Durham running back a ‘Blue blur’ as he pounds out yards — and TDs — at Jordan High
Morgan State assistant football coach Moses Ware scouted Jordan High’s game last week from the sidelines. He focused on two Falcons in the trenches, both on the offensive line’s left side.
One was Matt McDonald, a 6-foot-4, 270-pounder committed to Morgan State. Ware also attended to evaluate Tyler Clark, a 6-3, 280-pounder. Both can deliver physical blocks. Both can get outside to stretch plays.
“They’re my dawgs,” said Jordan junior running back Amareon Blue, who has amassed 1,320 yards, 26 touchdowns and 172 points through eight games. “I appreciate them so much.”
McDonald and Clark can open a big hole, but Ware also noticed Amareon only needed a sliver and he’s a Blue Blur. On Jordan’s first snap, Blue gained 50 yards behind McDonald and Clark. On the second snap, Blue once again saw a hole to run through and hit it fast to score from five yards out.
In other words, Blue likely won’t spend his freshman year in 2025 with coaches yelling in his ear, “RUN NORTH-SOUTH!”
‘He’s a football player’
Part of the solidly built 5-foot-8, 192-pounder’s advanced game is he inherited blue-blood genes. His father is A.J. Blue, a North Carolina running back (2009-13) who remains with the Tar Heels as an assistant strength and conditioning coach. Another element is osmosis from viewing his father’s films and while growing up watching his older cousins’ high school games.
None of that, though, has negated his work ethic.
“I know what coaches at the next level are looking for, and he works hard at it,” said Jordan head coach Antonio King, a former college assistant at East Carolina and NC Central. “He’s a football player. Just give him a helmet. We could put him at defensive tackle, and he’d get the job done.”
King is in his first year at Jordan, but he is a veteran Durham high school coach. In seven seasons at Hillside (2009-15), he was 72-19 (.791), including an unbeaten 2010 North Carolina 4A title. The 16-0 team was led by quarterback Vad Lee, who went on to play at Georgia Tech and James Madison, and defensive back Myer Krah, who played at Navy.
King has lifted the Falcons’ level of play from Blue’s varsity seasons as a freshman with a 4-5 record and as a sophomore at 6-7.
“He’s pushing me, and I appreciate it,” Blue said. “It’s good to have a different point of view and opinions from him.”
Exploring recruiting options
Although Blue’s recruiting profile is still coming together, King pointed out some college coaches coming through campus are making the mistake of assuming Carolina blue is fait accompli. Blue affirmed he’s not limited to the family tree.
“I’m looking at the depth chart, the roster, the coaches and the school,” Blue said. “I want a place that is right for me.”
That doesn’t mean North Carolina is off his list. It means he’s listening to others. But those decisions are next spring or summer. He’s focused on Jordan’s final three regular season games.
The Falcons are 6-2 overall and share the 4A Durham Athletic Conference lead at 3-0 with Hillside (4-4). Next up is Northern (2-6, 1-2 4A DAC) at 7 p.m. Friday at the Knights’ field.
Helping Jordan down the stretch
The team’s pressing concern, Blue said, is remaining sharp after three straight wins with a running clock in the second half: Riverside last week, 70-0; East Chapel Hill, 70-0; and Chapel Hill, 65-0. The running clock meant short nights. Jordan ran only 23 plays against Riverside. Blue carried just seven times, although that was enough for 154 yards and four touchdowns.
“It starts with practice,” he said. “We’ve been practicing hard so we’ll be prepared for the level of talent we’ll see in the playoffs.”
But don’t be misled by the mismatches. Blue has shown he can produce against state-level competition. He opened the 2023 season with 29 carries for 314 yards and four touchdowns in a 35-31 loss to Cardinal Gibbons. He ran 15 times for 123 yards and two touchdowns in a 33-22 loss to Millbrook.
A year ago, Blue put together a three-game postseason run with 600 yards and five touchdowns. In a 23-20 win over Fayetteville Jack Britt, 24-199-1; a 32-28 win over Southern Pines, 26-171-1; and a 38-33 loss to New Bern, 42-230-3.
All in the family
Blue, who had been living with his mother in Gastonia, arrived at Jordan as a freshman. The move to live with his father was based on finding a better test of his talent in the Triangle. A.J. Blue had been working on UNC’s strength and conditioning staff since 2015 and had a home near Jordan’s campus.
“My dad and I talked about that,” Blue said. “This is a good high school experience. I live close enough I can walk to school.”
Fathers — as a former Division I athlete or not — can be the bane of high school coaches with their free opinions. But Amareon said his father has remained in the background.
“My dad has been relaxed,” he said. “Sometimes he wants to give me his input, but he leaves it up to the coach. I appreciate it. I know it can be tough for other kids.”
As for the pressure of having “A.J. Blue’s kid” strapped to his back, he says he loved the sport before he realized the burden.
“I’m cool with it,” he said. “There’s never been a pressure thing with me either way.”
He’s just as cool hitting a hole with North-South authority.
