STARKVILLE — Starkville senior running back Jay Stevenson’s path has been a winding one.
Stevenson spent his freshman and sophomore years at Eupora, where he dominated Class 2A competition. To continue his growth as a football player, though, he knew he needed a change of scenery.
His junior year, he found himself at Heritage Academy, one of the larger private schools in the state, and a place where he just missed out on playing for a state title. Still, bigger competition called, so this season brought with it a move to Starkville.
Stevenson has continued to dominate under the bright lights of Class 7A, and college scouts have noticed. He recently announced his commitment to Tennessee State via social media earlier this month.
“Being able to commit and play at the next level is every high schooler’s dream,” Stevenson said. “Playing at Starkville has made my name go sky high. … I just want to thank Coach (Chris) Jones and all of my other Jacket teammates for believing in me.”
Stevenson has run for over 1000 yards in 11 games in 2023, averaging 94.4 yards per game on the ground, and he’s racked up 15 rushing touchdowns.
It became clear early on that the three-star back was plenty good enough to play at the next level, and the Tigers were quick to identify Stevenson as a target and offer him a scholarship.
“What made me choose Tennessee State was just the love they were showing me,” Stevenson said. “They have been in contact with me since day one, nonstop. They also said I’m their number one guy on their RB list.”
It’s not often you see someone work their way up the high school ranks, but Stevenson has found his niche at every stop and dominated the competition.
Starkville, and the biggest stage, is the icing on the cake.
“A lot of people didn’t think I could do it because of the levels I’ve played at in my previous years, but I knew I could do it,” Stevenson said. “I worked hard this summer just to make sure I would succeed here and show them I am ‘him’.”
He’s been the perfect addition for the Jackets this season following the graduation of senior Curtis ‘CJ’ Willis, who ran for nearly 900 yards in 2022.
Naturally, head coach Chris Jones and his staff found the ideal replacement in the dominant backfield duo of Courtland Cooper and Stevenson, not to mention dual-threat senior quarterback Trey Petty.
Starkville is on the hunt for a second-straight title, but it can add one more name to its college commits list for the 2023 season.
“It means a lot for him to be able to use football to get a free education,” Jones said.” It’s always good as a program to see kids getting the chance to advance to the next level because at the end of day, that’s what it’s all about.”
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