Safety, LSU, 2019–22
Jay Ward
- Number
- No. 5
- Height
- 6′2″
- Weight
- 188 lb
- Class (2022)
- Senior
- Hometown
- Moultrie, GA
- Born
- Jul 13, 2000
Jay Ward played safety at LSU (2019–22). The Minnesota Vikings took Ward in round 4, No. 134 overall in the 2023 NFL Draft.
At a glance
Career highs
11tackles, career hightwice; last vs. Mississippi State, 20222interceptions, career highvs. Ole Miss, 2020Team titles: National champions, 2019; SEC champions, 2019
Defense
Season lines from CollegeFootballData, regular season and bowls. A dash: the source has no number for that season (often an FCS season), and career totals count only the numbers on file.
On the roster
As each season’s roster listed the player (CollegeFootballData). Classes before the latest listing are counted back from it; “Yr 1” is the year on file where that count can’t place a season he played (a redshirt, transfer or 2020 year); height and weight as last listed.
Game by game
2022 LSU 11 games, 54 tackles, 1 INT
| Date | Opponent | Result | Tkl | Solo | TFL | Sacks | Int | PD |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sep 4 | vs. Florida State | L 23–24 | 8 | 7 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 |
| Sep 17 | vs. Mississippi State | W 31–16 | 11 | 5 | 1.5 | 0 | 1 | 1 |
| Oct 1 | at Auburn | W 21–17 | 5 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 |
| Oct 8 | vs. Tennessee | L 13–40 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Oct 15 | at Florida | W 45–35 | 4 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Oct 22 | vs. Ole Miss | W 45–20 | 4 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Nov 5 | vs. Alabama | W 32–31 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Nov 12 | at Arkansas | W 13–10 | 4 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Nov 19 | vs. UAB | W 41–10 | 3 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 |
| Nov 26 | at Texas A&M | L 23–38 | 6 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Dec 3 | vs. Georgia | L 30–50 | 6 | 4 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
2021 LSU 11 games, 69 tackles, 2 INT
| Date | Opponent | Result | Tkl | Solo | TFL | Sacks | Int | PD |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sep 4 | at UCLA | L 27–38 | 2 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Sep 25 | atMississippi State | W 28–25 | 6 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Oct 2 | vs.Auburn | L 19–24 | 11 | 6 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Oct 9 | at Kentucky | L 21–42 | 6 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Oct 16 | vs.Florida | W 49–42 | 6 | 6 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 |
| Oct 23 | atOle Miss | L 17–31 | 9 | 3 | 0.5 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Nov 6 | atAlabama | L 14–20 | 6 | 5 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 |
| Nov 13 | vs.Arkansas | L 13–16 | 3 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Nov 20 | vs. UL Monroe | W 27–14 | 6 | 2 | 0.5 | 0 | 1 | 0 |
| Nov 27 | vs.Texas A&M | W 27–24 | 5 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 |
| Jan 4 ✦ | vs. Kansas State | L 20–42 | 9 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 |
2020 LSU 8 games, 29 tackles, 3 INT
2019 LSU 5 games, 4 tackles
| Date | Opponent | Result | Tkl | Solo | TFL | Sacks | Int | PD |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Oct 12 | vs.Florida | W 42–28 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Oct 19 | atMississippi State | W 36–13 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 |
| Nov 9 | atAlabama | W 46–41 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Nov 23 | vs.Arkansas | W 56–20 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Dec 28 ✦ | vs. Oklahoma | W 63–28 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 |
Box scores from CollegeFootballData, 2004 on. ✦ postseason; ★ a career high on file.
Before the draft
Played in the 2023 Senior Bowl (American team, lost 10–27).
| Drill | Combine 2023 | Combine or pro day 2023 |
|---|---|---|
| Height | 6′0¾″ | |
| Weight | 188 lb | |
| Arm length | 32½″ | |
| Hand size | 8¼″ | |
| Wingspan | 76⅞″W | |
| 40-yard dash | 4.55 s | |
| 10-yard split | 1.53 s | |
| Vertical jump | 34½″ | |
| Broad jump | 11′0″ | |
| Bench press | 16 reps | |
| 3-cone drill | 7.31 sW | |
| 20-yard shuttle | 4.35 sW |
Combine or pro day: the source doesn’t say which. Unmarked: Combine and pro day results compiled by array-carpenter (nfl-draft-data); W: Pre-draft measurables: Wikipedia (CC BY-SA). Rosters and honors: Wikipedia (CC BY-SA).
In the NFL
4 seasons, 30 games with a stat; latest team: Minnesota Vikings.
| Season | Team | G | Tkl | Sacks | Int |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2023 | Minnesota Vikings | 7 | 8 | 0 | 0 |
| 2024 | Minnesota Vikings | 8 | 4 | 0 | 0 |
| 2025 | Minnesota Vikings | 12 | 27 | 0 | 0 |
| 2026 (so far) | Minnesota Vikings | 3 | 4 | 0 | 0 |
| NFL career | 30 | 43 | 0 | 0 | |
Regular seasons, from nflverse (CC BY 4.0). G counts games in which the player recorded a stat.
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