- 1 week ago
2nd year wide receiver Jayden Higgins joins the show fresh off the practice field.
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00:00Look at this man sitting down with us, a dude that we have been very high on.
00:03I say that because he is within earshot, but it's because it's true.
00:07He wears number 81, second-year player out of Iowa State.
00:11His name is Jayden Higgins, and he sits down with us now.
00:13How you doing, big dog?
00:15We got to make sure his microphone is on.
00:17Let's try this one more time.
00:18Higg, how you doing, brother?
00:19Doing good.
00:20All right, very good.
00:20And it's cool if I call you Higg.
00:22That's what people are calling you, right?
00:23Yeah, that's cool.
00:24That's cool.
00:24That's one of the nicknames they got for me out here.
00:27What are some of the other ones that you got?
00:28I mean, they just call me Jay or, I mean, pretty much Higg or Jayden.
00:33Okay.
00:33Nothing too crazy?
00:34Nothing too crazy?
00:34Yeah, nothing too crazy.
00:35All right, fair enough.
00:36Do you like having a crazy?
00:37Like, is that something that you, deep down inside, would like to have?
00:40Nah.
00:40I mean, Kamari be calling me chill because my Instagram is chill.
00:44I J5, so he calls me chill.
00:45Okay, there you go.
00:45And you are a chill dude.
00:47Dude, it's one of the things about, like, you are pretty humble in the way that you go about things.
00:52And it made me wonder, is there anything in your life that you're braggadocious about?
00:56Oh, man, I don't know.
00:57No, I would probably say fishing.
00:58I love to fish, and I think I'm better than a lot of the guys on the team.
01:02I joke with Will all the time.
01:03I tell him I'm the best fisherman, and he gets super upset.
01:06But, yeah, I would say that.
01:08Okay.
01:08Okay, so we got to go here today.
01:10I was telling myself, I fish every week.
01:15Yep.
01:15I have a fishing podcast.
01:16Yes, sir.
01:17I have a fishing show on this same station in the mornings.
01:20And I kept telling myself, I'm not going to ask him about fishing until later.
01:22I'm not going to ask him about fishing until later.
01:24But we're here.
01:26We're here.
01:28You are the second best fisherman at this table.
01:30Okay.
01:31But I will grant you.
01:32And he's not talking about me.
01:33For sure.
01:34I will grant you.
01:36How big is that competition?
01:37Because when you're on a boat, when you're fishing, it's competition.
01:41For sure.
01:41Yeah.
01:41I mean, you know, at the end of the day, as long as you go out there and, you know,
01:44catch
01:45fish, it's always a great day.
01:46But it's definitely a huge competition, you know, competing with those guys and, you know,
01:50coming back here and telling everybody that I'm a better fisherman is a big deal to me.
01:54Artificials or live and dead bait?
01:56It depends.
01:57When I'm bass fishing, I like to use artificial.
02:00When I'm fishing in saltwater, definitely live.
02:02I promise we're going to get to football.
02:04No, it's cool.
02:04I'm enjoying y'all nerd now.
02:06All our listeners, I promise I'm going to get to football.
02:09You've got to get deeper into saltwater fishing now that you're here.
02:11Have you?
02:12Yeah, for sure.
02:12I'm from Miami, so I always go out there in the saltwater.
02:16But, yeah, I've been to the game a couple times.
02:17You've been bay fishing or jetties or offshore?
02:20Yeah, offshore mostly.
02:21Yeah?
02:22Yeah.
02:22Okay, we'll get to football, then I'll come back to you.
02:24No, I think this is the football thing that I want to get to because you're talking
02:26about fishing and you clearly have the details down.
02:29Where do you feel like you are with the details and the finer points of the wide receiver
02:32position?
02:33Because it's clear you've got the raw abilities.
02:35Big, tall, good builds.
02:37You're fast as hell.
02:38How do you feel like you're finding the details of the wide receiver position at this point?
02:41For sure.
02:41I mean, I think it all comes down to just the work that I'm putting in.
02:44You know, the work I put in each and every day with the coaching staff, with CJ, with
02:49all the guys, you know, just making sure that I'm polished out there and I can make any
02:53play when the time comes.
02:54So, a lot of times at every camp, you know, people talk about, well, this player's got
02:57a lot of, there's a lot of buzz around this player.
02:59This player's really showing out, flashing, whatever you want to call it.
03:02You are that guy in this camp.
03:05Do you feel it?
03:06Do you feel like your game is stepping up?
03:08Uh, I mean, I wouldn't say so.
03:10I'd say, for me, it's just routine, pretty much.
03:13You know, I go out there.
03:14That's my job to go out there and make plays when he throws me the ball.
