JuJu Smith-Schuster
John Sherman "JuJu" Smith-Schuster (né Smith; born November 22, 1996) is an American football wide receiver for the New England Patriots of the National Football League (NFL). He played college football for the USC Trojans, earning second-team All-American honors in 2015. He was selected by the Pittsburgh Steelers in the second round of the 2017 NFL draft. During the 2022 season, Smith-Schuster won Super Bowl LVII during his only season with the Kansas City Chiefs.
No. 7 – New England Patriots
November 22, 1996
Long Beach, California, U.S.
6 ft 1 in (1.85 m)
215 lb (98 kg)
USC (2014–2016)
2017 / Round: 2 / Pick: 62
Active
430
430
5,048
240
32
Smith-Schuster is the holder of several NFL records, including being the youngest player to reach 2,500 career receiving yards and the first player to have two offensive touchdowns of at least 97 yards. He also holds several Steelers franchise records. Off the field, he is also known for his social media presence and affinity for TikTok, which has earned him the nickname TikTok Boy.[2] In 2019, Smith-Schuster was ranked by Sports Business Daily as one of the NFL's most marketable players.[3]
Early years[edit]
Smith-Schuster began playing football at the age of eight. He changed his name in football program listings in 2012 from "John" to "JuJu," a nickname an aunt gave him when he was young, and legally changed his last name from "Smith" to "Smith-Schuster" while in college as a tribute to his step-father.[4] In his youth, Smith-Schuster was coached by Snoop Dogg when he played youth football with the Snoop Youth Football League,[5] where Snoop gave Smith-Schuster the nickname "Sportscenter," telling the boy that he believed one day his highlights would be shown on the flagship ESPN show.[4]
He later attended Long Beach Polytechnic High School in Long Beach, California, the high school that at that time had the record for sending the most football players to careers in the NFL out of any in the United States.[6] He played wide receiver and safety for the school's Jackrabbits football team.[7] Smith-Schuster was rated by Rivals.com as a five-star recruit and was ranked as the second-best wide receiver in his class and the 24th-best player overall.[8] He initially decided to attend Oregon, but then announced he would attend the University of Southern California (USC) to play college football under then-head coach Steve Sarkisian[9] during his televised commitment.[10]
Professional career[edit]
Pre-draft[edit]
Smith-Schuster received an invitation to the NFL Combine and performed nearly all of the combine drills and positional drills except for the three-cone drill and short shuttle. He opted to attend USC's Pro Day and performed the short shuttle and three-cone drill. In addition, he performed the vertical and broad jump and improved his combine number on both.[23] The Dallas Cowboys were the only team to hold a private workout with Smith-Schuster and showed heavy interest in him.[24] He was ranked as the fourth best wide receiver in the draft by Sports Illustrated and ESPN, and ninth by NFLDraftScout.com and draft analyst Mel Kiper Jr.[25][26][27]
Personal life[edit]
Smith-Schuster is of African-American and Samoan descent and was raised in Long Beach, California. He is the second-eldest of seven children and is a Christian.[105] His cousin, Johnny Nansen, was formerly an assistant coach at USC. Smith-Schuster's nickname "JuJu" came from his aunt when he was a few months old. She initially called him "John-John" before opting to call him "JuJu" instead.[106] He has one biological sister named So'omalo and their father was not active in their lives.[107] His stepfather, Lawrence Schuster, was introduced to his mother, Sammy (Toa) when Smith-Schuster was four years old.[106] Smith-Schuster legally hyphenated his last name after he turned 18, adding Schuster in honor of his stepfather.[108] Smith-Schuster states he grew up a fan of USC and looked up to wide receivers Marqise Lee, Robert Woods, and Nelson Agholor.[109]
Digital media[edit]
Smith-Schuster has built a widely-viewed presence on many social media, including TikTok,[110] YouTube,[111] Twitter,[112] and Twitch.[113]
Smith-Schuster has used Twitch to stream himself playing games including Fortnite and Call of Duty: WWII.[17] In 2018 he participated in Ninja's record-breaking Fortnite stream including Drake and Travis Scott.[114] While injured during the 2019 season, Smith-Schuster participated in a live Thursday Night Football stream with TimTheTatman, for which he was paid $100,000.[17][115]
In February 2018, Smith-Schuster announced a partnership with the popular gaming group FaZe Clan to sell merchandise.[116] He now has a YouTube channel using his full name that posts Call of Duty, Fortnite Battle Royale, and daily life videos that often feature his French bulldog Boujee.[117][118]
In October 2020, Smith-Schuster announced that he would own a new esports team called Team Diverge. The team intends to include content from other athletes and musicians and would establish its own gaming house after the 2020 NFL season ends.[119][120]