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Bigtime recruit doesn't need football

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Jamarkus McFarland, a 6-foot-3, 285-pound defensive tackle from Lufkin, Texas, is ranked as the country's top 2009 defensive recruit by Rivals.com. Just where he will end up attending college -- he says he is looking at Louisiana State, Oklahoma and Texas, among others -- is the subject of intense speculation in college football circles. But in an era when the nation's top high school prospects increasingly seek out the trappings of taking handouts and traveling with entourages, McFarland, 17, stands apart. He is what recruiters call a blue-chip special -- beyond his dominance as a player, his off-field exploits include everything from being senior-class president at Lufkin High School to making $6.50 an hour working part-time at a local Kmart. McFarland also has an academic average of 92.4 on a 100-point scale and can recite his class rank (103rd out of 607 students) more easily than his football statistics as a junior (67 tackles, 18 tackles for a loss and 6 sacks). "He's the full package," Lufkin Coach John Outlaw said by telephone. "But if he never played another down of football, he'd still be successful. He doesn't need football. Don't take that the wrong way. A lot of kids do for various reasons. He could be a doctor, a lawyer or whatever he wants to be and never take another snap."

new york times

Mack Brown, Stephen Dunn/Getty Images Mack Brown, Stephen Dunn/Getty Images
June 30, 2008  09:16 AM ET

Would be a great addition to the Tiger D.

Geaux Tigers!!!

June 30, 2008  09:51 AM ET

Good for him. I like this story. I wish him luck wherever he goes.

June 30, 2008  10:47 AM ET

I enjoyed this story also. We rarely hear about the good ones.

June 30, 2008  11:28 AM ET

It's nice to know that there are some student-athletes who actually come through on the student part. I hope this guy has a successful career wherever he goes.

June 30, 2008  12:12 PM ET

He's ours, Back off Big 12 teams...

June 30, 2008  12:24 PM ET

Uh oh....I'm sure the ridiculous NCAA will find a way to punish him for working that job at K-mart and ruin his college career.

Anyway, hopefully he goes to a school that can offer him a top tier education as well as football experience

June 30, 2008  12:27 PM ET

LSUrocks,

You sound like we're kids fighting over cotton candy.

June 30, 2008  12:38 PM ET

Anyway, hopefully he goes to a school that can offer him a top tier education as well as football experience

BruinsWin! | 06/30/08, 12:24 PM
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That rules out the Big 12.... I kiddddd!

June 30, 2008  01:43 PM ET

No way for the NCAA to have issue with him working yet. IIRC the NCAA's work limits only start when a player on a full ride start classes.

It is nice to see a true STUDENT ATHLETE that has priorities in order.

June 30, 2008  02:42 PM ET

Only 10 comments thus far??? If the kid robbed somebody or committed some other foolish crime, there woud've been hundreds of comments on this thread. I'll say it again, there's a lot of negative energy in America. Scary.

June 30, 2008  03:22 PM ET

He'll be a Horn for sure. He's the kind of kid Mack Brown always goes after (and gets). Last year's arrests were definitely NOT the norm; Mack had 2 pre-med defensive linemen last season, too.

June 30, 2008  03:55 PM ET

I tip my hat to you Jamarkus McFarland, and your parents too. Thanks for being a great person. On top of being a top student. Best of luck in whatever you do.

June 30, 2008  04:08 PM ET

we'll see ... if the agents and pros want him badly enough, he will face temptation and fall ... the plantation system that is professional sports will not be denied

June 30, 2008  04:24 PM ET

he'll be coming to UT....why go to ou and learn how to work the system by getting a job you never show up and get paid 4 figures. Or lsu where you can have good the good ol' Ryan Perilloux treatment. ( I never thanked lsu for taking him off of our hands...thanks LSU!!!!) Thank yall so much!!!

But yes, UT would be the perfect place for him, here's to you and your parents for showing all kids how it should be done!!! See ya on the 40 acres soon enough!!!

June 30, 2008  06:03 PM ET

we'll see ... if the agents and pros want him badly enough, he will face temptation and fall ... the plantation system that is professional sports will not be denied

silverblack23 | 06/30/08, 04:08 PM


A perfect example of what I was talking about. There's an abundance of negative energy. What happened to the old adage, "If you have nothing good to say, say nothing at all..."

June 30, 2008  06:43 PM ET

Yeah, as good as this kid is, the lure of a really big time program doesn't faze him...To Texas goes the gift..

June 30, 2008  07:39 PM ET

Shame more of our college football players aren't like this.

June 30, 2008  08:26 PM ET

More of our college football players could be like this if the colleges recruited them. Instead they recruit the great athletes that don't qualify until mid summer, and then barely. Or they recruit the ones that have to spend a year at Fork Union etc to be eligible.

If the NCAA made a rule that recruits had to have SAT's and GPA's within one standard deviation of the school average and schools made a policy of not giving scholarships to freshmen with police records, there would be a lot more recruits like Mcfarland.

July 1, 2008  01:31 AM ET

He's right ....he doesn't need football. He can still earn the millions, it just will take him his whole life instead of a few years. Before you all start to yell....I agree that money isn't everything and I think he has his head on straight. But, if money IS most important to him, then he's fooling himself. Only he knows.

 
July 1, 2008  08:34 AM ET

Remember the last guy like this? Craig Klutzel....

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