It's now 81 days until the kickoff of Catamount football on Saturday, September 3rd, 2022, against the Charleston Southern Buccaneers, on Buccaneer Field in Charleston, SC
To help pass those long summer days, and hopefully get the Catamount faithful more excited about the upcoming season, and knowledgeable of the team members, we'll continue the football countdown each day until kickoff day.
No player is currently assigned to #81, so today we'll highlight another assistant coach:
JJ Laster
TITLE Assistant Coach / Wide Receivers
JJ Laster joined the Western Carolina football offensive coaching staff in the spring of 2021, coaching the Catamount wide receivers. He comes to Cullowhee after spending the 2019 season at Gardner-Webb where he coached the running backs and tight ends, while also overseeing the return teams for special teams.
While in Boiling Springs, Laster mentored a trio of All-Big South Conference selections in the three areas he coached. GWU running back Jaylin Cagle earned second-team All-Big South honors after rushing for 930 yards and eight touchdowns with four 100-yard rushing games in 2019, while tight end AJ Alexander was also a second-team selection, hauling in a career-high 16 passes for 155 yards and a TD. Devron Harper collected first-team All-Big South honors while also finishing as the runner-up for the conference’s freshman of the year accolade in addition to collecting first-team FCS Freshman All-America plaudits. Harper finished with 1,600 all-purpose yards in 2019 including 928 return yards that featured a 99-yard kickoff return for a touchdown against FBS-foe, Charlotte.
Prior to Gardner-Webb, Laster spent three seasons coaching football at Tusculum University, first working with the Pioneers' running backs for two seasons and most recently the wide receivers for a year while also serving as the team's recruiting coordinator.
Laster had a distinguished playing career at Jacksonville University, where he was a two-time All-Pioneer Football League (PFL) selection and helped the Dolphins to conference championships in 2008 and 2010.
In 40 career games as a running back with the Dolphins from 2008 to 2011, Laster rushed for 1,796 yards on 343 carries (5.2 yards per carry) with 19 touchdowns while adding 67 receptions for 606 yards and two scores. Laster led FCS with 8.5 yards per rush in 2010 as he gained a career-best 810 yards on 95 carries with seven touchdowns to earn first-team all-PFL honors. As a senior, he had 610 yards rushing and 10 touchdowns while catching 41 passes for 317 yards and one score and was named second-team All-PFL.
After his playing career ended, Laster began his coaching career as a running backs coach at Allen D. Nease High School in Ponte Vedra Beach, Fla., before returning to Jacksonville in 2014-15 as a graduate assistant coach working on the defensive side of the ball with the linebackers. In two seasons, Laster helped the Dolphins develop six All-PFL selections while assisting in developing the defensive game plan.
Laster's experience also includes serving as the running backs coach at Rockledge High School in Brevard County, Fla., where he oversaw the summer speed and conditioning workout program and helped with all other aspects of the offseason program.
Jesse James Laster, Jr. is a native of Graceville, Fla., where he set the school career rushing record at Graceville High before attending Jacksonville University. He earned a bachelor of arts degree in geography from Jacksonville in 2012 and a master of education in leadership and learning in 2015.
He and his wife Rodricka Laster have a son, Jesse James Laster III (Third).
JJ Laster joined the Western Carolina football offensive coaching staff in the spring of 2021, coaching the Catamount wide receivers. He comes to Cullowhee after spending the 2019 season at Gardner-Webb where he coached the running backs and tight ends, while also overseeing the return teams for special teams.
While in Boiling Springs, Laster mentored a trio of All-Big South Conference selections in the three areas he coached. GWU running back Jaylin Cagle earned second-team All-Big South honors after rushing for 930 yards and eight touchdowns with four 100-yard rushing games in 2019, while tight end AJ Alexander was also a second-team selection, hauling in a career-high 16 passes for 155 yards and a TD. Devron Harper collected first-team All-Big South honors while also finishing as the runner-up for the conference’s freshman of the year accolade in addition to collecting first-team FCS Freshman All-America plaudits. Harper finished with 1,600 all-purpose yards in 2019 including 928 return yards that featured a 99-yard kickoff return for a touchdown against FBS-foe, Charlotte.
Prior to Gardner-Webb, Laster spent three seasons coaching football at Tusculum University, first working with the Pioneers' running backs for two seasons and most recently the wide receivers for a year while also serving as the team's recruiting coordinator.
Laster had a distinguished playing career at Jacksonville University, where he was a two-time All-Pioneer Football League (PFL) selection and helped the Dolphins to conference championships in 2008 and 2010.
In 40 career games as a running back with the Dolphins from 2008 to 2011, Laster rushed for 1,796 yards on 343 carries (5.2 yards per carry) with 19 touchdowns while adding 67 receptions for 606 yards and two scores. Laster led FCS with 8.5 yards per rush in 2010 as he gained a career-best 810 yards on 95 carries with seven touchdowns to earn first-team all-PFL honors. As a senior, he had 610 yards rushing and 10 touchdowns while catching 41 passes for 317 yards and one score and was named second-team All-PFL.
After his playing career ended, Laster began his coaching career as a running backs coach at Allen D. Nease High School in Ponte Vedra Beach, Fla., before returning to Jacksonville in 2014-15 as a graduate assistant coach working on the defensive side of the ball with the linebackers. In two seasons, Laster helped the Dolphins develop six All-PFL selections while assisting in developing the defensive game plan.
Laster's experience also includes serving as the running backs coach at Rockledge High School in Brevard County, Fla., where he oversaw the summer speed and conditioning workout program and helped with all other aspects of the offseason program.
Jesse James Laster, Jr. is a native of Graceville, Fla., where he set the school career rushing record at Graceville High before attending Jacksonville University. He earned a bachelor of arts degree in geography from Jacksonville in 2012 and a master of education in leadership and learning in 2015.
He and his wife Rodricka Laster have a son, Jesse James Laster III (Third).
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