The Blessing (Malik Jefferson feature)

[Matt Cotcher]

By Matt Cotcher   

 @mlcotcher
 
“It’s simple. Make sure your priorities are right. Faith, Family, and then Football.”

That’s Mesquite Poteet’s head football coach, Kody Groves, talking about the college recruiting process.

That simplicity also offers insight into why the word “blessing” continues to appear every time Poteet’s heralded linebacker, Malik Jefferson, is mentioned. Depending on whom you ask, Jefferson is a blessing to the community, the school, or the Pirates. Even Jefferson himself says playing football and the attention it’s brought to him is, “a blessing.”

Being a man of Faith, myself, the word blessing was getting used so often in association with Jefferson, that I could not ignore it. With a checklist that would embarrass an investigative journalist, I decided to go to Mesquite, Texas to see what had everyone engaging in groupthink.

My first stop was at Poteet High School. When I checked in at the front office and told the assistants that I was there to talk to Jefferson, their whole demeanor changed from ‘adults protecting their students’ to a beaming smile and talking about what a wonderful young man Jefferson is.

I looked at my checklist: ‘Poteet administrators/personnel’ – CHECK

In back, behind the school, the field house was bustling with typical gameday preparations. I identified myself to a junior varsity player and told him I was there to talk with Jefferson. Before I could mention Coach Groves’ name, the JV player got a starry look in his eyes and said, “Please follow me, sir.”

‘Underclassmen football players’ – CHECK


Jefferson and his teammates were doing a dynamic warmup before facing the Berkner Rams (a tactic similar to how the Oregon Ducks prepare for games), so I sat down with Coach Groves to get some background information. When Groves opened our conversation with, “Malik is an absolute blessing to our team”, I checked off ‘High School Coach’.

Colleges started inquiring with Groves after Jefferson’s sophomore year. Before his junior season started, more than 30 different schools were in contact.

At first glance, it’s obvious why schools are clamoring for Jefferson’s attention. At a shade over 6’2” and a lean 223 pounds, Jefferson is built more like a college standout than a high school senior. With that size, the fact that he can run a 40-yard dash in under 4.4 seconds and has been timed at 4.19 seconds in a shuttle run has college coaches pulling out all their tricks in an attempt to gain favor with Jefferson.

“All the attention gets hectic at times. Between coaches and reporters, someone is always wanting time. But it’s a blessing, though. Not only does it mean that I have options and get to keep playing, but it’s also bringing eyes here that get to see how talented my teammates are.”

That was Jefferson’s response when asked about how often his phone rings.

Recruiting has only gotten more intense since Jefferson decided that he would graduate from high school early. By forgoing the spring semester at Poteet, Jefferson will miss out on Senior Prom, but be able to participate in Spring practices at whatever college he chooses.

Considering that opposing teams have been trying to avoid him for the last two seasons, Jefferson explained his choice to enroll early in college, “It’s the next step. I can’t wait to compete at that level. It’s a different ballgame, but my time here has me prepared. I get to keep playing football, so there isn’t much better than that.”

Jefferson got a sample of college-level competition when he attended The Opening this July in Beaverton, OR. At a camp, sponsored by Nike, where over 160 of the country’s best prep players competed against each other, Jefferson managed to stand out.

At The Opening, players are measured in a SPARQ combine, and Jefferson’s score of 145.65 was the second highest total at the event. Among the other Top 20 scores, seventeen were produced by skill position players. In other words, Jefferson’s speed, agility, and athleticism was better than most wide receivers, while his power and strength outpaced the linebackers and defensive linemen.

To no surprise, Jefferson’s first comment about The Opening was, “Being able to be there, compete, and meet those guys was a real blessing.” He continued, “That’s a whole different ballgame. Everyone there was so gifted. It was fun to be there, and I learned a lot. But mostly it was just great to be able to compete with those guys.”

Now, after completing his final season at the high school level, Jefferson has been tabbed an Under Armor All American and invited to play in their all-star game in January. The accolades, all-star games, and recruiting attention are easy to understand as soon as you look at Jefferson’s statistics.

During his senior campaign, Jefferson racked up 80 Tackles, 16 TFL’s, 6 sacks, 2 forced fumbles, and 4 blocked kicks. Combining that stat line with the athleticism he displayed at The Opening, makes for an easy choice for recruiting services to name Jefferson as the top prep player in the state of Texas.

What really piques the interest of college coaches is looking at Jefferson’s stat’s year-by-year. When Jefferson racked up impressive totals as a sophomore (110 tackles, 24 TFL, 10 sacks, 7 ff, 5 fr, 7 blocked kicks), opposing coaches started trying to find ways to avoid Jefferson throughout games.

“By the time we entered this season, we knew that teams would do their best to avoid Malik. We saw his overall numbers go down as a junior, and we knew they would be even lower this year,” says Groves. “Watching him learn to be productive even though he basically had no opportunities was remarkable. I’d love to take credit for it, but that’s instinctual. A team will run a sweep to the opposite side of the field, and by the end of the play, Malik is either getting up from the pile or is at the tackle. He is always around the football by the time the whistle blows.”

