Freshman Elliott bringing big-play ability to TCNJ
When Newton High won its first state championship in the 99 history of the school, one of the major reasons was the big-play ability of Jaiden Elliott.
Now, a freshman at The College of New Jersey, Elliott is already making his presence felt.
The TCNJ wide receiver was named the New Jersey Athletic Conference Offensive Rookie of the Week after catching eight passes for 55 yards in a game Sept. 22 at Salisbury.
After the Salisbury game, the Lions, who fell to 0-4 overall and 0-3 in the conference, had a bye week.
“The bye week came at the right time for us,’’ said Elliott. “It let us regroup and get some banged up guys healthy. We really got to work on plays and skills we struggled with in the prior weeks.”
TCNJ returns to face Montclair State (4-0, 3-0 NJAC) on Saturday at 6 p.m. in Montclair in what is the oldest active rivalry in the state. The series began in 1929 and the two only didn’t face each during the World War II years.
Elliott, who scored a pair of touchdowns in Newton’s historic win (28-14 over Lakeland in Group II), caught five passes for 101 yards.
And it has been that big play ability he brings to the Lions.
“I feel my best assets are my jumping ability and the ability to adjust to balls thrown in awkward spots,’’ said Elliott. “Coming into the season I expected a big difference compared to high school. I just expected to be worked harder than I ever have and from day one I was put to work. I knew I would have to adjust to the new offense and the skill level of college football.’’
Ranked ninth in the conference in receiving yards per game with 36, it certainly looks like Elliott is at the skill level of college football.
When not on the field or in the classroom, Elliott can be found playing the saxophone.
He has made some impressive music on the field with 14 catches for 144 yards in four games. Sometimes it’s difficult to understand that Elliott is just a freshman with the gracefulness he has shown.
“The biggest difference to high school has definitely been the speed everyone plays at,” admitted Elliott. “Everyone is just more talented and much faster at this level.”
Not only is Elliott pleased with the way things are going on the field, he feels the blend of academics and athletics is perfect at TCNJ.
“I chose TCNJ as a place where I could focus on both academics and athletics,” said Elliott. “It is everything I’ve hoped so far because of the dedication you need to both sports and academics. It’s really teaching me how to manage time to make sure I can perform my best in both.”