Photography by Steve Buchanan
As a young boy, Queen Anne’s County High School junior Jai Roy figured his chances of playing college football were a long shot at best. But that didn’t stop him from thinking big.
“When I was younger, I just thought it was a dream,” says Roy, who started playing football six years ago for the Queen Anne’s Upper youth program. “I didn’t think it would happen.”
That all changed for Roy early in high school when he dominated playing linebacker by using his size (6-foot-2, 230 pounds) and speed that colleges covet for his position. Both the University of Toledo, and Akron, offered Roy, who also is a standout basketball player, a scholarship during his sophomore year.
“I hope to get more offers over this winter,” Roy says. “I would like to play in a power five conference.”
The interest in the 16-year-old Roy continues to grow. He’s been recruited by Duke, Penn State, Towson, and Temple. He visited Duke and Towson in the fall. “It’s all coming true and nice to see,” Roy says of his prospects of playing in college. “It’s exciting just watching all the big teams playing on TV and believing I can be there one day.”
Queen Anne’s Football Coach Al Waters says Duke is showing the most interest in Roy, who carries a 3.75 grade-point average. The school also tops Roy’s list. “He is really on their radar,” Waters says. “They text him a lot. I think he can play at Duke. He is really quick. Just watch his tape.”
Roy attended the Big East Combine in Virginia Beach this past December for college football prospects. He put on a show. “He destroyed every kid he went one-on-one with,” Waters recalls. “The kids couldn’t block him inside or outside.”
Roy is doing everything possible to make himself a better player. Working out has become a passion of his. He weighed 205 pounds as a sophomore and hit 220 this past fall during football season. Since the season ended in November, Roy has added another 10 pounds. He is also working with a nutritionist.
“He works out at least two hours every day,” Waters says. “Even during basketball season, he still works out full-time. That’s before and after practice. On the weekends. He is not making any excuses to not work out.”
All of Roy’s hard work is showing up on the field. He led the Lions in sacks (8.5) and tackles for loss (16), while racking up 48 total tackles. That earned him First-Team All-Bayside Conference honors. Roy’s performance in one game jumped out. He finished with two sacks, two tackles for loss, and two passes batted down at the line of scrimmage during a 35-28 victory over Wicomico in late October.
Roy, who also plays tight end, totaled seven sacks and 11 tackles for a loss as a sophomore. “You always see teams double-team him or running away from him,” Waters says. “Teams know where he is at all times. He’s got good football awareness and knows where the play is going.”
On the basketball court, Roy is enjoying a breakthrough season. He is averaging 13 points a game from his forward position. “I think I’m one of the team’s best defenders,” Roy says. “I usually guard one of the other team’s best players. With my size, I focus on rebounding and score when needed.”
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