03:17You know, make sure I'm on the right alignment, assignment.
03:20You know, just make sure I'm doing the right thing out there.
03:21So, I feel like me, personally, that's what I'm supposed to do.
03:24How much of it is just pure development one year to the next?
03:26For sure.
03:27A lot of it.
03:27You know, just definitely being way more comfortable out there and ready to go out there and rock
03:31out.
03:32What's the difference between, I guess, off-season one feels like it's not even off-season.
03:36You get drafted, it's all the whirlwind.
03:38What's the difference between off-season one and then off-season two that you're just coming
03:41off of?
03:42Yeah, man, I think it's a huge difference.
03:44You know, being able to, you know, get right into training instead of, you know, having to
03:48train for the combine, you know, definitely allowed me to work on my athleticism, allowed
03:53me to get bigger, stronger, faster, and then, you know, just take more time with that support,
03:57learn the ins and out of it, and, you know, really just be in the building.
04:01How much of a responsibility, this is a tough question, and I understand that going in,
04:06but you see what the discussion is around C.J. Stroud.
04:09How much does the receiver room say, hey, man, that's us.
04:13That's on us.
04:14Do you feel that responsibility to do for him?
04:16For sure, of course.
04:17Yeah, there's a bunch of things that we got to do to go out there and make sure that he's
04:21completing those passes and making those big plays, and that's what we're always going
04:24to do.
04:24You know, we have a lot of responsibility as far as, you know, certain routes and stuff we got
04:28to run, so, you know, everyone, you know, might always just want to point the finger
04:32on him, but it's definitely us a lot of times.
04:33Yeah.
04:34I mean, how often is that the case, though?
04:35Because I know that it might sound like you're just kind of talking generically about, hey,
04:39man, we have our responsibilities.
04:40But we were talking with Nico earlier last week, and he was mentioning how, yeah, man,
04:45there's a lot of things that you have to go through in this system, and I imagine that
04:47only goes up more with you talking about maybe moving around in the formation.
04:51How much is that that's on your plate?
04:53For sure.
04:53It's a lot, but, you know, you just got to get in that playbook.
04:56You got to make sure you're, you know, here every day and just ready to work.
04:59If the coaches can't trust you, if CJ can't trust you, then, you know, you're not going
05:03to be able to be out there.
05:03How much do you talk about being in the playbook?
05:06Like, how often is it?
05:07Is it when you sit down to eat, you're not putting on nothing on YouTube, you're in the
05:10playbook?
05:11Like, what is it?
05:11Nothing crazy like that.
05:12Nothing crazy like that.
05:13I think just putting in some extra time, you know, each day, maybe like an hour or something
05:17like that.
05:18Nothing too crazy, as long as you stay up on it, you know.
05:20Yeah.
05:21Okay, so the coaches have put a big emphasis on the run game this year.
05:24Yep.
05:25We're going to run the ball.
05:26We're going to throw the ball to the backside of the backfield.
05:28Yep.
05:28Obviously, that means you got block.
05:30That means you got to make the most of your opportunities and maybe short passing game.
05:33How much of a difference is this offense?
05:35As much as it was the same offense, how many new wrinkles are there with that in mind?
05:40Yeah, I think, you know, a lot of new wrinkles, but a lot of the same stuff also.
05:45You know, at the end of the day, we want to go out there and, you know, run the ball
05:48down the defense's throat.
05:50You know, we've got to pound the rock.
05:51We've got to make sure that, you know, we're blocking as a receiver unit.
05:54You know, that's the big thing.
05:55And then when you can do that, then all the passing game opens up, the play action, things
05:59like that.
06:00But, you know, our O-line has been looking really good this year, real stout.
06:03Running backs look amazing in the backfield.
06:05And, yeah, big players are just waiting out there.
06:07Who do you talk to when you want and need advice for playing the position?
06:11Because, I mean, it's a lot of young guys in that room, but also you've got some interesting
06:15vets.
06:15I wonder, like, who do you talk to?
06:16Are there people outside the building that you reach out to?
06:18Who do you look to?
06:19I think, you know, in the building, I'll just say I lean on the guys in the room.
06:23Definitely Nico, you know, a vet in that room, an explosive player.
06:27I always talk to Hutch.
06:28I feel like he has a lot of good information.
06:31My guy, Jalen, of course, Tank, you know, Tank's always, you know, telling me little
06:35intricacies and, you know, kind of just defining certain things.
06:39And then, you know, outside of the building, I've got, you know, a couple of receiver coaches
06:43that I lean on, too.
06:44My mentor, Coach Gant.
06:45So, yeah, so I've got a lot of guys.
