The Story of Jontre Kirklin, Andre Anthony and an LSU Football Team Full of Players Who Waited Their Turn

Kirklin, Anthony ready time leave mark with program after three years behind the scenes

Jontre Kirklin jogged to the sidelines after recording his first collegiate touchdown on Saturday and could hardly contain himself. It took everything in him not to burst into tears. 

After three years as a scout team quarterback, defensive back and receiver for the purple and gold, Kirklin finally earned his opportunity and made the most of it against Vanderbilt. A 28-yard screen pass from junior quarterback Myles Brennan helped the now-senior receiver accomplish a goal of his since stepping on campus as a freshman in 2017.

The big men leading Kirklin to the house 💪

📺 https://t.co/sts0sl1u9y pic.twitter.com/Pq5modxlSH

— LSU Football (@LSUfootball) October 4, 2020

"I almost cried but I didn't because I felt like I had more to give," Kirklin said. "I felt all of the love just cover me, I was so joyful and I was so proud of myself that I was able to perform at that level. Just finally getting into the endzone after four years of hard work."

That is kind of the tale of this LSU team right? A roster full of players on both sides of the ball who have put in years of tireless work to one day earn a starting position with the LSU program. Kirklin, Brennan, running back Chris Curry, defensive end Andre Anthony, the list goes on and on of LSU players having to patiently wait before making an impact with the team.

Before Kirklin's breakout performance against the Commodores—a four catch and 77-yard effort that included a pair of touchdowns—the Lutcher High School product had a combined three receptions for 80 yards in his previous three seasons. For those years, Kirklin prided himself on doing all of the dirty work for the Tigers. 

He played special teams. He played defensive back. He played scout team quarterback when LSU was facing an elusive quarterback on a particular week. But Kirklin always knew his opportunity was going to come, which is why he showed up to every practice, every workout and every game with a smile on his face.

"Jontre is going to go wherever the team needs him to go," safety JaCoby Stevens said. "You see that a lot with these guys on this team. It just speaks to the character of the team but Jontre is the epitomy of a team first guy."

Being mostly a second team player at receiver over the last two years, Kirklin got to build up chemistry with another player who, like him, was waiting for his opportunity in Brennan. The two were able to build a chemistry on the field long before either became a starter because of the reps they took on the second team and it showed during Saturday night's win. 

"We always had that chemistry," Kirklin said. "Always knowing how I'm going to get in and out of my routes, throwing the ball certain ways. All these years I was at receiver, we gained a good chemistry."

While a member on the scout or second team, Kirklin would take notes, ask for advice and learn from some of the players ahead of him on the depth chart throughout the course of his career so he could be prepared for his moment when it arrived.

"Perseverance. Jontre comes to work with a smile on his face every day. Like I said, Jontre is like one of my sons. I'm so close to him and his family," Orgeron said. "Him being from Lutcher and we recruited him. Outstanding young man. No one wants him to have more success in the program, we all do. It's good to see it, but he's waited his turn."

"I was always motivated by my family. They always kept pushing me by saying 'Don't give up. I know it's hard, just keep pushing and don't give up,' " Kirklin said. "Because if you give up, all you're gonna do is dig yourself a bigger hole. No matter how bad the situation was, I always smiled at the end."

It's that type of attitude that extends to all of the players on LSU's team who have had to wait their turn. Senior defensive end Andre Anthony found himself in a similar boat to Kirklin. Anthony waited behind former Tigers K'Lavon Chaisson and Arden Key to finally earn his starting spot in the LSU rotation. 

The 6-foot-3, 255-pound linebacker missed all of his redshirt freshman season with an injury in 2017 and could never carve out more than a rotational role over the next two years. But through two games as a starter in 2020, he's making his presence felt, recording eight tackles and a sack thus far. 

"I knew my opportunity was coming, I didn't know when it was gonna come but I wanted to just make the most of it," Anthony said. 

The switch to the 4-3 has been extremely beneficial in Anthony's development as he's always been more comfortable putting his hands in the dirt and getting after the quarterback. 

Anthony also credits Orgeron for keeping him motivated, not giving up on him and always pushing him to reach his full potential, even when he wasn't seeing the field.

"Me and Coach O talk a lot and he tells me all the time 'I'm proud of you,'" Anthony said. "I stuck it out and waited for my opportunity and he always motivated me. He just kept telling me 'your time is coming so make sure you're ready' and he's still on me now. He's still on me everyday, making sure I don't get complacent, that I stay consistent."

Much like Kirklin, Anthony's family played a big role in not letting him get down on himself because his playing time was dwindling. Through the injuries in 2017 and the inconsistent play time that followed over the next two years, Anthony just kept coming back to knowing his time was coming. 

"This is my senior year so stuff like that keeps that chip on my shoulder, keeps me motivated and all of that adversity that I've been through," Anthony said.

For guys like Kirklin, Anthony, Brennan and Curry, it's important for them to let the younger players on the roster know that the opportunity will present itself. It's a humble reminder that they all had to go through after spending years being the guy in high school.

All three understand what it's like to be patient and wait for that one door to open and while it's not something they all talk about, it's a mindset that is shared.

"A lot of great players come through LSU, you just never know when your opportunity will come," Anthony said. "We all come from different situations but to watch everybody get the opportunity of what they're doing now, it's exciting to see."