Colorado’s Hail Mary Hero Journey

By Jace Hinton October 16, 2024 09:11

Photo by Andy Cross/The Denver Post

Boulder, CO -- With two seconds left and Colorado down seven, the Buff's last-second play was a prayer thrown by star Shedeur Sanders. As he rolled to his left, set his feet, and let it fly, all the fans in the black and gold and even those cheering for the opposition Baylor Bears held their breath. Then the unthinkable happened: a Colorado wide receiver came down with the catch!! As fans erupt, the player stands up to celebrate. The only thing is that it wasn't Travis Hunter or Jimmy Horn Jr. who caught it, and it wasn't the Vanderbilt transfer Will Sheppard. It was a name that would have seemed unlikely to anyone around the country except for his teammates. LaJohntay Wester had given the Buffs an extra life that they would use to win that game on that night.

He was born in Palmetto, Florida, LaJohntay Wester, or "Tay," as his teammates call him. He was a two-sport athlete who excelled in football and was also a track star for the Palmetto track team. Standing at 5 ft 11, out of high school, he was a no-star athlete, and he stayed in state and committed to play football for the Florida Atlantic (FAU) Owls in Boca Raton, FL. In his first two years as a receiver at FAU, he racked up 2,703 yards receiving and 14 touchdowns, including two rushing touchdowns for the Owls. He was also becoming the Owl's all-time receptions leader.

Wester decided to jump into the transfer portal at the end of the 2023 season. Now, he was a 3-star transfer receiver. He wanted to go to the Buffs, but Coach Prime was not the reason for Tay's decision to come to Colorado. Rather, it was the quarterback for him, Wester said in a podcast interview with Reach The People Media when talking about why Colorado Wester said, "Um, Shedeur man. He played a big role in it, like me coming here. He played a huge role in that. The rest is history."

Indeed, the rest is history. Now, this Colorado receiving core is loaded with talent with the likes of Will Sheppard, South Florida native Jimmy Horn Jr., and, of course, the Heisman candidate Travis Hunter, but time and time again, when needed, LaJohntay Wester has stepped up. Last week against Kansas State, with two of the Buffs' stars injured, Wester had five catches for 58 yards and two scores. Of course, no one can forget the Hail Mary catch against Baylor to tie the game, which the Buffs would go on to win.

Wester was a number one receiver at FAU and would be a number one receiver anywhere else in the country, but he chose to come to Colorado to play for one of the best quarterbacks in college football right now. He has 26 catches for 318 yards and seven touchdowns, and those seven are the most on the team. Behind him is Travis Hunter, with six. With Wester having one more year of eligibility with the COVID year, it would be no surprise if he returns to the Buffaloes to improve his draft status and see if he can go in a higher round. Still, as stated earlier, he came to play for Shedeur, so if he does leave for the draft, you could see him go late sixth round, possibly early seventh, as a late-round steal for an NFL team that is looking for a solid slot receiver.

Wester and the Buffs will take on the University of Arizona Wildcats this Saturday, October 19, at 2 PM MST on Fox.