Hallmark Moment: Jeffrey Curtis, grandson of J.T. Curtis, embraces final season with nation’s wins leader
by William Weathers // GeauxPreps.com Contributor
The standard Jeffrey Curtis experienced with John Curtis Christian football began with simply getting dry footballs for each offensive play in a game.
If there was any deviation in his routine of shuttling footballs in and out of a game in a timely fashion, he heard about it all the way up to the top of the team’s ladder – head football coach J.T. Curtis.
“If he didn’t, his grandpa jumped all over him,” J.T. Curtis said with a good-natured laugh.
The nation’s career leader with 623 victories and the state’s best 27 state championships, J.T. Curtis saw the grassroots approach of such family members as an introduction into the Patriots’ method of operation, an opportunity to perform tasks when called upon.
Jeffrey Curtis recalled serving in such a role for approximately six years, keeping him around his own father, Jeff, and his grandfather who’s built the state’s largest football dynasty.
He was also around a handful of cousins who were all close in age, with more than just John Curtis football on their minds. They wanted to do what young, football-minded kids did, and that was to engage in their own backyard-like games, sometimes at the expense of their intended responsibilities of serving the team.
“We came to practice and got screamed at by my pawpaw and our dads,” Jeffrey said. “We didn’t like helping. We just wanted to play football against each other. We annoyed the actual players. We would hit them with footballs, and then they would get on our butts.
“It was always fun on the sidelines, winning games,” Jeffrey said. “We won a lot when I was younger, and I always saw that, and winning stuck with me. I wanted to keep winning and have that for myself as a player. Going to the Superdome and having that experience as a little kid stuck with me.”
Jeffrey Curtis’ time with the powerful Curtis program, one that began as a ballboy and manager, has evolved to his final season. The 5-foot-9, 195-pound middle linebacker tied for the team lead in 2024 with a career-high 116 tackles that earned him a spot on the District 9-5A and All-Metro first teams.
“I’m not sure it will hit me until it’s over,” Jeffrey said. “I’ve had little flashes here and there, ‘Wow, it’s my senior year. We’ll never be able to wear the jersey again. But at the same time, I’m trying to enjoy it and stay in the moment.
“I’ve been around it since I was younger,” said Jeffrey, also a starting catcher on the school’s baseball team. “I remember going to fall camp, waking up early after sleeping at school in between the three-a-day practices. It was really fun when I was younger and it is really fun now.”
J.T. Curtis, who is in four Halls of Fame (LHSAA, Louisiana Sports, National High School, and Louisiana College), has enjoyed a 55-year coaching career that’s enabled him to coach both of his sons – Johnny and Jeff – and his third grandchild in Jeffrey.
“I’ve been fortunate enough to have that with my sons, who started out roaming that sideline and continued to play on through high school and into college,” the 78-year-old Curtis said. “It’s a great experience. Being able to interact with them in terms of your relationship as a grandfather or father. They’ve had the chance to be exposed to a lot of good players and a lot of good people, to be around such a positive environment and atmosphere.”
J.T. Curtis said it’s become commonplace for several decades for those outside of his family’s circle to ask for feedback on how to successfully coach those closest to him.
Not only has J.T. Curtis coached both of his sons and three grandchildren, with another currently in sixth grade, but he’s also coached with brother Leon, the team’s linebacker coach, and nephews Matt and Steve Curtis, who both have sons (Matt and Beau) coaching on this year’s staff.
“What I tell them is when I walk out of the gate, I don’t talk football again. We’re done,” he said. “It’s no different than when anyone’s son goes home. The rule is when we’re finished, we were done. If you had a question or had something to talk about, all you had to do was ask.”
J.T. Curtis gave a prime example of a recent exchange with Jeffrey following his participation at a camp (with over 350 participants) at Nicholls State, in which he was voted the second-best linebacker.
“I asked him after church, how did the camp go?” J.T. said. “What were the drills like? Were they really helpful to you? It was an easy conversation, and we were done with it.”
While J.T. will always have a commanding presence at practice in games and the respect of his players, Jeffrey has enjoyed the off-the-field conversations and family time that have been prevalent with his grandfather.
“It’s been great,” he said of his experience. “Some days, there are battles at practice, he gets on my butt, and I explain my wrongdoing. Ultimately, I accept the coaching. It’s fun after practice to talk about football, see what we need to do better. It’s a great experience.
