgh Steelers
The Pittsburgh Steelers picked JuJu Smith-Schuster in the second round of the 2017 NFL draft. He was the youngest player chosen that year. He signed a four-year contract with the team.
In his first NFL game, he was the youngest player in the league. In Week 2, he caught his first touchdown pass. He became the youngest NFL player to score a touchdown since 1964. In Week 7, he made history again. He was the first NFL player to score three touchdowns before turning 21.
In Week 8, JuJu had an amazing game. He caught seven passes for 193 yards. He also scored a 97-yard touchdown. This was the longest pass play in Steelers history. He was named the AFC Offensive Player of the Week for his great performance.
JuJu finished his first season with 58 catches for 917 yards and seven touchdowns. He led all rookies in these stats. He was named to the PFWA All-Rookie Team. He also won the Polynesian Pro Football Player of the Year award.
2018 Season Highlights
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In 2018, JuJu became a starting wide receiver for the Steelers. He started the season strong with many catches and yards. In Week 2, he had a career-high 13 catches for 121 yards and a touchdown.
He broke another NFL record in November. He became the first player to have two offensive touchdowns of at least 97 yards. He had a huge game against the Denver Broncos with 13 catches for 189 yards.
JuJu was voted team MVP by his teammates for the 2018 season. He led the team with 111 catches and 1,426 yards. He also scored seven touchdowns. He was chosen for his first Pro Bowl.
2019 Season and Injuries
Before the 2019 season, JuJu became the Steelers' top wide receiver. In Week 2, he passed Randy Moss as the youngest receiver to reach 2,500 receiving yards.
In Week 5, he caught seven passes for 75 yards and a touchdown. However, he fumbled the ball in overtime, which led to the Ravens winning the game. In Week 8, he had his first 100-yard game of the season. He caught five passes for 103 yards and a touchdown.
Later in the season, JuJu suffered a helmet-to-helmet hit and a knee injury. He missed most of the rest of the season. He finished 2019 with 42 catches for 552 yards and three touchdowns.
2020 Season and Social Media
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JuJu started the 2020 season well. In Week 1, he had six catches for 69 yards and two touchdowns. In Week 9, he scored a touchdown against the Cowboys. He tried to celebrate on their midfield star, but Cowboys players stopped him.
He became known for dancing on opponents' midfield logos before away games. This sometimes caused controversy with other teams. For example, a Bengals player hit him hard and forced a fumble after he danced on their logo.
JuJu had a good season in 2020. He caught 97 passes for 831 yards and a career-high nine touchdowns. Before a playoff game against the Browns, he made some comments about their team. In that playoff game, he had 13 catches for 157 yards and a touchdown, but the Steelers lost.
2021 Season and Injury
In March 2021, JuJu signed a new one-year contract with the Steelers. In August, he was filmed trying the viral "milk crate challenge." TikTok later banned this challenge due to safety concerns.
In Week 5, JuJu suffered a serious shoulder injury. He was placed on injured reserve. He returned three months later for the Steelers' playoff game against the Chiefs. In that game, he had five catches for 26 yards, but the Steelers lost.
Kansas City Chiefs (First Time)
JuJu signed with the Chiefs in March 2022 for one year. He scored his first touchdown with the Chiefs in October 2022. In the next game, he had seven catches for 124 yards and a touchdown. He finished the 2022 season with 78 catches for 933 yards and three touchdowns.
In Super Bowl LVII, the Chiefs played the Philadelphia Eagles. JuJu caught seven passes for 53 yards. In a key moment, an Eagles player held him, giving the Chiefs a first down. This helped the Chiefs run down the clock and score the winning field goal. The Chiefs won the Super Bowl!
New England Patriots
In March 2023, JuJu signed a three-year contract with the New England Patriots. In his first season there, he played 11 games. He had 29 catches for 260 yards and one touchdown. The Patriots released him in August 2024.
Kansas City Chiefs (Second Time)
On August 26, 2024, JuJu signed a one-year deal to return to the Kansas City Chiefs. In Week 5, he had his most receiving yards since the 2020 playoffs. He caught seven passes for 130 yards and a touchdown, helping the Chiefs win. He finished the 2024 season with 17 catches for 227 yards and two touchdowns.
