Vice President for Athletics at Jacksonville State University
Jacksonville, AL
Joined August 2009
- Tweets6.9K
- Following2.8K
- Followers12.2K
- Likes16.4K
Congrats!
No surprises here😤
Shadrack Kipkurgat and Mercy Sergon win @ConferenceUSA Freshman of the Week for the 4⃣th time this season!!
#StayCocky🐔| #FearTheBeak👌
Congrats to @JaxStateMBB head coach Ray Harper on coming in at No. 24 on this list of the current 365 D1 coaches! #StayCocky
Let’s Go!
The fourth installment of Weekday Warrior is here. Click the link below to watch the full episode recapping
@Dane__Lewis time in Jacksonville, AL
Watch: bit.ly/3WaGJla
#NoLimitsOnUs
AKC
Deondre Johnson is 6 foot 8.
As a high school freshman he was classified an at risk student.
He left that school on the high honor roll and became the first person in his family to go Division One.
Here is the whole thing.
He is from Newburgh, New York, and he went to Newburgh Free Academy.
Here is how he described the turn.
"Becoming a leader was the true turnaround; it happened by trusting the people around me."
One of his counselors there, Lakeya Stokes, put it more plainly.
"He went from a struggling student to a High Honor Roll one."
He was the best athlete in the state by the time he finished. He caught 27 passes for 629 yards and 8 touchdowns as a senior and took his school to the state championship game.
Here is what he said on signing day.
"I'm the first in my family to go Division One."
He signed with Rutgers, which is about 90 minutes from his house.
And then two years happened to him. He played in one game as a true freshman. The next season he redshirted. That is it. Two years, one game.
Here is what he says about that now.
"What I went through at Rutgers, not playing, helped me learn about football and readjust myself. It actually made me a better person and man."
He went into the transfer portal and Jacksonville State wanted him. The problem was the distance.
"I wasn't good with leaving home 15 hours from home."
Two things got him on the plane. One was a teammate from back home taking the same visit. The other was the receivers coach.
"He reminded me so much of my high school coach, and my high school coach is the one who brought out all the confidence in me."
So he went 15 hours.
Last season he caught 30 passes for 724 yards and six touchdowns, had four games over 100 yards, and led the team in both. All conference honorable mention.
Here is his head coach, Charles Kelly, on why it took so long.
"I think a lot of times, including myself, we see a young man with his size and his athletic ability, and we think, 'Boy, it all just ought to happen right now.' But guess what? He's a young man too."
Here is the honest part. This season has been quieter. Through six games he has 18 catches for 338 yards and two touchdowns, which is a slower pace than last year.
But a week ago he went for 112 yards at Kennesaw State, and on Tuesday night Jacksonville State beat Florida International 27 to 24. They are 5 and 2.
Here is what he says he wants out of the rest of it.
"I hope to continue to make my family and Newburgh proud."
A kid they had flagged as at risk is the tallest receiver most of these defensive backs will ever see, and he is 15 hours from the only town he knows.
AKC!
Deondre Johnson - who checks in as a 6'8" wide receiver - went off last night for @JaxStateFB.
Let’s Go!
Solid day at the Georgia Tech Invitational🐝
Thomas Dewey earned the top finish of the men’s squad with a time of 25:16.69 in the 8k!! Maxima Majer was the top finisher of the women’s group with a time of 23:45.71 in the 6k!!
#StayCocky🐔| #FearTheBeak👌| #Tracksonville🏡
AKC!
📈 𝐓𝐨𝐩 𝟏𝟎𝟎 𝐏𝐫𝐨𝐠𝐫𝐚𝐦𝐬: 𝐉𝐚𝐜𝐤𝐬𝐨𝐧𝐯𝐢𝐥𝐥𝐞 𝐒𝐭𝐚𝐭𝐞
(Presented by KinaTrax)
@JaxStateBB showed what it’s capable of with a 48-win spring. And with Travis Creel taking over, it looks well-positioned to keep building.
Nos. 90-81 👉 buff.ly/rgQIYnM
Today’s passage of the Protect College Sports Act by the United States Senate represents an important step toward providing greater stability and a consistent national framework for the future of college athletics.
College athletics has experienced unprecedented change in recent years, particularly in the areas of name, image and likeness, revenue sharing, student-athlete eligibility and the transfer environment. Throughout that change, our responsibility has remained the same — to provide meaningful educational opportunities, support the well-being of student-athletes and preserve opportunities to compete across a broad range of sports.
At Jax State, we believe student-athletes should have the opportunity to benefit from their name, image and likeness and share in the growing revenues generated by college athletics. At the same time, schools and student-athletes need clear, consistent and enforceable rules that allow us to plan responsibly for the future.
There is still work ahead as this legislation moves through the process, but Senate passage is a significant step toward establishing the certainty and stability that college athletics has needed for some time.
We appreciate the bipartisan work that has gone into addressing these complex issues and remain committed to working with Conference USA, the NCAA and our colleagues across college athletics as this process continues.
Most importantly, we will continue to keep our student-athletes and the opportunities college athletics provides at the center of everything we do.
Thanks for coming! Proud that we have the best fans, band and game day atmosphere in the league. You are welcome back anytime.
Always love going to @JaxStateFB
The one thing that remains clear is that their fans are engaged. When you go to the local sports bar, there’s not a bunch of crimson or orange…
Then when you get into the game, they are loud when it’s time to be loud. Band, DJ, PA, all on the same page. You get enough of all of it.
Many places it’s all band. Many places it’s all DJ. Way too many places there’s no crowd pop on big plays, no noise on 3rd downs, just people sitting there.
Not at Jax. What a great environment once again.
Let’s Go!
BIG day in the Rocket City🚀
The Jax State men's squad placed No. 6 of 29 schools, paired with the women's group who placed No. 7 out of 31 schools👏
Great effort from the Gamecocks today!!
#StayCocky🐔| #FearTheBeak👌| #Tracksonville🏡
Great evening spending time with our Jax State student-athletes!
Always a privilege to speak to this group and welcome everyone back for another year. Proud of who they are, how they represent Jax State, and everything they accomplish in competition, in the classroom and in our community.
Excited for what’s ahead. Go Gamecocks! 🔥🐔 #StayCocky
Let’s Go!
𝐆𝐚𝐦𝐞 𝐃𝐚𝐲‼️
🆚 Eastern Kentucky
🕛 6:00PM CT
🏟️ AmFirst Stadium
📍 Jacksonville, AL
📺 ESPN+
#EmbraceTheGrind | #AKC
Did you know that Dolly Parton performed at Pete Mathews Coliseum at Jax State in 1977. Here are a couple of photos from that sold out show.
