James Heard Jr. made his presence felt in his first game as a member of the Orange, hauling in an interception on a deflected pass in the second half of SU's season-opening win over Ohio.
It wasn't too shabby for his first true action since high school.
What You Need To Know
- James Heard Jr. is ready to step into the starting role left by an injured Marlowe Wax
- Wax, the heart and soul of the defense, is expected to miss the next six weeks with a lower body injury
- Heard is embracing the challenge and knows it wont be easy
“That was kind of my first time back on the field since high school," Heard said. "So it was really cool moment.”
As promising as his start was, the road only gets tougher. Heard now looks to fill the role of an injured Marlowe Wax, the heart and soul of SU’s defense who is set to miss the next six weeks with a lower body injury.
“I kind of felt like follow the route that Marlowe set for all of us," Heard said. "He's a leader of the group. He's a coach for real, on the field, off the field. So it's really just follow his path that coach Fran (Brown) set for us. Hopefully, everything should be falling into place from there.”
“It’s something he's dreamed about. Obviously, doesn't come in the right circumstances, right," defensive back Justin Barron added. "That's never what you wish for to get the starting spot, but you know, you got to embrace it. You’ve got to go fast. You don't have time to waste.”
What makes the opportunity more incredible is the fact that Heard has only been playing football for five years, showing how far hard work can take you in a short time.
“I kind of worked super hard when I started playing football around when I was 13," Heard said. "Before I started playing, I was during karate, so I kind of knew I was agile and I had the flexibility to be on the field. It was just gaining the strength part and knowing the whole football game. And when I was like 14, I took the whole year to like go to all these, I think like 22 college camps, and that's kind of where the process started. And I haven't looked back since.”
He’s earning the trust of Fran Brown, a relationship that started long ago.
“His dad's mom and my dad are actually related," Brown said of Heard. "So he's actually my little cousin.”
"It's kind of regular," Heard added of the family connection with Brown. "I mean, the whole team is like kin, for real. So everybody is kind of related in their own way. I mean, I went to school with about seven of the players on this team. So it's kind of like everybody's family.”
As ready as he is, Heard knows the Orange defense needs to be better. SU gave up too many big plays on the ground against Ohio. But Heard is echoing what Brown said after the game. Physicality is key. A mindset that begins on the practice field.
“Just a lot of tackling circuits, for real," Heard said. "And before, you know, we do a stretch and we came straight to it. So it's really, is really a mental thing. It's not really a technical thing. Just run to make that contact.”