Former Vols WR Jefferson making transition to go all-in on baseball

Former Tennessee wide receiver Amari Jefferson had always been a multi-sport athlete growing up. Standing at 6-foot-2, 195 pounds, Jefferson was a gifted athlete at Baylor School in Chattanooga. He showcased his prowess in the fall out wide for the Red Raiders while roaming the outfield on the baseball field in the spring. His work on the diamond is what first drew the attention of major programs around the country, including down the road in Knoxville. One of Jefferson's first connections while being recruited was current Vols skipper, Josh Elander, who was Tony Vitello's top assistant at the time. It led to the Chattanooga native committing to Tennessee baseball his freshman year at Baylor. He continued to play both football and baseball throughout his high school career even after the early commitment, and turned into a highly-touted football prospect. During Jefferson's junior year, major college football offers began to pour in while the Red Raiders were en route to winning a state championship. Three of them stood out above the rest: Tennessee, Georgia, and Alabama. "It was a really tough decision," Jefferson recalled of his football commitment. "I'm from Tennessee, I was committed to the baseball program. But, having the opportunity to play for Nick Saban. As much as they put in the effort to recruit me and treat my family well, they really went out of their way to make us feel wanted. That's why I chose Alabama out of high school." He added the plan was to continue to be a two-sport athlete for the Crimson Tide after taking a season to get settled into college. But, Jefferson still had a senior season of both sports to play at Baylor before fully focusing on college. And it was a season to remember. The receiver won the Division II-AAA Mr. Football Award in 2023 by recording 74 catches for 1,401 yards and 20 touchdowns. Even more impressively, Jefferson was able to put up the production while battling injury. "I don't think a lot of people knew I wasn't even fully healthy my senior year," he said. "I had a hip impingement thing going on the whole year. I couldn't even practice throughout the week. Sometimes on Fridays, it would be a game-time decision whether I would even that Friday or not because of the complications of my hip." Following football season, Jefferson stuck around for his senior baseball season instead of enrolling early at Alabama. He played in 30 games and hit for a .436 average with nine home runs and 48 RBI. When it was time to go to Tuscaloosa in May, the coaching staff Jefferson had committed to on the gridiron had been overhauled. Saban had retired and in his place was Kalen DeBoer. Once he arrived, the freshman's hip continued to be a nagging issue, which led to the decision to get a procedure done in November to clean up the impingement. Between the surgery and the new staff, Jefferson entered the transfer portal and ended up back at Tennessee. He had hoped to come to Knoxville to continue the dual-sport journey, but felt his time with football would be limited. "(My family) didn't feel like we'd get the same opportunity to showcase who I was as a player," he said. "But it was fine, though, because the main reason we wanted to go back to Tennessee was baseball. As a family, we had already shifted to go all-in on baseball after the football season at Tennessee. So it was probably only going to be my only season on the football team." However, that opportunity never came at Lindsey Nelson Stadium, either. Last fall, Jefferson spent time around the baseball program when not with Vols football in anticipation of being with the team in the spring. But, when Vitello took the managerial position for the San Francisco Giants, the moving parts affected Jefferson's scholarship opportunities with the UT skipper in Elander. "There was nothing anybody could do, really," he said. "Coach Vitello got a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity. I love Coach Elander and hope he does well at Tennessee." For the second time in as many years, Jefferson again hit the portal. While getting some football offers, he knew he was looking for just baseball, and signed with Shelton State Community College in Tuscaloosa. Before reporting for fall ball, though, he got some at-bats in the summer ball circuit. First, Jefferson played in the Five Tool Collegiate League before suiting up in the Appalachian League with the Greeneville Flyboys. In 14 Appy League contests, the outfielder hit for a .256 average with a .697 OPS, five stolen bases, a double, seven RBI, and 10 runs scored. Jefferson had taken swings and had a throwing program before the summer, but the first at-bats he took in the Five Tool League were his first in a game since being at Baylor over two years prior. "It was weird for me because it's something I've done so much but so little at the same time because I hadn't done it in two years," he said. "But being in the box is probably the thing I've done most in my life. I've been in the batter's box since I was five years old. Being in the batter's box was just being thankful for the opportunity to play again, that was really the biggest thing." Jefferson will begin the spring season with Shelton State in February and is hopeful a strong showing with the Bucs will lead to him being selected in next summer's MLB Draft.