06:47Another thing that we're seeing, again, this is us, this is our observations.
06:50We're not in the room.
06:52Is a lot of the receivers are moving around, you know, outside, inside, you know, one side,
06:57the other.
06:58Or is that, I know you did it some last year, but is that something that you're trying to
07:01hone in on that skill?
07:03For sure.
07:03I think, you know, it just comes down to the coaches trusting me and trusting the other
07:07receivers to go out there and know what you're doing and then be able to make that play when
07:11it comes.
07:11No.
07:12I'm going to be honest, though.
07:13You're fast, man.
07:15D'Amico Ryan sounded like he was on top nine talking about how fast you are.
07:19Where do you rank in the building?
07:21Like, who's the fastest?
07:23Are you up there?
07:24Are you on the podium?
07:24What are we doing here?
07:25Didn't you win state in high school?
07:26Nah, nah, nah, nah.
07:28Did you run?
07:29Nah.
07:29I ran track, but I mostly jumped.
07:32Gosh, senior year.
07:32You do look like a jumper.
07:33Yeah, I was a jumper.
07:34But the fastest?
07:36Sheesh.
07:36I'd probably say Jay Leno.
07:38Honestly, a guy in the receiver room.
07:39And then we got, of course, Stingley, super fast guy.
07:44Nico, super fast.
07:46I'd definitely say, you know, that receiver room is definitely tough to beat.
07:50But I'd probably say I'm, you know, top five, top ten.
07:53He's being real diplomatic about it.
07:54He really is.
07:55Because I, look, I'll say it so you don't have to.
07:57Yeah.
07:58You left Sting earlier.
07:59You left him.
08:00Yeah.
08:01You don't have to acknowledge him.
08:02I'm just saying.
08:03You left him.
08:03Yeah, yeah.
08:04All right.
08:05So, fishing.
08:07You've been in Galveston, you said?
08:08Yep, yep.
08:09Have you been able to go down south at all?
08:11Like, some of the clear water?
08:12Because, that's the thing.
08:14You heard Charles Barkley talking about the water in Galveston.
08:16Yep, yep.
08:16It's because it's deeper.
08:17It's got a lot of nutrients and all that stuff.
08:19For sure.
08:19But down south, we've got clear, flats, beautiful water, top water baits, soft plastics.
08:24Have you been able to go down there?
08:26I haven't.
08:26I haven't.
08:26I need some recommendations.
08:28I can help you with that.
08:29For sure.
08:29What about buying a boat?
08:32Buying a boat?
08:33Nah, not yet.
08:33I like to go on other people's boats.
08:35That's the best advice.
08:37I don't like to worry about it.
08:37Yeah, I don't like to worry about it too much.
08:39The only thing better than having a boat is having a friend with a boat.
08:42Exactly.
08:42Yeah.
08:43Exactly.
08:44You mentioned, though, obviously, fishing.
08:46And I know Jalen Oll is also a fisherman, isn't he?
08:49Yeah.
08:49Like, you know, what are those expeditions like?
08:51And how is he holding up right now?
08:52Because I know he's dealing with a little bit of rehab getting back.
08:54Yeah, just like he said, it's a competition to go out there fishing.
08:58You know, I see Jalen catch a fish.
09:00I'm immediately trying to take his spot.
09:02Wherever he's at, I'm casting.
09:03Oh, you're that guy?
09:03Yeah, I'm that guy.
09:04Oh, my God.
09:06I'm definitely that guy.
09:07You're that guy.
09:08So, like, he misses a fish.
09:10Yeah, he misses a fish.
09:11And you cast with him?
09:12Yeah, that's my fish.
09:12Come on, man.
09:13That's my fish.
09:14Come on, man.
09:15But, yeah, he's been holding up good.
09:17He's in high spirits and ready to get out here on the field soon.
09:20So, what's the group?
09:22Like, if you had to say, these dudes are real fishermen.
09:24Not like, hey, I'll go out and whatever.
09:26But, like, actual serious fishermen.
09:29Like, yourself?
09:30Yeah.
09:30I'd say myself, definitely Jalen.
09:33I'd say Will is a serious fisherman.
09:35We got Dan, a new receiver.
09:37He's a serious fisherman, for sure.
09:38He has a lot of information.
09:40And then, I don't know.
09:40Everyone else is kind of, you know.
09:42Blankenship's from down in Alabama.
09:44Yeah, I've never been able to test his skills out yet.
09:46So, we'll see.
09:47We'll see.
09:47What's your favorite type of fishing in terms of, like, targeting fish?
09:52My favorite type of fishing?
09:54Like redfish?
09:55Yeah.
09:56In saltwater or bass?
09:57Yeah.
