Jerreth Sterns, who is poised to make his CFL debut with the Saskatchewan Roughriders on Sunday, isn’t one to drop passes or names.
Only when asked specifically about Tom Brady did Sterns take us back to the first time he interacted with the mega-star quarterback in the line of duty with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.
“Honestly, I was star-struck at first,” Sterns said with a chuckle after Saturday’s walk-through at Mosaic Stadium — where the Roughriders are to oppose the Ottawa REDBLACKS on Sunday (5 p.m., TSN, CKRM).
“It was crazy when he walked in. He had a little aura about him. I was kind of nervous talking to him.
“It’s not like talking to a normal teammate at first. I was shaking and everything, but he’s a cool guy.”
At the time, Sterns was coming off a stunningly successful 2021 season at Western Kentucky University.
He had signed with Tampa Bay as an undrafted free agent after amassing 150 catches, 1,902 receiving yards and 17 aerial touchdowns in 14 games with the Hilltoppers.
Brady, meanwhile, was preparing for what would be his 23rd and final season in the NFL.
“He’s a down-to-earth dude,” Sterns said. “He doesn’t walk around like he’s big-time or anything. So, after a while, it was just like talking to any other quarterback.”
Sterns isn’t just any other receiver.
He is one of only three players in FBS history to catch 150 or more passes in a season.
That exclusive group also includes East Carolina’s Zay Jones (who caught 158 passes in 2016) and Bowling Green’s Freddie Barnes (155 receptions, 2009).
Jones caught 82 passes for 823 yards and five touchdowns with the NFL’s Jacksonville Jaguars in 2022.
Barnes, who tried out for the Chicago Bears in 2010, played in only one game of professional football — with the Roughriders on Oct. 29, 2011 against the visiting Hamilton Tiger-Cats.
Now it is Sterns’ turn to make his CFL debut.
“I’m excited for it,” he said. “I’m grateful and it’s a blessing.
“I just hope I can make the most of it.”
Sterns did precisely that as a first-year member of the Houston Baptist (now Houston Christian) Huskies in 2018, catching 68 passes for 684 yards and four touchdowns.
He then exploded for 105 catches in 2019, putting up 833 yards and scoring nine TDs.
Cue the COVID-shortened 2020 campaign, during which he caught 47 passes for 454 yards and five touchdowns … in four games!
After transferring to Western Kentucky, he paced the NCAA in catches — with 45 more than the runner-up — and receiving yards. He was also tied for the lead in TD catches.
“I didn’t really get caught up in the numbers,” Sterns said. “I’m just a team guy and I want to win.”
The stratospheric stats have raised the eyebrows of Craig Dickenson. When asked about Sterns, the Roughriders’ Head Coach referenced an “old friend” and long-time coach who was the Green and White’s Offensive Co-ordinator in 1996.
“I coached in the NFL with Paul Chryst and he said to me, ‘The best predictor of future production is past production,’ and Jerreth has a lot of past production,” Dickenson said. “We think he’s going to be a good player.”
Sterns flew to Saskatchewan on July 1 (his 24th birthday) after spending time in the NFL with Tampa Bay and the Los Angeles Rams.
He was among the Buccaneers’ final cuts on Aug. 30, 2022. In late December. he joined the Rams’ practice squad and subsequently signed a futures contract, only to be waived on March 10.
Next stop: Regina.
“My agent called me and asked me what I thought about Canada and going there to play,” Sterns recalled. “I just told him, ‘I want to play football,’ so I got on a plane and got here immediately.
“Growing up, I’ve always wanted to play pro football. I knew that’s what I wanted to do, so I’m grateful for the opportunity to be here.”
Sterns is one of a handful of NCAA single-season receptions leaders to have joined the Green and White.
The first such player — Roughriders icon Hugh Campbell — caught 66 passes for Washington State in 1961 and also led the American college ranks when he made 53 receptions in 1962.
Dave Quehl, who caught 53 passes for Holy Cross in 1975, played in three games with the 1979 Roughriders.
Dave Petzke, who made 91 receptions on behalf of Northern Illinois in 1978, tried out for Saskatchewan in 1980.
The following year, Tim Kearse caught 71 passes for San Jose State to lead the nation. He played in 20 games for Saskatchewan over the 1983, 1984 and 1988 seasons.
And then, of course, there was Barnes in 2009.
The list of NCAA single-season receiving-yardage leaders with Roughriders connections also includes Campbell (881 yards in 1960) and Petzke (1,215 in 1978).
In terms of TD receptions, Sterns — a co-leader in 2021 — joins Campbell (10 in 1960), Petzke (11 as part of a three-way tie in 1978), Barnes (19 in 2009), Emanuel Tolbert (11 for SMU in 1978; Roughriders, 1980-82), Daryl Hobbs (14 as part of a two-way tie for Pacific in 1990; Roughriders, 2000) and Chad Owens (17 for Hawaii in 2004; Roughriders, 2017).
One other number jumps off the screen. Sterns, who is 5-foot-9 and 191 pounds, boasts a 40-inch vertical jump — springs that have been on display in practice since he joined the Roughriders.
“He runs smooth routes and he’s easy to throw to,” quarterback Mason Fine said. “He’s a quarterback-friendly receiver. If you throw maybe a misplaced football, he adjusts his body to make it look good.
“He had a lot of success in college and I can see why.”