“We go out to eat on Sunday, I just learn a lot from him,” he said. “Not only a lot as a coach, but as a grandfather. Learning how to treat other people and how to have strong faith through difficulty. He’s just a great example.”
The run of third-generation players to begin on Curtis’ sideline and reach the playing field began with outside linebacker John Thomas IV (Jay). He’s a 2018 graduate of Curtis who went on to play baseball at the University of Dayton and will help coach the team’s linebackers for a third season. Jason, his younger brother, played football and graduated last year.
J.T. Curtis said that Jason is a student assistant who will work with the linebackers this season under LSU defensive coordinator/linebackers coach Blake Baker.
“I told them, as I’ve told my two sons, I wanted them to be here because you want to be here, and you feel you can make a contribution to this program,” J.T. Curtis said. “I don’t want you to ever think you’re working for me. You’re going to work with me and you’re going to make a contribution to what we do.
“They kind of grew up in that same mold,” J.T. Curtis said of his grandchildren. “They know the expectation and what it’s going to take in order to be successful. They see guys that have been there, done that, and achieved their goals.”
The biggest athletic achievement for Jeffrey Curtis came six years ago when he was a catcher on the 13-player East Bank All-Stars and became the first team in Louisiana history to win the 73rd Annual Little League World Series in Williamsport, PA.
“We all came together and decided to go play baseball,” he said. “It was a really special group of guys who are off doing their own thing. Each of them was talented at what they did.”
That experience of a lifetime didn’t deter Curtis from his first love of football, where the thought of being able to run into other players at a high rate of speed always appealed to him.
J.T. Curtis said he noticed a difference in Jeffrey’s game around the seventh or eighth grade; the ability to be around the ball, combined with an aptitude for making plays, made him a player to watch in the near future.
Jeffrey Curtis saw back-up action as a freshman, making 22 tackles with a fumble recovery.
“He had the knack for being able to get under a block, around a block, or through a block to make the kind of play you want to make,” J.T. Curtis said. “He’s a hard worker. He’s a hard worker in the weight room. He’s developed his physical strength and that’s benefited in not only in football, but as a catcher in baseball.”
Jeffrey’s familiarity with the program grew with great intent, watching former standout linebackers at Kylin White, Jordan Barfield, and Connor Orgeron. Those experiences later paid off in his maturation as a full-fledged varsity player.
The same verbiage of defensive calls wasn’t foreign to him, enabling Curtis to play with a greater understanding than most players entering the program.
“I had some type of knowledge, I was able to connect the dots at some practices once I heard what some coaches said,” he said. “I’ve learned that and helped myself improve on it. Some of the great players were the ones when I was younger and wanted to model my play after.”
J.T. Curtis said the lessons Jeffrey learned through his observance of some of the school’s top players, the way they practiced and trained, were invaluable.
“A picture is worth a thousand words,” he said. “Seeing how those guys handled themselves, the effort and energy. Not just on the field but in the weight room, running in the offseason. All of that kind of set a tone for him. He knew what the expectation would be.
“When your kids have an opportunity to experience an exciting sideline, a big win, going to the Superdome, going on an away trip, and traveling, it’s something you can’t buy,” he said. “It’s a great experience and a great lesson in life for those kids.”
Curtis returned to the Superdome in 2022 and defeated Catholic League rival Brother Martin, 23-0, to secure the school’s 27th state championship in a Division I select matchup.
A year later, after serving as the team’s backup middle linebacker, Jeffrey took over as the starter in the sixth week of the season and recorded double-digit tackles each week. That helped the Patriots to a trip to the state quarterfinals, where they fell to eventual state champion Catholic of Baton Rouge, 38-35.
He was one of the team’s two defensive players to finish with better than 100 tackles – ranking second behind Hayden Delatte – with 107 stops, 7 tackles for loss, and 3 quarterback hurries.
“My smarts are superb,” Jeffrey said in reference to his innate ability to diagnose offensive plays. “That helps me a lot, having great instincts. Since I was young, I loved to play football.”
Jeffrey Curtis’ junior season experienced a wobbly beginning where in the second game of the season, he was dealt with a bit of adversity that cost three weeks of the season.
During Curtis’ 27-7 victory over Northshore, Jeffrey suffered a Grade 2 tear of his posterior cruciate ligament.
“I was looking at being the best player I could be each game,” he said. “I knew my standards and what I could do.”