My first opportunity to watch Jefferson play was in Poteet’s game against Richardson Berkner. A 6A school (Poteet is 5A), Berkner ran for a total of 770 yards in their first 2 games, and averaged 50 points/game.

Then Malik Jefferson happened to them.

I watched Berkner spend the first half trying to run away from Jefferson, only to have him crash down the line of scrimmage and make a play on the far side of the field. It happened time and again. Berkner rolled their quarterback outside the pocket in an effort to try throwing over Jefferson’s head, but Poteet’s star ‘backer blurred into the backfield too quickly for any such play to develop.

Three first half touchdowns from Deandre McNeal, an elite recruit in his own right, built a 35-0 halftime lead for the Pirates. Ballgame.

A week later, during Poteet’s game against Rockwall Heath, Jefferson suffered a major head injury in the second quarter. McNeal starred as Poteet notched their fourth win of the season, but the team was shaken after Jefferson’s injury.
 


It would be two games, one against West Mesquite, and the second versus Forney, before doctors cleared the heart of the Pirates to return to football activity. While McNeal picked up the slack with three touchdowns in the two games, Jefferson coached and coaxed his team from the sideline.Regarding Jefferson’s absence on the field, Groves said, “Seeing the guys respond to him, and knowing how much he wanted to be out there…Malik has been a team leader for three years, but those two games said it all.”

I had a chance to catch up with Malik on the sideline before Poteet’s game against Forney. We talked about how quickly life can change, especially in a violent game like football.

“Not being out there with my brothers is tough. We work so hard together, and then something like this happens.” Jefferson continued, “I love this game, and I love to play it. I’m blessed with everything it’s given me. When it all got taken away, it makes me appreciate it even more.”

Both Jefferson and Groves credit Malik’s strong family upbringing for providing such depth of perspective in a 17-year old adolescent. Without hesitation, Jefferson told me that his family is the most important thing in his life, reinforcing Groves’ mantra of Faith and Family before Football.

Jefferson has two older brothers, one, Tarik, that just finished his senior season as a linebacker for the North Texas Mean Green. When talking about being disciplined and his work ethic, Jefferson credits his brother, flashing his big smile as he recalls sitting on Tarik’s back while he did pushups.

Jefferson deflects praise quickly. Rather than talking about his exploits at The Opening or being named to the Under Armor All American team, this humble prepster would rather talk about how his family taught him to work hard, than discuss what the hard work has earned him.

But with seemingly every college between Florida State and Oregon offering Jefferson a scholarship, he’s being forced to address the attention. Recently, Jefferson announced that he pared his list of potential colleges down to seven schools - Baylor, LSU, Oklahoma, TCU, Texas, Texas A&M, and UCLA.

Even though he’s maintained for months that location will not play a deciding factor in his choice, it is difficult to imagine Jefferson playing his college football too far from the family he talks about so lovingly. As for the factors that will play a role in his decision, Jefferson says, “It will come down to the coaches and the team and how I fit in with everyone. They’re going to be like a new family, so that’s what’s most important.”

Jefferson is scheduled to announce his choice on December 19 at Poteet High School with his family and classmates in attendance.

Regardless of what school he chooses, Groves says this season’s head injury served as reassurance of the perspective that will serve Jefferson far beyond his football career, saying, “It has always been more about what life will be after football. He definitely has his priorities in the right place.”

As for which college will benefit from that perspective and Jefferson’s immense physical talent, no one knows – not his teammates – not Groves – not Jefferson’s family.

In fact, with less than two weeks left until his announcement date, I don’t think Jefferson even knows where he’ll go.

The only sure bet is that his choice will be a blessing to that school. 

 

[Lukus Alderman]

Man, that kid sounds great. I really hope we are able to pull him in.

 

[Aaron Carrara]

Great piece Matt. Appropiate it ran today since Malik won the High School Butkus Award today too.

 

[Juan]

Nice work Matt

 

[HornEsch]

Hard to root against a kid like that.

 

[texasdalton]

Well that sure felt like a kick in the balls with how the ags look to be leading. It just doesn't make sense how can such a smart and bright young man think his future is brighter there... good piece though

 

[joeywa]

Good write up Matt.  Thanks. 

 

[Matt Cotcher]

Thanks, y'all. Jefferson is so genuine that he's easy to write about.

 

[Topstarr]

Hope Malik turns into a Longhorn

 

[Sirhornsalot]

Great stuff, Matt. Thoroughly enjoyed the read.

Lukus, don't be a stranger!

 

[armadillo slim]

the derrick johnson parallels are so apparent to me, especially the speed and suddeness and athleticism.  this is a kid that will be a transcendent force on the field.  i hope he wears orange.

 

[Worster1]

Gosh the Horns REALLY need to get this kid.  He should be living in Charlie's Burnt Orange House!!

 

[Matt Cotcher]

Bumping for anyone that missed.