NFL Career Statistics
| Legend | |
|---|---|
| Won the Super Bowl | |
| Led the league | |
| Bold | Career high |
Regular season
| Year | Team | Games | Receiving | Rushing | Returning | Fumbles | ||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| GP | GS | Rec | Yds | Avg | Lng | TD | Att | Yds | Avg | Lng | TD | Ret | Yds | Avg | Lng | TD | Fum | Lost | ||
| 2017 | PIT | 14 | 7 | 58 | 917 | 15.8 | 97 | 7 | — | — | — | — | — | 9 | 240 | 26.7 | 96 | 1 | 0 | 0 |
| 2018 | PIT | 16 | 13 | 111 | 1,426 | 12.8 | 97 | 7 | 1 | 13 | 13.0 | 13 | 0 | — | — | — | — | — | 1 | 1 |
| 2019 | PIT | 12 | 12 | 42 | 552 | 13.1 | 76 | 3 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | 1 | 1 |
| 2020 | PIT | 16 | 14 | 97 | 831 | 8.6 | 31 | 9 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | 3 | 1 |
| 2021 | PIT | 5 | 5 | 15 | 129 | 8.6 | 24 | 0 | 3 | 9 | 3.0 | 3 | 1 | — | — | — | — | — | 0 | 0 |
| 2022 | KC | 16 | 14 | 78 | 933 | 12.0 | 53 | 3 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | 3 | 2 |
| 2023 | NE | 11 | 7 | 29 | 260 | 9.0 | 37 | 1 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | 0 | 0 |
| 2024 | KC | 13 | 7 | 17 | 227 | 13.4 | 50 | 2 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | 0 | 0 |
| Career | 103 | 79 | 447 | 5,275 | 11.8 | 97 | 32 | 4 | 22 | 5.5 | 13 | 1 | 9 | 240 | 26.7 | 96 | 1 | 8 | 5 | |
Postseason
| Year | Team | Games | Receiving | Returning | Fumbles | ||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| GP | GS | Rec | Yds | Avg | Lng | TD | Ret | Yds | Avg | Lng | TD | Fum | Lost | ||
| 2017 | PIT | 1 | 1 | 3 | 5 | 1.7 | 4 | 1 | 1 | 23 | 23.0 | 23 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 2020 | PIT | 1 | 1 | 13 | 157 | 12.1 | 33 | 1 | — | — | — | — | — | 0 | 0 |
| 2021 | PIT | 1 | 1 | 5 | 26 | 5.2 | 7 | 0 | — | — | — | — | — | 0 | 0 |
| 2022 | KC | 3 | 2 | 10 | 89 | 8.9 | 16 | 0 | — | — | — | — | — | 0 | 0 |
| Career | 6 | 5 | 31 | 277 | 8.9 | 33 | 2 | 1 | 23 | 23.0 | 23 | 0 | 0 | 0 | |
NFL Records and Achievements
JuJu Smith-Schuster holds several impressive NFL records:
- He was the first player in NFL history to score five touchdowns before his 21st birthday.
- He is the youngest player to record at least 150 receiving yards in a single game.
- He is the youngest player to reach 1,500 receiving yards.
- He is the youngest rookie wide receiver to score a touchdown since the AFL–NFL merger.
He also holds several records for the Steelers team:
- He has the longest touchdown reception in team history (97 yards).
- He is the youngest receiver to get over 1,000 receiving yards in a season (in 2018).
- He reached 1,500 career receiving yards in the fewest games (21).
Personal Life and Family
JuJu Smith-Schuster grew up in Long Beach, California. He is of African-American and Samoan descent. He is the second oldest of seven children. His nickname "JuJu" came from his aunt when he was a baby. He added his stepfather's last name, Schuster, to his own when he turned 18. He was a big fan of USC football growing up.
Digital Media Presence
JuJu Smith-Schuster is very active on social media. He has a large following on TikTok, YouTube, Twitter, and Twitch.
He streams himself playing video games like Fortnite and Call of Duty: WWII on Twitch. In 2018, he played Fortnite with famous gamers and celebrities like Drake. He also has a YouTube channel where he posts gaming videos and daily life updates. His French bulldog named Boujee often appears in his videos.
In 2020, JuJu announced he would own a new esports team called Team Diverge. The team plans to include content from other athletes and musicians.
See also
In Spanish: JuJu Smith-Schuster para niños
