Before their Super Bowl LIX matchup against the Kansas City Chiefs, Philadelphia Eagles safety CJ Gardner-Johnson had surprises for AJ Brown, Saquon Barkley, and Jalen Hurts. Although it didn’t get caught on camera, DeVonta Smith has his own surprise coming soon, per the official Eagles’ account on X.
“The guys don’t know I got they high school jerseys,” Gardner-Johnson said. “Shoutout to [AJ Brown]. Shoutout to [Jalen Hurts]. Shoutout to [Saquon Barkley]. These guys, you know, they mean a lot to this team. Smitty’s is coming. I got Smitty’s being made. Hometown guy, Amite, LA. I got something for you.”
After gifting his teammates with their high school jerseys, Gardner-Johnson had a hype message of his own, detailing the path it took to get where the Eagles’ players are now.
“High school, to the pros, to the Super Bowl. We do this,” Gardner-Johnson said.
With a roster full of studs, the Eagles’ safety likely had a difficult time deciding which player deserved one of these pre-Super Bowl surprises.
However, Gardner-Johnson ran with Brown, Barkley, and Hurts. Oh, and Smith — though, his wasn’t ready in time for the social media video.
It’s understandable why Gardner-Johnson chose these players to gift their high school jerseys, as all four have been crucial pieces to bringing the Eagles to Super Bowl LIX.
When looking at each player’s high school career stats, per MaxPreps, these were likely some popular jerseys to see in the bleachers on Friday nights.
AJ Brown (Starkville Yellowjackets): 40 games, 153 receptions, 2,883 receiving yards, 35 receiving TDs
Saquon Barkley (Whitehall Zephyrs): 11 games, 216 carries, 1,851 rushing yards, 24 rushing TDs
Jalen Hurts (Channelview Falcons): 16 games, 59.3% completion (216/364), 3,494 passing yards, 34 passing TDs, 7 INTs, 193 carries, 1,691 rushing yards, 34 rushing TDs
Now, obviously, players who end up in the NFL were probably good at football at an even younger age, too, but to see stats like these is unreal.
As a dual-threat quarterback, Hurts averaged about 218 passing yards, two passing touchdowns, 105 rushing yards, and two rushing touchdowns per game in high school.
Barkley — the 2024 Offensive Player of the Year — was averaging over 165 rushing yards and two touchdowns per game as a senior. As a passer, Barkley had two completions for 150 yards and two touchdowns. Sometimes, it’s just unfair how some players are, even at the high school level.
While his two passes were likely just trick plays that seemingly worked, averaging 75 yards and a touchdown per completion is impressive.
With Brown, his high school career didn’t start overly productive, bringing in just six touchdowns as a sophomore.
However, in the final two seasons of his high school career, Brown combined for over 2,300 yards and 29 touchdowns.
So, with all three getting ready to play in the Super Bowl, it’s clear that they were special from a young age.
And with Gardner-Johnson’s surprise, it was a blast to the past, giving them a token to remember how they got to this spot.
