Jalen Pitre roots: How Texans’ hometown guy became one of NFL’s hardest hitters

HOUSTON – For Jalen Pitre, his roots as the Texans’ hometown guy are truly unique.

His high school, the hallways, the classrooms and the football field of the Stafford Spartans, are practically sacred ground for him and his family.

This is the community where he met his future wife, Julianna, in kindergarten. They began dating as juniors in high school after Pitre convinced social studies teacher Christopher Reid to allow him to switch to his class and for a classmate to switch seats with him so he could sit next to Julianna.

One of their first formal dates was at an International House of Pancakes near the Stafford campus. That’s also where they got engaged as Pitre surprised her a few years ago with a date at the same IHOP they went to back in high school. They got married a year ago.

“It came full circle,” Pitre told KPRC 2. “We went back to the exact same spot. Very sentimental spot for us and we enjoyed the night there for sure. She likes French toast, but I’m a big pancake guy. I definitely like to have a routine because it keeps me in motion. It keeps a good flow to things.”

Pitre’s path to the NFL has been defined by his formative years in the state of Texas.

His parents, Rick and DeVita Pitre, are Louisiana natives.

Once they settled in Texas, Pitre grew up in Houston and emerged as an intimidating hitter despite not being the biggest football player on the field.

At Baylor, the hit parade continued as was named the Big 12 Defensive Player of the Year and a consensus All-American.

The Texans drafted him in the second round and he became an immediate impact player with 147 tackles and five interceptions as a rookie.

And the commitment to his high school, to youth football with the Stafford Cobras, none of that stops for Pitre.

“It’s a beautiful thing for not just me but for my family,” Rick Pitre said. “We’ve got humble beginnings, man. I come from a little small town in Louisiana. To see where I came from, see where we are right now, it’s very humbling. It’s God that’s been with us the whole time.

“And I just feel in my heart that he’s going to continue being with us. Jalen doesn’t want to make the moment about himself. He wants to give, give, give. My mother was a giving person. My father was a giving person. And it’s generational. And it’s beautiful for me to see as a father for me and my wife.”

Every football team that Pitre has played on has been in the state of Texas. His legacy is built already as a hometown high school football standout who has succeeded at every level. A year ago, the Texans made him one of the highest paid nickels in the NFL with a three-year, $42.6 million contact extension that included $20.65 million guaranteed with a $10 million signing bonus.

Whether it’s his annual youth football camp or giving back to food-insecure children through his partnership with Kids Meals, Inc., Pitre is always giving back to Houston.

“God is real,” Pitre said. “I thank Him for placing me at home. It definitely helps and it definitely has its perks. I’m forever grateful for this and I’m just going to continue to enjoy it.

Pitre is a man who believes in daily habits leading to greater long-term success.

That includes devoting himself to his high school with an extensive track record of giving back.

Being an NFL player, the status and the money, that hasn’t changed what Pitre is all about.

“That means a great deal,” said Q Silva, Pitre’s high school position coach. “That’s something that I know that’s very, very important for him is to come back and give to his community.

“He went to school here. He met his wife here. Giving back to the community is something that he really, really enjoys.”

Pitre uncoiled his body with incredible power, bringing a ton of force and torque into his aiming point as he delivered a crushing, clean tackle with his right shoulder and forearm.

The Texans’ nickel struck Kansas City Chiefs wide receiver Rashee Rice so hard last season that the collision sent him flailing to the ground and flipping through the air with a devastating hit that separated him from the football.

The hit stick tackle didn’t draw a flag, or a fine. It was another textbook punishing tackle from Pitre, a Stafford graduate who’s one of the hardest hitters in the game regardless of position. Pitre is a key chess piece in the Texans’ top-ranked defense. Last season was arguably been his best all-around season for tackling, and pass coverage.

Where did it all start for Pitre? The former second-round draft pick and Big 12 Defensive Player of the Year from Baylor was taught in the backyard with his family as his father instilled toughness in his son.

“My older brother, really, there used to be jokes that I couldn’t hit as hard as him,” Pitre said. “That pushed me and motivated me to be just as tough as him. That’s kind of where I draw my inspiration from.

“That’s a big reason why I play the way I play today. My pops, since I was a young-in, I was always tackling my older brother. That definitely prepared me for these times.”

Always be the one who delivers the blow. Be the hammer, never be the nail.

“You’d rather be the hammer,” Pitre said. “It don’t hurt when you go make the hit. I think the biggest thing is want-to. I look forward to those hits in those moments. Obviously, just being taught the right things throughout my life and just trying to use my leverage to hit as hard as I can. ..

“Just a determination to want to hit somebody and just bringing everything you got and not slowing down. I think that’s the biggest thing. And then, obviously, our coaches do a good job at teaching the proper ways to tackle, the proper angles to hit from, and the legal way to do it.”

