Some potential bad news for the Orchard Lake St. Mary's football program surfaced this week with the firing of Detroit Lions wide receivers coach Shawn Jefferson.

Jefferson's ouster means that the Eaglets are in jeopardy of losing Van Jefferson, his son and the Eaglets star sophomore split end, who might be forced to leave St. Mary's and follow his dad to whatever new NFL city he lands a coaching position in.

Van Jefferson had a breakout campaign in 2012, his playmaking down field helping guide the Eaglets to a Catholic League championship and a spot in the D3 state finals, where they lost an overtime thriller to Grand Rapids Christian.

The spry, speedy and sticky-handed 6-foot-3 tenth-grader has a chance for true greatness in a St. Mary's uniform, if he remains in the Red and Black for his last two seasons. If he doesn't, he'll achieve it somewhere else and deprive local prep gridiron fans the opportunity of seeing the young and super talented Jefferson blow up the next couple of years before almost-certainly landing at a DI school in college.

Shawn Jefferson had been with the Lions as wide receiver coach since 2005. In the 1990s and early 2000s, he was a rock solid wide out in the NFL, logging time with the San Diego Chargers, New England Patriots, Atlanta Falcons and the hometown Leos, appearing in a pair of Super Bowls in 1995 and 1997.