1 week Ago By Anthony Wood
IN his first training camp with the New York Jets, one rookie in particular has left a mark on his teammates. Former Canadian Football League star Qwan'tez Stiggers, 22, has had an unusual path to the NFL . Selected in the fifth round of the NFL Draft in April straight out of Canada, the young cornerback has impressed throughout the summer.
Speaking exclusively with The U.S. Sun about his Punt For ALS campaign , Jets punter Thomas Morstead singled Stiggers out when asked to name a standout rookie.
"I think a rookie that I'm really excited about is Qwan'tez Stiggers," he said. "He is an old soul that's in a very young and fast body. And I think he gets it right.
He understands the opportunities in front of him. Read More on the NFL "He's had some hard life challenges and obstacles, and I just think he understands how great the opportunity is. "So I'm really excited to see what he does this season.
I'm pulling for him as a player and teammate, but as a friend and as a person." Growing up with 12 siblings, Stiggers was a baseball, basketball, and football star at Atlanta's The B.E.
S.T. Academy before enrolling at Division II Lane College in Tennessee.
However, his time there was cut short after a family tragedy. Most read in Sport "So, February 14, 2020, my dad was involved in a single-car accident," Stiggers told CFL.ca .
"His car flipped 13 times. I graduated in May 2020. That's when I went to Lane College in Tennessee on a scholarship.
"Then my dad passed on September 19, 2020. I went through a depressing time. Didn't come out of the house for several months.
"Then my mom finally signed me up for this league, Fan Controlled Football. "I went out there, had a blast, was balling, and then that's when (ex-Toronto Argonauts coach) John Jenkins put the word from me up here." Stiggers made the most of his CFL opportunity, finishing the season with 56 tackles and five picks in 16 games.
Named the CFL Most Outstanding Rookie and to the CFL East's All-Star team, Stiggers wound up receiving an invite to the annual East-West Shrine Bowl where his stock only rose. Now a member of what he called "the greatest [cornerback] room in the world," Stiggers has the opportunity to learn from corners like Sauce Gardner and DJ Reed. And it's not just Morstead who has been left thoroughly impressed by Stiggers' first training camp.
"We're pleased with him, for sure," head coach Robert Saleh said in early August. "We definitely got an NFL corner and now we're trying to figure out whether or not he's a starting NFL corner. "He's just got great patience at the line of scrimmage.
"He's very smart, not book-smart but so instinctive, ahead of his years with regards to route recognition and understanding concepts. "We think he's got a chance to be pretty d**n good." Read More on The US Sun Having made the initial 53-man roster, Stiggers' NFL debut could come as soon as September 9 when the Jets head for Santa Clara.
They'll face the San Francisco 49ers on Monday Night Football in a blockbuster matchup between two Super Bowl hopefuls..
