Lucky Jackson, Taywan Taylor, Nicholas Norris. These are players senior wide receiver Jahcour Pearson has had the honor of learning from in his time with the Hilltoppers.
Pearson, WKU's leading returning receiver from last season has been praised by coaches and teammates alike early on this season. The Fort Lauderdale native knows his lineage at his position and has taken a lot from those guys.
"Since my time being here I've seen a lot of good receivers come and go," Pearson said. "I feel like I've picked a lot from each person. I feel like I picked something up from all their games and I just try to make it into mine."
Pearson stepped up his game in a big way last season for the Hilltoppers, hauling in a career high 76 catches for 804 yards and seven touchdowns. This was a major improvement over a sophomore season which saw Pearson catch just 13 passes.
"My main focus has been to try to get better everyday...coming off of a good year last year, but I got a lot more expectations for myself," Pearson said.
The 5-foot-9 180-pound slot receiver has just enough size and speed to effectively operate in Head Coach Tyson Helton's offensive scheme. Being a slot guy, Offensive Coordinator Bryan Ellis praises what Pearson brings to the table.
"We do ask him to block. A lot of times he's gotta go in there and block linebackers who weigh upwards of 30-40 pounds more than he does," Ellis said. "He's just a kid that enjoys playing the game of football and that's always fun to be around."
Fun to be around and fun to watch play would be two accurate ways to describe Jahcour Pearson. Recently named starting quarterback Tyrrell Pigrome has already created good chemistry with his senior wideout.
"Dude is electric. He's exciting to watch. His routes are hard, he shows speed. He can do whatever, outside, inside, running back," Pigrome said.
In 2019, Pearson was named second team All-Conference USA and to Pro Football Focus' College C-USA team of the week twice. He and Lucky Jackson were only 1-of-5 FBS teammate duos who each had at least 75 catches and 800 yards.
The duo of Pearson and Jackson earned the Hilltoppers an eight-win, bowl-win season and one of the most electric offenses around C-USA. Pearson knows how "Lucky" he was to be able to lineup on the same side of the ball as a guy like Jackson.
"He brought that professional mindset every time he stepped into the facility," Pearson said. "I definitely learned that from him. Come into the stadium, get your work done, stay after, watch film. I learned a lot from Lucky, I still talk to him."
Playing with record-setting receiver Lucky Jackson has done wonders for Pearson's production on the field. Now in his fifth season at WKU, he will look to continue to build on what was accomplished in his first season as a starter.
“I recruited Jahcour a long time ago...Over the years I've really gotten to know him," Ellis said. "Getting to watch a kid grow like he has and where he came from as a freshman and sophomore to where he's at right now is really really cool."
While it is easy to see the immense improvement in Pearson's game, he knows there is still a long road ahead this season and is looking forward to the 2020 opener against an in-state opponent.
“As a team, looking forward to Louisville we're just all trying to find that continuity together," Pearson said. "It's been a lot of adversity this season. I think we're ready for Louisville. We're just ready to get out there and play. We're hungry."
Expectations are high for not just Pearson, but the Hilltoppers in general this season. Coming off of a season where WKU improved their win total by five games, expect nothing less than even more improvement this season on The Hill.
"Expect another big year," Ellis said. "I thought he had a really really good campaign last year. He does a really good job from that slot position. I think he makes tough catches. He's been really tough."
