Maxwell-Sportlink Award

JaMarkus McFarland, Lufkin High School

For a player going to Oklahoma- proud wearers of the Crimson and Cream- there is a lot of Blue in JaMarkus McFarland’s life.

Defensive tackle McFarland is a Blue Chip prospect. Recruiting guru Tom Lemming ranks McFarland – who carries 285 pounds on his 6’3” frame- as the #1 prep defensive tackle in the nation.

It is easy to see why. As a junior, McFarland racked up 67 tackles- 18 of them for a loss- and six sacks. Facing an increased number of double and triple teams, his numbers dipped slightly as a senior. But he still ended his campaign with 11 tackles for loss and seven sacks.

His efforts helped his Lufkin High team win their district, as they allowed a stingy 13 points per game in district play. Those same efforts propelled him to a roster spot in this year’s U.S. Army All-American Bowl.

But what distinguishes McFarland from other elite players are his intangibles. “He is a total human being. He is very respectful,” describes Lufkin head coach John Outlaw.

Continues Outlaw, “He takes care of his schoolwork. He represents the city of Lufkin on and off the football field and in the community. He spends time with little kids. He does all of the things that you would expect an adult to do.”

The likely kinesiology major- McFarland wants to be a physical trainer or a strength and conditioning coach- brings Blue Ribbon grades to Oklahoma. McFarland, wrote Lemming, “can change a program on and off the field.”

McFarland carries a 92.4 academic average on a 100 point scale. The senior ranks in the top sixth of his class at Lufkin High, where he also serves as the class president. One of the factors which swayed McFarland to attend Oklahoma came after OU President David Boren offered McFarland admission into his elite President’s Leadership Class (PLC).

The PLC “is a program designed to cultivate student’s leadership abilities,” says the University of Oklahoma. “These students, recognized as leaders in high schools, are provided opportunities to apply their leadership skills through diverse activities across campus and to meet many university, state and national leaders.”

Another deciding factor may have been the five Sooner defensive ends and tackles who have been selected in the last six NFL drafts. That successful legacy is not lost on McFarland.

“He is the only person I’ve coached in 33 years who could bench press 300 pounds as a ninth grader,” observed Outlaw. “He has the body frame for the NFL. God gave him a gift and he has taken advantage of it both on the field and in the classroom.”

Perhaps that is because of his Blue Collar values. “I’ve been brought up listening to them (his mother and grandmother) and obeying their rules,“ he told the New York Times in a December 2008 article. “To go against them is hard to do.”

“It’s not just about football,” his mother, Kashemeyia Adams, said to the Times when asked about her son’s college selection process. “It’s about education and an atmosphere of coaches that will help take this next step into transitioning into a man.”

Part of that Blue Collar ethic includes laboring amidst the Blue Light specials. As if star student, class president and football prodigy weren’t enough, McFarland works 25 hours a week at K-Mart.

“I like the responsibility the most,” said McFarland to the Times. “I don’t care if my check is $50 or $200. It’s the fact that I’m working. It gets me ready for the next level of life.”

JaMarkus McFarland won the 2008 Maxwell/SportLink High School Player of the Year…because he is a person who comes along once in a Blue Moon.