Two seasons ago, Pitre launched Chicago Bears tight end Cole Kmet into the air with a thudding shoulder hit.

The tackle initially drew a penalty flag for unnecessary roughness that was quickly picked up as it was clearly not an illegal hit as Pitre didn’t make contact with his helmet and stuck the much larger Kmet in his shoulder pads.

Kmet was shaken up on the play and later acknowledged it was the hardest hit he’s ever absorbed.

“Jalen has come full circle with that tackling,” Rick Pitre said. “I’m not saying this to brag, but Jalen has always been the smartest kid on the field. The looks that you see, he just knows where the football is going to be. He gets there before the offensive player. I’ve always taught both of my boys to always initiate.

“You get the momentum first and you’re going to win that battle every time. So, it’s just in him to do that right now. He’s mature doing it. I’m so proud of him, of knowledge that he has of this game and the studying. He understands it all. I promise you, the best is yet to come with him.”

Later on that season, Pitre popped the football out of the hands of Dallas Cowboys offensive lineman Tyler Guyton with the forced fumble returned for a touchdown by teammate Derek Barnett.

Baltimore Ravens bruising running back Derrick Henry, a 6-foot-3, 245-pound All-Pro, said the way Pitre upended him last season was the hardest hit he’s ever sustained in the NFL.

“I didn’t teach him that,” Silva said. “That’s just the way he’s been from Stafford Cobras, up to his Houston Texans career. He just has a knack to punish people. He’s a nice guy off the field, but on the field he’s a different dude.

“He’s a student of the game. Everything that he does, he does technique-wise, and he makes sure that he masters his technique. He makes sure that all his form is correct.”

The big hit on Rice was a tone-setter and a legal tackle, which Pitre prides himself on.

“Definitely a safe hit and very clean,” Pitre said. “It was a good boost for our team in that moment.”

Pitre intercepted his fourth pass of the season against Kansas City, picking off star quarterback Patrick Mahomes. He contorted and twisted his body to tip the football to himself. It was an incredible interception for the Texans’ top-ranked defense and the man who sports the No. 5 jersey.

“Five is the best in the world,” Texans corner Kamari Lassiter said. “Every time I watch his film, I tell him: ‘You are one of one.’ I’ve never seen a player like him. He is elite.”

Pitre prides himself on making clean tackles that are within the NFL rulebook. He’s not looking to cause injuries, or draw penalties.

“It’s very important, because in no way do I want to hurt the team and in no way do I want to hurt any players on our other team,” Pitre said. “Because I think if you hit somebody and you get a penalty, it’s like 15 yards. I’m trying to keep my money. The NFL gonna fine you for sure if it’s illegal, so I’m trying to keep it as clean as possible and make sure I’m in the target zone.”

Pitre suffered a concussion last season against the Denver Broncos.

The head injury wound up forcing him to miss three games, and it led him to a decision to protect himself. He wears a special Guardian cap on his helmet, which has a proven record of preventing concussions.

“Obviously, I do take my health very seriously,” Pitre said. “I’m going to continue to have the Guardian cap on. It was ultimately a family decision. After my concussion, it was a bit tough for me coming back. It was probably the longest time I’ve been out for the concussion. So, after speaking with some family members, we all thought it would be best for me to keep that on and have my safety at the utmost importance.”

Being sidelined was frustrating for Pitre.

He never wants to go through that again after previously missing regular-season games with a torn pectoral that required surgery and a bruised lung.

“Whatever you do in life, it just has to make sense,” Rick Pitre said. “And for him to protect himself for longevity in his NFL, it just makes sense for you to protect your head. He realized when he didn’t wear it and he got the concussion, those were some of the toughest times for him sitting around waiting. I don’t think he wants to relive that. So wearing the Guardian hat, it makes sense, not just to him, but to the family.”

During his annual free youth football camp in June, Pitre celebrated his 27th birthday. The kids sang happy birthday to him. It was a surprise, as was the birthday cake he shared.

It wasn’t his idea, but Pitre went along with it all.

Being back at Stafford always puts him in a great mood.

This is where it all started for him and his family.

“We wouldn’t do it anywhere else,” Rick Pitre said. “We believe in giving back. We don’t forget where we came from. We’re going to continue doing that. This is just the beginning.”

Reid taught Pitre and his older brother in high school. To this day, Pitre calls the chair of the social studies department Mr. Reid, a devoted Texans fan.

“Jalen is very courteous,” Reid said. “I told him, ‘Hey, you don’t have to call me that anymore, but that’s just how he is. He’s absolutely the same guy, low-key. When he got drafted, it was just a surreal moment. It’s all come full circle, and they’re Stafford proud.”

Aaron Wilson is a Texans and NFL reporter for KPRC 2 and click2houston.com