BATON ROUGE, La. -- Jordan Jefferson says his goal remains to be LSU's starting quarterback and that he has learned a lot from his recent arrest and four-game suspension that stemmed from an August bar fight.

"My personal goal is to be the starter," said Jefferson, who was permitted by LSU to speak to reporters Monday night for the first time since the Aug. 19 fight. "I am going to do whatever it takes to get there."

Jefferson was reinstated last Wednesday after a grand jury reduced his felony second-degree battery charge to a misdemeanor. He then played in last Saturday's home game against Kentucky, scoring a touchdown on a 1-yard, fourth-down sneak.

"I was positive I was going to play at LSU again," Jefferson said. "This was a tough experience for me. Sitting there watching the guys play all these tough games was the hardest thing I've done in my life. They did a great job.

"This was a learning experience for me. I can't imagine anybody in the country going through more than I did. But, I'm now wiser and more aware. God puts people in certain situations. I don't regret anything. Everything happened for a reason. I've learned a lot from this."

With Jefferson unavailable for LSU's first four games, fifth-year senior Jarrett Lee took over as starter and has helped lead the Tigers to a 5-0 start and No. 1 ranking.

Jefferson said he felt that his celebrity status was a factor in his arrest.