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Bastrop senior Gary Jefferson Jr. is heading to the Motor City.
Jefferson signed a national letter of intent May 15 to play football at Wayne State University, an NCAA Division II program in Detroit. He chose the Warriors coming off a standout season with Bastrop, with 1,713 yards and 31 touchdowns rushing, while adding a team-high 33 receptions for 479 yards and eight scores.
Jefferson, who began his high school career at Elgin, ran for more than 100 yards seven times in his lone season at Bastrop. He reached a season-high 381 yards and six touchdowns in the Bears’ 69-42 area round win over Waco University.
Bastrop finished 11-2 and reached the Class 5A-Division II region semifinals last season, the program’s deepest playoff run since 2010.
At Elgin, Jefferson also helped the Wildcats reach the postseason in 2024, rushing for more than 600 yards and 11 touchdowns. Elgin went 6-6 and won a playoff game for the first time since 2014.
Jefferson could see immediate playing time for Wayne State. The Warriors went 0-11 last season and haven’t tasted victory since they defeated Northern Michigan in the 2024 season finale.
