"There is not much
around here but a couple of pick of packs and a whole lot of football," added
a giggling Josh Boyd, whose nickname is just "Boyd". "We love our
sports around here. Everything is pretty much centered around football, basketball,
baseball, and track. We like it that way."
The 6' 4", 280 pound
defensive tackle was the also the "center" of their defense last year
as he accumulated 154 tackles, 28 for losses, 4 sacks, 4 blocked punts, and 2
field goal blocks.
"I guess I just come off of the ball quick, and
I am a pretty good pass rusher. Probably my pass rushing improved the most this
year. I do everything else pretty good. But next year I want to keep working on
my pass rushing more. I can do better than four sacks. I know that."
Boyd
was named 2nd Team All-State by the Jackson Clarion Ledger, 1st Team All-State
(Class 2A), and was also named the Class 2A Defensive Player of the Year.
"All
of those awards are nice, but we got beat out of the 3rd round last year. Next
year is my last year to be able to get that ring, so I am going to work extra
hard in the offseason to get us there."
The weight room is also another
place where Josh excels as he is already benching 385 bounds and squats 515.
"I
hope to get that up to 425 and 550 by the time my senior season starts."
College
recruiters have certainly taken notice as he has already received a handful of
scholarship offers.
"I got a written offer from Ole Miss a few days
ago. They are my latest offer. USM, MSU, and Alabama all have theirs in writing
too. Michigan was a verbal scholarship offer. They offere me last week too. When
one offered, they all started offering me."
Who else is heavily recruiting
the young man?
"Most of them are keeping regular tabs. They call and
ask me how I am doing. Auburn started sending me letters last week, but they have
not offered me yet. They are sending me a lot of hand written letters though."
Which
colleges has Boyd personally spoken to?
"I spoke to the head coach
at MSU. He came by the school to see me. I spoke to Coach Saban on the phone.
The DL coach at Ole Miss. I called him the night I got my offer. And the defensive
coordinator at USM. I spoke to him on the phone."
What does Josh know
about each of the schools who are interested in him?
Ole
Miss - "I do not know too much about their new staff, but I know they
have a good football program. I watch them on tv a lot. They have a good academic
school too. I could probably get some early playing time too. Their defensive
line coach told me that they wanted me real badly, and they were going to recruit
me real hard. I got a letter in inviting me to their Jr Day in a couple of weeks,
so I am going to go check it out and see what they are all about."
MSU
- "They are about the same as Ole Miss. I like them too. The only thing about
them, they sent their head coach to see me. That stands out. They turned their
program around, so I figure that it would be a pretty good school to play for.
They also invited me to their Jr Day, so I am probably going to go check them
out too."
Alabama - "I just like
the environment around there. I went to a couple of their games, and I liked how
the crowd got into it. That would be a pretty nice place to be. They also want
me to come over to their Jr Day, so I am going to go over there and check things
out."
Michigan - "I am interested
in Michigan, but I do not know too much about them because they are so far away.
I know they are a pretty good school though. I am very interested in Michigan."
USM
- "I like USM, plus, I would get another chance to play with Anthony Gray.
That is what I like about them. I do not know too much about their new school,
but he is probably a pretty nice guy. They have a good environment too."
Any
schools out there that Josh would like to start recruiting him that presently
are not?
"I would like to see Arkansas start recruiting me. I watch
them a lot on tv and I like their style of play. They are real fun to watch. And
I would like to see LSU and Florida start recruiting me. I love watching the SEC,
and they are two power house programs in the conference."
Does Boyd
have a timeline on when he wants to make a decision?
"It will probably
be after my senior season so I can go on all of my visits. I do not want to commit
before I get a chance to see everything."
What will be the main factors
when it does come decision time?
"I really want to get a good education.
Education is everything to me. I want to go to a school where education is as
important as football."
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