Editor’s Note: This is the latest installment in a series that will feature some of the area’s top prep football players. These players are expected to receive the most attention from college coaches/scouts. The Dispatch will profile a player each day leading up to the start of the regular season Friday.
MACON — Ja’Qualyn Smith is trying to pack on the pounds.
From his mother’s rolls to her corn bread and greens, Ja’Qualyn admittedly “eats a lot,” but you wouldn’t know it from the 150 pounds on his 5-foot-8 frame.
Try getting in his way and stopping him when he gets a full head of steam, though.
That’s when you will discover Smith is a rugged running back who, despite not having much success at bulking up on his mother’s delicious soul food, can make you think he weighs much more.
“I have been grinding,” Smith said. “I have been working hard.”
There are plenty of reasons for Smith’s increased focus in the offseason. The Noxubee County High School senior running back intends to eclipse the 1,039 yards he gained last season. He also wants to help Noxubee County get back to the Mississippi High School Activities Association (MHSAA) Class 4A State championship game and win another title. If he can do both of those things, Smith believes he will attract the attention of college coaches so he can continue his football career.
Noxubee County High football coach Tyrone Shorter said Smith’s focus has changed this season, which bodes well for a team stacked with weapons on offense.
“He runs the ball really hard for his size,” Shorter said. “I wish he was about 180 or 185. With the speed he has, everybody would be on that kid. He has a heart of a champion, and I like how he came to camp. He was really, really aggressive and he really was a leader.”
Shorter said Smith always had that ability, but he said Smith did “just enough to get by.” This year, Shorter sees a Smith who doesn’t want to come off the field and who is motivated by the depth of talent on the roster.
Smith has played on the varsity team for three years, so he has been a part of some high-powered attacks. He said he feels he could fit best in college as a running back or a slot back in a “fast offense” because he can give defenses multiple looks.
With wide receivers like Kyziah Pruitt and Maliek Stallings, Pruitt could be one of the Tigers to set up in multiple positions on the field.
If it is at running back, Smith figures to share carries with Kaiyus Lewis and Bobby Shanklin to balance the Tigers’ attack.
“We have plenty of weapons,” Smith said. “We have people who are going to make plays. I feel like we have to work on offensive line, but I feel like we will be strong on through the season. We are going to pull it off.”
Smith plans to shoulder his share of that load. He feels he had a good junior season, but he said it could have been better if he had worked harder. He said he had a different attitude this summer that helped him add strength and a little bit of weight to his frame. He did it all while eating plenty of his mother’s cooking and listening to her encourage him to eat even more.
“She preaches that to me day and night,” Smith said. “She looks at me and says, ‘Boy, you need to gain weight.’ I can’t control it. I eat. I am trying to put on pounds.”
Shorter said Smith’s weight might not change this season, but he said his new mind-set will help him push an experienced offensive line to help him shatter his rushing total this season.
“I knew he was going to come with that attitude,” Shorter said. “He said, ‘Coach, this is my senior year. I know I am small, but I am going to turn some heads this year.’ That is what he told me. He already has people looking at him, so I told him make people take a chance on your size. The only thing he has to do is continue to do it.”
Follow Dispatch sports editor Adam Minichino on Twitter @ctsportseditor
Adam Minichino is the former Sports Editor for The Commercial Dispatch.
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