Meziah Scott comes home to play for Virginia State University, the journey from the portal
After the fall football season players take a journey through the transfer portal, for their own reasons, to play for a different team and Meziah Scott is one of those players who found their way home when their journey through the portal came to an end.
Scott will continue his talents on the football field and continue his education at Virginia State University. As a Trojan, he will play for his local college and play with some teammates that he had in high school.
"Upton Bailey, Zyshawn White, and I were the deadly crew at PHS," Meziah Scott explained.
Scott was prepared for his first semester at college regarding academics and athletics. He called it a different but familiar experience because Scott was used to it in high school going from classes at Richard Bland College and experiencing high school football.
But his scholarship was going to expire at the end of May and it would not be renewed. With that information in mind, Scott decided to enter the transfer portal to see if he can still graduate in 2023 on time and see where he could play football.
The school that wanted him was VSU. After talking about a plan for Scott and realizing he could stay on track to finish the year, not having to retake any classes he committed.
"I was already ahead and I didn’t want to put myself back a year," Scott explains.
Someone's first semester of college can always be a learning experience for them since they are away from home. But from being six hours away Scott was humbled by the experience of playing football and going through the transfer portal.
"I was appreciative of the football experience and was exposed to a lot of football, how to treat my body...," Scott explains.
Scott committed to play for WCU in December of 2020. However, when Scott got there in the summer of 2021, he ended up playing for a different coach that brought in a lot of his personnel to the team. His first day meeting the new coach was his first day on campus, July 5.
So, Scott decided to leave and enter the transfer portal at the end of the semester. He says he appreciates the option that WCU presented to him that it was okay to leave; especially since Scott was away from home and it was his first time on his own.
"I learned a lot of survival mechanisms. It was about making decisions for myself and being able to live with the consequences of those decisions," he said.
Now, he is back in Petersburg going to school online. He is grateful that he gets to play for the Trojans and play for the team he saw play for the first time for Homecoming 2021.
"I knew it was there and if I played there, then it would be a very big thing, and having the opportunity now, I am very grateful...," he said.
The hometown kid gets to return home and play in front of his family, which is very important to him. It could be difficult for his family sees him play at WCU because they were far away and not be able to see his growth.
"Now they get to see what I can become right in front of their eyes," he says.
The first semester at college will always change students, especially in the first semester. But Scott's journey took an interesting turn through the transfer portal and now since he is closer to home everyone can see the journey and growth of the homegrown quarterback.
Zoe Collins Rath (she/her/hers) is a sports and education reporter for the Progress-Index. For times email her at ZCollinsRath@gannett.com or follow her on Twitter @zoe_jordan99.
This article originally appeared on The Progress-Index: Virginia State has a new quarterback from the transfer portal, it's Meziah Scott
