The Georgia Bulldogs football program offered Minnehana Academy star Jalen Suggs a scholarship in Dec. 2018. Ohio State, Michigan State, Notre Dame, and more elite college football programs showed significant interest in Suggs. Suggs, who was a four-star dual threat quarterback, is obviously an explosive athlete.
Before Jalen Suggs sank a buzzer-beater to defeat UCLA 93-90 in overtime to become a Final Four legend, he had to decide between playing football or basketball in college. Of course, Suggs had offers to do both, but most athletes only participate in one sport.
In high school, Suggs averaged 23.5 points per game throughout his senior season. He won three basketball state championships in Minnesota throughout his decorated high school career.
Jalen Suggs’ success wasn’t limited to basketball. The five-star basketball recruit and highest ranked signee in Gonzaga basketball history was the first athlete in Minnesota history to be win the state’s award for Mr. Football and Mr. Basketball in the same year.
As a senior, Jalen Suggs threw for 2,213 yards and 25 touchdowns. Additionally, he ran for 978 yards and 12 touchdowns. Suggs’ ridiculous accolades don’t stop there. On defense, he intercepted nine passes and returned a pair of them for touchdowns.
Suggs’ versatile high school athletic accomplishments earned him the National MaxPreps Male Athlete of the Year award. Check out some of Suggs’ impressive high school football highlights here:
.@ZagMBB's Jalen Suggs had football skills too đź‘€
In the 2020 recruiting class, Suggs was ESPN's No. 5 player in the state of Minnesota with offers from Ohio State, Nebraska and others.
(via @thecheckdown) pic.twitter.com/2f58vwQkfW
— SportsCenter (@SportsCenter) April 4, 2021
Gonzaga’s Jalen Suggs will forever be remembered in college basketball lure regardless of what happens in the championship game against the Baylor Bears. It is debatable that the freshman sensation’s most important play against UCLA came on the defensive end of the floor.
Jalen Suggs blocked a potential UCLA dunk with under two minutes left and then threw a perfect bounce pass to Drew Timme, who gave Gonzaga a 79-77 lead. This sequence helped Gonzaga force overtime against UCLA. The rest is history.
TWO. WAY. MADNESS.
âś… Jalen Suggs block
âś… Drew Timme dunk pic.twitter.com/o7AGVns8wz— CBS Sports (@CBSSports) April 4, 2021
Jalen Suggs’ toughness was on full display throughout his physical Final Four victory, where he fought through a couple of scary jump landings and big collisions. Here’s a throwback to when Suggs earned a scholarship offer from the University of Georgia football program:
Beyond blessed to have received a scholarship from the University of Georgia for football🙏🏽 pic.twitter.com/fCXVZgSout
— Jalen Suggs (@JalenSuggs2020) December 24, 2018
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