09:57Where I fish in Miami, I like to fish in, like, the mangroves.
10:00So, it's mostly fishing for, like, snook, redfish, mangrove snapper, stuff like that.
10:06I get a little seasick when I'm out there on the boat too far.
10:08No, not on the bays, man.
10:09Yeah, exactly.
10:10Can you cast under the mangrove?
10:11Oh, no, no.
10:12I can't do it too much.
10:12I can help you, man.
10:13I can get close, though.
10:14I can get close.
10:15I can help you.
10:15All right.
10:16So, we need to get y'all on a boat together is what I'm hearing.
10:17We absolutely do.
10:18I actually told Omar, if you ever have an off weekend or something, I'm happy to take you guys.
10:23For sure.
10:23All off the record.
10:24Just fishing.
10:25I don't talk sports and fishing.
10:26Yes, sir.
10:28Spinning reel or casting reel?
10:30I do both.
10:31You do both?
10:32Into the wind, you got to use a spinning.
10:34Yeah.
10:35For, like, fresh water, I like to use a bait cast.
10:37Yeah.
10:37And then for, like, salt water, I'll probably definitely do a spinning reel.
10:40Yeah.
10:40Yeah.
10:41And what's your setup?
10:42What's your favorite setup?
10:43This is boring the hell out of you.
10:44Yeah.
10:45Nothing too crazy.
10:46I just like to have either floral or mono and then, you know, have that braid tied on there.
10:52Yeah.
10:52With the mono being the leader.
10:54Yeah.
10:54But, yeah, nothing too crazy.
10:56It all depends on the conditions.
10:57And the best fish you ever caught?
11:00The best fish?
11:01And the best one that got away.
11:02The best fish I ever caught.
11:03The story where you still go.
11:04Because we always remember the ones that got away.
11:06Yeah.
11:07Sheesh.
11:07I don't know that's hard.
11:08When I was in Galveston, I caught a huge redfish.
11:11Yeah.
11:12One of those big drums.
11:14Yeah, one of those huge drums.
11:15It was like mating season, and it was huge.
11:17So, I would say that one.
11:18I don't even remember how big it was, but it was giant.
11:19Bull Reds, they call it.
11:20Bull Reds, yep.
11:21Yeah.
11:21And then one that got away.
11:24Sheesh, I don't know.
11:24I'm still chasing it.
11:26I can tell you every one that got away.
11:27Yeah.
11:28Go ahead.
11:29Because there's not a lot of them?
11:30Or?
11:31Okay, here we go.
11:32I wish.
11:32I wish.
11:32I did want to ask you, though, because I've become fascinated with the welcome to the NFL moments.
11:36Did you feel like you had one of those last year?
11:39I would say, honestly, just coming out here to practice.
11:42And, you know, going against Sting and Kamari and, you know, Petrie, those guys in the
11:46secondary, Kalen back there, ball hawking.
11:49Going against those guys was definitely a welcome to NFL moment before I even got to
11:53the game.
11:54I imagine when you practice like this, game days are all feel easy, right?
11:57For sure.
11:58A little bit.
11:58A little bit, for sure.
11:59Is there anything in particular?
12:01Because I know you just want to get better in all facets.
12:03Yeah.
12:03Is there anything in particular that you are focused on uniquely for the 2026 season to be
12:07better at?
12:08Uh, I would definitely say, you know, trying to get some more run after catch.
12:12Oh, yeah.
12:12Making more plays with the ball in my hand after the catch.
12:14Well, that's why we're working on the athleticism.
12:16We want to love it.
12:17Appreciate it.
12:18Love it.
12:18All right.
12:18One more thing I want to ask you, just so I can get, because you clearly have favorite
12:21fish.
12:22Yeah.
12:22What's your favorite route to run out here?
12:23My favorite route.
12:24Oh, man.
12:25That's hard.
12:26I was a slant guy, person.
12:27A slant?
12:28I like running slants.
12:29I do like running slants.
12:30I'd probably say like a six step out.
12:33Okay.
12:34Something like that.
12:34Oh, okay.
12:34I like to get that catch, get vertical.
12:36That's interesting.
12:37I would have never gone for that, but that's why we're different, right?
12:39Also, I have a microphone and you play football, right?
12:42That's also another place, but we appreciate you greatly sitting down with us.
12:45And if anybody didn't like the fishing talk, too bad.
12:47Too bad.
12:48Too bad.
12:48Too bad, right?
12:49All that means that we got to have you back over and talk some more football.
12:52Have a great season, my guy.
12:54It's Jayden Higgins.
12:54Appreciate you guys.
12:55We're here for Houston, Texas.
12:56Appreciate it.
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