The always-present feeling of hope: “There’s always next year,” cries the disillusioned fan. That sentiment—that this may not be your year, but the next one could be—is precisely what makes being a sports fan special. Take, for example, the situation over at Carver-Columbus.
Before Dell McGee was introduced as the head football coach at Carver in 2005, the school had only made it past the first round of the playoffs once, and in McGee’s first year the Tigers sputtered to a 3-7 mark. All the while, though, Carver fans knew that one of these years would be their year.
In 2006, McGee reinforced that hope, out of nowhere turning things around and leading Carver to an impressive 12-2 record before falling at the Georgia Dome in the state semifinals. Then in 2007, the incredible turnaround was finally complete, as the Tigers put together a perfect 15-0 season on their way to winning the state championship. While such drastic improvements are what keep struggling fans hanging around, those types of things don’t just happen.
“We emphasize the weight room a whole lot,” McGee explained. “I’m not speaking bad about the previous coach, but that was not a great emphasis of his. To compete in Georgia you’ve got to make sure you have a great foundation in the weight room and a great work ethic in the weight room as well. I think that’s been the biggest change that has happened thus far.”
DYNAMIC BUT HUMBLE
While there is no doubt that coach McGee and his staff have introduced a winning culture to Carver, there is no such thing as winning without talent. McGee has a truly special kind of talent at his disposal in the form of all-world senior linebacker Jarvis Jones. According to Rivals.com, the freakish athlete is worthy of both a four-star rating and the 39th spot in their top-100 rankings. At 6-foot-3, 226 pounds, Jones is a physical specimen and an absolute terror on the football field. It is his off-the-field demeanor, however, that most impresses the head ball coach.
“He’s a very humble and quiet kid,” says McGee. “He’s taken all this exposure and coverage, and he hasn’t gotten a big head. He’s not very cocky or arrogant because he’s getting all this attention. For him to stay humble and even-keeled is a tribute to his character and what his parents have instilled in him.”
And while college coaches are breaking down doors just for the chance to land an athlete like Jones, he himself is quick to defer credit to those around him. While talking about his team’s championship run last fall, Jones was quick to praise his teammates.
“We just had some great players on our team and Coach did a great job of coaching us up,” Jones said. “Everybody was on the same page and wanted to win. Every week, no matter who we played, we had to fight and that’s how we practiced.”
When asked what he would take away from his high-school career under McGee, Jones cited this simple mantra: “Hard work, dedication and discipline,” the young, but noticeably mature linebacker stated. It is precisely that type of levelheaded wisdom, combined with his unique physical skills, that makes Jarvis Jones a can’t-miss prospect. And college coaches couldn’t agree more.
THE CHASE
You don’t become the top-rated football player in the State of Georgia, as Jarvis Jones has, without gaining the attention of college coaches across America. And with offers from every big-time program in the land, including Georgia, Auburn, Florida, Florida State, LSU, Miami, Southern California, and Texas, Jarvis has certainly caught the eye of a few.
Though he has the luxury of choosing from them all, Jarvis has cut his list down to seven schools: Clemson, Georgia, Florida, Texas, LSU, Southern California and Miami. With schools of such prestige filling out his list, one would assume even a player like Jarvis will need some time to adjust to the increased speed and talent at the collegiate level. However, the man who gets to witness Jarvis’s skills most frequently would disagree.
“I can see him going in his first year and starting wherever he decides to go to school,” McGee said. “It’s hard to start, especially in the SEC and at some of the other schools recruiting him, but I think he is that talented and definitely has the physical attributes to do it.”
Of course, don’t expect the down-to-earth Carver linebacker to praise himself as highly as most others do. “I want to get faster and stronger because college athletes are much faster than in high school,” Jones says. “Wherever they put me, I will just give it my all. I expect to play linebacker, but will line up wherever the team needs me.”
Jones says he will choose his college destination based on, among other things, quality of coaching. No matter where he goes, though his ego may never grow, his skills and performance on the gridiron most certainly will.
Jarvis Jones: the humble, can’t-miss prospect.
Janovitz can be reached at sjanovitz@scoreatl.com.
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