:format(webp)/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_image/image/31576149/20131129_mta_al6_216.0.jpg)
There have been very few athletes in sports history that continue to impress you with even more remarkable plays than the last, leaving you going each time "There is no way they can top that." A majority of those guys are professional players with the names like Jordan, LeBron, Barry and others. Jarvis Landry fit into that category.
His sophomore and junior highlight videos in high school were both 3 7-minute videos. His senior film was just a preview of things to come with catches like this:
While lacking the speed and size of a typical five-star receiver, it was those hands of Landry that made him a consensus 5-star and got fans excited at what was to come in the Purple & Gold. Let's just say, Landry did not disappoint.
I could go on and on talking about what he did at LSU, show some intriguing stats, but instead, I figure a timeline of gifs would do his career more justice:
He gave Auburn's Onterio McCalebb (his second consecutive hard hit in that game):
He then did Arkansas dirty (Unfortunately for the Hogs, it wouldn't be the last time):
...and then his junior year started:
He helped pile it on against UAB:
He then gave up his body against Georgia to keep the Tigers in it:
He then embarrassed Vernon Hargreaves of Florida (an added bonus for doing it right in front of Muschamp):
And for his grand finale, Landry had one more in the chamber for Arkansas:
After all of that, sometimes it's just time to smash the guitar and exit stage left:
The scariest part about all of that? There are so many other better moments that were not turned into gif form. Landry never had the breakaway speed like his cohort Odell Beckham Jr., but Landry also knew how to become a dominant receiver with the abilities he had in his arsenal.
It wasn't just his hands that made him loved at LSU. It was his knack, and possibly love of, blocking down field. While it may be something that is overlooked when talking about wide receivers, it is something that is revered by coaches and something that is appreciated by football purists. It was the confidence he instilled in his quarterback's mind. You would need a lot of hands to count the number of times a Landry reception converted a third down, especially in key situations. It was his knowledge of the game and his ability to read defenses. You know how Travin Dural was wide open on the sideline for the game-winning touchdown against Arkansas? That would be Landry, who pointed out to the coaches that the Arkansas defenders were responding to his own route in a certain fashion, which would give Dural a chance to get open. How many college receivers would be able to point out something like that? It was those intangibles, those things you don't pay attention to or just don't see on the field that made Landry a special type of receiver.
A lot of great receivers have come and gone through Baton Rouge, and they are reminisced about in one fashion or another. I think Jarvis may go down as the most remembered LSU receiver just from everything above. Those moments in sports that you can recall exactly where you were when it happened. Those moments that left your mouth agape, wondering "How in the world did he do that?" Those moments that made Landry one of the best pass catchers in college football history.