jstate83
January 23rd, 2008, 08:55 AM
Jackson State Commitment's.
Commits for the Jackson State football team continue to file in with just two weekends left before the Feb. 6 signing day. The Tigers coaching staff will lose a weekend to host recruits when it coaches in the American Heritage Bowl on Saturday.
JSU has received commits from its second and third offensive linemen from the College of Sequoias. Tackle Demarcus Pace (6 feet 5, 290 pounds) confirmed that he'll be coming to Jackson and added that center Larry Landry (6-2, 275) will also. Guard Ben Walker (6-2, 330) was the first signee of this recruiting class.
"To be able to come back to the South, I really miss being back home," said Pace, a Little Rock, Ark., native. "When I step out on the field I'm a totally different guy. I'm a student/athlete. I'm going to school to major in criminal justice and minor in business management. On the field, you don't even want to see me on the field."
The Lackawanna College pipeline is still flowing as quarterback A.J. McKenna (6-5, 235) has signed and is on campus. McKenna joins Lackawanna verbals Mike Evans (LB, 6-0, 205) and Terrence Onyiuke (DL, 6-0, 282).
"I didn't want to go where I was needed," said Onyiuke, a Plainfield, N.J., native. "I wanted to go where I was wanted."
Running back commits
First-team all-state running back Meco Brown verbally committed to JSU during his visit Saturday. The 5-foot-6, 180-pounder from Moss Point ran for 1,331 yards and put up 2,042 all-purpose yards as a senior. He played in the Mississippi-Alabama game and scored 18 touchdowns during the season.
"The family atmosphere," Brown said. "When I came they treated me like family even though they just met me.
"I love it. They're trying to build something and I want to be part of that."
Brown chose JSU over Northern Illinois and Temple.
Jackson State also received a verbal from Northwest Rankin defensive lineman Michael Dukes.
"I've wanted to play for Jackson State for a long time," Dukes said. "I just like the community."
- Kareem Copeland
Clarion Ledger/ JSU
http://cmsimg.clarionledger.com/apps/pbcsi.dll/bilde?Site=D0&Date=20080118&Category=SPORTS030101&ArtNo=801180338&Ref=AR&Profile=1073&MaxW=180&Border=0
Desire to excel sets Noxubee star apart
Kareem Copeland • [email protected] • January 18, 2008
What’s this?
Imagine driving down a dark street in rural Macon in the early hours of the morning. What would be the least likely thing you'd expect to see?
How about a 6-foot, 193-pound teenager running around by himself in the yard of one of the homes?
"You hear the talk around the neighborhood, 'That boy is crazy,'" Andre Wright said. "People would see me running at 12-1 a.m., just going through my drills.
"Sometimes 2 or 3 a.m. You know how you just wake up in the middle of the night? (I'd decide) to throw on the cleats and go out here and run.
"We always have a little saying - work more than the next guy. Work while he's sleeping, while he's resting."
Wright, a free safety out of 2007 Class 4A state runner-up Noxubee County, plans to take that dedication to Jackson State in 2008 as a freshman on the defending Southwestern Athletic Conference champion.
Conversations with Wright and his high school coach, M.C. Miller, paint a picture that's inconsistent with your normal high schooler. Miller recalled Wright having scheduled the ACT exam for the same day the Tigers were playing Laurel for the state title. Wright had already qualified with a 19, but he wanted a 25.
"I said, 'You're going to cancel this one. You can take it later on,'" Miller said.
Wright points to his mother, Brenda, as the source of that desire. She demanded the same approach whether it was academics, football or even washing dishes.
"I'd say, 'I'm going to do it,'" Wright explained. "She'd say, 'I want you to do it now... then you won't have to worry about it later.'
"Just getting things done ahead of time so you can sit back and relax in the end."
Wright hasn't relaxed since the end of a senior season that produced 78 tackles and eight interceptions. The tornados that hit the Macon area last week forced Miller to cancel a weightlifting session at the school. And Wright was going to visit JSU the next day.
"They asked him what he wanted to do," Miller said. "He said he wanted to lift weights. He didn't want to miss two days."
Wright is enrolling in JSU over the summer so he can get a jump on team workouts.
"My goals are to get my degree so I'll have that foundation for being successful in this world," Wright said. "And as far as football, to come in and ball-out.
