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Undrafted but undeterred. Brebeuf graduate Jay Higgins returns to Lucas Oil Stadium
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- Undrafted but undeterred. Brebeuf graduate Jay Higgins returns to Lucas Oil Stadium
It will not be difficult to find Jay Higgins ' cheering section on Sunday at Lucas Oil Stadium.
Look for 100 people wearing Baltimore Ravens ' gear in Section 608.
"When the schedule did come out it was like, 'Wow, he's coming home,'" said Higgins' father, Roy Higgins. "'We're going down the street to see our baby.' There are a lot of people who never had the chance to see him play at Iowa who said, 'I want to go to this one.' It's very exciting for our family – one of the biggest moments of Jay's career."
Second-year Baltimore Ravens' linebacker Jay Higgins is a Brebeuf Jesuit and Iowa graduate. With parents Roy and Shelly Higgins.
Jay Higgins, a second-year Ravens' linebacker, beat the odds to make this trip back to Lucas Oil Stadium for the third time at all three levels of football. He did it with Brebeuf Jesuit as a sophomore in high school in 2017 for the Class 3A state championship, then made it back with Iowa in 2021 and '23 for the Big Ten championship games.
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There were doubts. Higgins set a school record for career tackles at Brebeuf with 471 but had just one offer from Power Four program. He was on his way to a visit at Toledo, just 20 miles outside the city, when Iowa called to offer a scholarship.
"All you need is one," Roy Higgins said. "That's what (Iowa assistant Kelvin Bell) always tells recruits. All you need is that one offer. It might look good to have 13 offers and put that picture up, but all you need is one."
The 2020 Brebeuf graduate made good on that offer, leading the nation on tackles in 2023 with 171 tackles. He was first-team All-American in 2024 with 124 tackles and four interceptions. But despite that college production, Higgins went undrafted in the 2025 NFL Draft.
"It definitely put a chip on his shoulder," Roy Higgins said. "The whole undrafted experience was very emotional for our family. It brought everybody closer together during that time. But it does go to show everybody that 3A, 2A, 1A, it doesn't matter. If you put in the work, you can reach your goals. There's a path that can be created in your own way."
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Jay Higgins signed with the Baltimore Ravens as an undrafted free agent in May of 2025. But it was not until late August when Ravens' general manager Eric DeCosta brought Higgins to his office and presented him with a jersey that Higgins knew he made the team.
Jay Higgins' parents Shelly and Roy will be among 100 family members and friends supporting the Ravens' linebacker on Sunday at Lucas Oil Stadium.
The video of Higgins receiving the news from DeCosta was posted on the Ravens' social media channels.
"You're one of the rare guys that never takes a moment off, never takes a play off, never takes a day off," DeCosta told Higgins. "We're proud of you. It's hard, man. It's hard to make this team and it's really hard to make this team as an undrafted guy. But there is no reason why you can't be a player in the NFL for 15 years the way you play."
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Later in the video, Higgins called his father and let him know the good news. Roy Higgins, on the other end of the line, was overcome with emotions. "Let me call you back," he responded.
"I started praising God and then started calling half the world," Roy said with a laugh.
Roy, who coached Jay growing up, gives much of the credit to his wife, Shelly. Jay's older sister Royce, who played volleyball at Mississippi Valley State, also showed him what it takes to be a Division I athlete.
"When I wanted him to go to a big-name (football) school, she wanted him to go to Brebeuf for the educational piece, not football," Higgins said of his wife. "When I wanted to pull him from basketball at G3, she is the one who told me basketball would help his footwork in football. We are a close, close family."
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Jay Higgins, 24, made 10 tackles as a rookie, playing mostly on special teams. This season he is the backup middle linebacker for the Ravens behind All-Pro Roquan Smith . It is a similar spot as it was for Higgins at Iowa, where he played behind All-American Jack Campbell , how an All-Pro with the Detroit Lions , before getting his turn.
"Jay knows how to wait his turn," Roy said. "And while he's waiting, he's like a sponge. He absorbed a lot from Jack Campbell and now he can absorb a lot from Roquan Smith."
Jul 30, 2026; Owings Mills, MD, USA; Baltimore Ravens linebacker Jay Higgins IV (79) during practice at Under Armour Peformance Center. Mandatory Credit: Mitch Stringer-Imagn Images
Higgins did have a highlight against the Colts last year, though it came in a preseason game when he intercepted a Riley Leonard pass.
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"I could see when he was 3 or 4, 'This kid is going to be special,'" Roy said. "His movement, his motor skills. I thought, 'I'm going to help him be a football player.'"
The "problem" was Jay was a big kid. Coaches always put him on the line. Roy told his father when Jay was in sixth grade that he believed Jay should be a linebacker. His father encouraged Roy to find a team where Jay could play middle linebacker.
It turned out to be sage advice.
"That's what I did," Roy said. "I was like, 'Dad, it worked.'"
Jay's grandfather won't be among those in attendance at Lucas Oil Stadium on Sunday. He died in September of 2021. Roy got the call just before Jay took the field for Iowa. But there will be about 100 fans in Ravens' gear on Sunday who always believed Higgins could get here.
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Call Star reporter Kyle Neddenriep at (317) 444-6649. Get IndyStar's high school coverage sent directly to your inbox with the High School Sports newsletter .
This article originally appeared on Indianapolis Star: Undrafted but undeterred. Brebeuf graduate Jay Higgins returns to Lucas Oil Stadium