The injury wasn’t without a sense of anxiousness for J.T. Curtis at the sight of his grandson lying on the field in pain.
“When I saw he was down and he didn’t get up, immediately the grandfather kicked in,” he said. “We realized what it was and reverted back to player and coach, and what we needed to do to help him to rehab and recover, which is exactly what I would do for any other player.”
J.T. said he’s remained consistent in the treatment of all of his players.
“I’m not harder on Johnny Curtis or Jeffrey Curtis than I would be on anyone else’s child,” he said. “They love their sons and grandsons just the way I love mine. If it’s good enough for my two sons and my grandsons, then it’s going to be good enough for theirs.
“I shouldn’t be harder on mine,” he said. “I should be as demanding and as understanding, and as sympathetic as I need to be. Their parents love them just like I love mine. I’ve always tried to do that in a very positive way.”
The process of returning to the field was no different for Jeffrey. He was diligent in the weight room and in his approach to his rehabilitation, remaining a visible team member on the sideline while he worked his way back to the field.
Jeffrey Curtis fulfilled the program’s principles, and once he returned to playing, he simply picked back up where he left off.
He tied Delatte for the team lead with 116 tackles (11 per game) with 14 tackles for losses, six QB hurries, and two sacks.
The Patriots overcame a difficult stretch in league play with three straight losses to Jesuit, Karr, and St. Augustine to advance to the Division I state select round against Alexandria before enduring a 24-13 setback.
Jeffrey Curtis was a first-team member of the Louisiana Football Coaches Class 5A team and an honorable mention choice of the Louisiana Sports Writers’ Association.
“I fought hard, fought through the struggles and kept competing,” he said. “I have to keep improving and getting better. Since I don’t run 4.4 (in 40), angles make you faster. It’s how I watch film and know some plays before they ever happen. That’s a great attribute that I have.”
Jeffrey, the team’s backup catcher in 2023, appeared in 16 of 33 games his sophomore season – getting eight starts – and batting .389 for the Patriots’ Division I select state runner-up team.
Curtis was the team’s full-time catcher last season, showing no signs of his knee injury from football, and catching all 38 of his team’s games, which ran into eventual state champion Catholic High again in the state quarterfinals.
The second team all-district choice batted .326 with 22 RBIs.
“I’m a believer in multi-sport players,” J.T. Curtis said. “He’s really made himself into an excellent baseball player both offensively and defensively. It’s been a lot of fun to watch him progress, and I look forward to seeing him having a good senior year.”
Jeffrey Curtis continued to alternate between football and baseball throughout the summer.
“I really do want to play football in college,” he said. “If that doesn’t work out, I’m not going to close the door on being a college catcher. I believe that I can do it, but football is the No. 1 goal and play somewhere because I love the game so much.”
Football, filled with team-building workouts, occupied Jeffrey Curtis’ mornings before returning home for lunch and a nap.
Three days a week, though, were marked by his team’s participation in a summer baseball league sponsored by Crescent City Sports, which included the River Ridge Patriots qualifying for postseason play.
Curtis, who batted .333, was selected to the league’s honor roll.
“My preference is football over baseball,” he said. “I love playing baseball. It’s a fun game. Since I was little, I’ve loved the contact of football and the sport as a whole.”
Jeffrey Curtis, whose father Jeff played at Tulane, remains hopeful of playing football in college and recently picked up his first scholarship offer from Millsaps College.
He’s taken part in camps at Tulane, Nicholls State, and UL-Lafayette, with a potential breakout coming recently with his No. 2 rating among all linebackers at the Pro Football Camp at Nicholls.
“I’ve talked to UL, Nicholls, and Tulane and believe that I’m on their board,” said Jeffrey, a 4.0 student who scored 24 on his ACT. “Those are close to home. I won’t close any doors.”
From the young ballboy and manager on the sideline, to the young man and team leader who’s grown up before him, J.T. Curtis plans to continue embracing his time coaching his grandson Jeffrey Curtis – just like he’s done for his own sons and grandsons before him.
“I’ve watched him develop as a football player through elementary school and into junior high,” he said. “He had the opportunity to watch really good players in front of him. Some guys that have gone on to play at a higher level or were just excellent high school football players. It’s been an enjoyable experience. He’s been a great kid and a great asset.”
Featured Image courtesy: Jeffrey Curtis on Instagram