"Exceed all expectations."
Commits for the Jackson State football team continue to file in with just two weekends left before the Feb. 6 signing day. The Tigers coaching staff will lose a weekend to host recruits when it coaches in the American Heritage Bowl on Saturday.
JSU has received commits from its second and third offensive linemen from the College of Sequoias. Tackle Demarcus Pace (6 feet 5, 290 pounds) confirmed that he'll be coming to Jackson and added that center Larry Landry (6-2, 275) will also. Guard Ben Walker (6-2, 330) was the first signee of this recruiting class.
"To be able to come back to the South, I really miss being back home," said Pace, a Little Rock, Ark., native. "When I step out on the field I'm a totally different guy. I'm a student/athlete. I'm going to school to major in criminal justice and minor in business management. On the field, you don't even want to see me on the field."
The Lackawanna College pipeline is still flowing as quarterback A.J. McKenna (6-5, 235) has signed and is on campus. McKenna joins Lackawanna verbals Mike Evans (LB, 6-0, 205) and Terrence Onyiuke (DL, 6-0, 282).
"I didn't want to go where I was needed," said Onyiuke, a Plainfield, N.J., native. "I wanted to go where I was wanted."
Running back commits
First-team all-state running back Meco Brown verbally committed to JSU during his visit Saturday. The 5-foot-6, 180-pounder from Moss Point ran for 1,331 yards and put up 2,042 all-purpose yards as a senior. He played in the Mississippi-Alabama game and scored 18 touchdowns during the season.
"The family atmosphere," Brown said. "When I came they treated me like family even though they just met me.
"I love it. They're trying to build something and I want to be part of that."
Brown chose JSU over Northern Illinois and Temple.
Jackson State also received a verbal from Northwest Rankin defensive lineman Michael Dukes.
"I've wanted to play for Jackson State for a long time," Dukes said. "I just like the community."
- Kareem Copeland
Clarion Ledger/ JSU
http://cmsimg.clarionledger.com/apps/pbcsi.dll/bilde?Site=D0&Date=20080118&Category=SPORTS030101&ArtNo=801180338&Ref=AR&Profile=1073&MaxW=180&Border=0
Desire to excel sets Noxubee star apart
Kareem Copeland • [email protected] • January 18, 2008
What’s this?
Imagine driving down a dark street in rural Macon in the early hours of the morning. What would be the least likely thing you'd expect to see?
How about a 6-foot, 193-pound teenager running around by himself in the yard of one of the homes?
"You hear the talk around the neighborhood, 'That boy is crazy,'" Andre Wright said. "People would see me running at 12-1 a.m., just going through my drills.
"Sometimes 2 or 3 a.m. You know how you just wake up in the middle of the night? (I'd decide) to throw on the cleats and go out here and run.
"We always have a little saying - work more than the next guy. Work while he's sleeping, while he's resting."
Wright, a free safety out of 2007 Class 4A state runner-up Noxubee County, plans to take that dedication to Jackson State in 2008 as a freshman on the defending Southwestern Athletic Conference champion.
Conversations with Wright and his high school coach, M.C. Miller, paint a picture that's inconsistent with your normal high schooler. Miller recalled Wright having scheduled the ACT exam for the same day the Tigers were playing Laurel for the state title. Wright had already qualified with a 19, but he wanted a 25.
"I said, 'You're going to cancel this one. You can take it later on,'" Miller said.
Wright points to his mother, Brenda, as the source of that desire. She demanded the same approach whether it was academics, football or even washing dishes.
"I'd say, 'I'm going to do it,'" Wright explained. "She'd say, 'I want you to do it now... then you won't have to worry about it later.'
"Just getting things done ahead of time so you can sit back and relax in the end."
Wright hasn't relaxed since the end of a senior season that produced 78 tackles and eight interceptions. The tornados that hit the Macon area last week forced Miller to cancel a weightlifting session at the school. And Wright was going to visit JSU the next day.
"They asked him what he wanted to do," Miller said. "He said he wanted to lift weights. He didn't want to miss two days."
Wright is enrolling in JSU over the summer so he can get a jump on team workouts.
"My goals are to get my degree so I'll have that foundation for being successful in this world," Wright said. "And as far as football, to come in and ball-out.
"Exceed all expectations."