Packer alum about to complete first XFL season

Apr. 17—MOULTRIE — "The Packers still influence me," said Moultrie native Ja'Quain "Jay" Blakely. "Everywhere I go I'm quick to tell people what high school I went to. I bleed black and gold, and will always fight for my Packers."

Blakely frequently travels for his career as a professional football player in the XFL.

Blakely played Colquitt County High School varsity football from 2013-2016, was on a sports scholarship to University of Tennessee with the Volunteers from 2016-2021, and is now in his first year playing for the XFL as a member of the Orlando Guardians.

Beginning as a Packer and continuing throughout his career, Blakely has always worn the number 48.

"It's a thing that just stuck to me," said Blakely. "In the beginning I didn't even want it. I wanted 7. I wound up getting 48 and fell in love with it. When I went to college the only thing I said was if I come here I want 48. That's my only request. Tennessee gave me 48 and also gave me locker 48. No one else had the same locker and jersey but 48. It's just been that thing and I hope it keeps sticking through my career."

Everyone knows the NFL, but what is the XFL?

The XFL is an American professional football league that was originally established in 2000 by Vince McMahon of the now-WWE as a combination of wrestling and football. Needless to say, it did not go well and there was only one season in 2001.

McMahon tried to revive the league in 2018 saying he was going to make it more family friendly, but declared bankruptcy during the 2020 COVID-19 pandemic and the XFL later went up for sale.

Actor, and former wrestler, Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson bought the XFL in August 2022 for $15 million, alongside business partner Dany Garcia and Redbird Capital, with the intention of giving those football athletes who want to play, but don't quite make the NFL, have a place to compete professionally.

"It was the easiest yes I've ever said," said Johnson in an interview with ESPN's Scott Van Pelt regarding his recent purchase of the XFL. "It was the opportunity to create a league that I wish I had when I was around...This creates a culture for second chance players like me. There are 53 men on a roster, and I was always 54. These are the teams for those '54' players."

Johnson played defensive linemen at Freedom High School, Penn. and went on with a full ride scholarship to the University of Miami. During his college career he injured his shoulder and his spot was filled by Warren Scapp, who has since been inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame.

Johnson missed his NFL opportunity because of his injury, though, as everyone knows, he had a pretty successful career regardless.

One of those '54' players Johnson wanted to create a league for was Blakely, who happens to also be a defensive lineman. "You're going to make me sound like a psychopath," said Blakely laughing after being asked why he liked the position of DL. "I love the physicality of it. I love that I can hit people and legally get away with it. Just being real. A lot of DL's that's what we do. That's why we play. We are all off a little bit in the head because if you tell a normal person 'I want you for two and a half hours straight, have you put heavy equipment on and then bang your head against another full man's head' they wouldn't do that. But, we [DL's] get upset when we don't get to do that. We want to. You can legally hit someone and get praised for it. You can't do that anywhere else and get away with it."

Blakely isn't the only one who has commented on this aspect of being a DL.

"Coach Ed Orgeron said I had great upper body violence, which is a compliment," said Johnson in that same ESPN interview with Pelt.

During his high school years as a Packer, Blakely didn't see a starting position until junior high.

"That was a special moment in my career," said Blakely. "That first championship when I got to start for the first time against Valdosta. I remember it like it was yesterday. I didn't even know I was starting until the Thursday before the game. That whole game was so electric. It was my first start in high school my junior year. I had a great game too. Played really well. It was my breakout game."

During his Packers career, Colquitt County High School won two consecutive state championship football titles — 2014 and 2015 — having an undefeated season of 15-0 in 2015.

"That year we had great leaders," said Blakely. "Guys that were really hungry and wanted it. It was a great feeling to know everyone was on the same page and was ready to go."

By the time he finished his senior season at Colquitt County, Blakely had 61 solo tackles, 115 total tackles and 4.5 sacks during his 38 games played.

After graduating high school in 2016, Blakely went to the University of Tennessee on scholarship as a DL for the Tennessee Vols.

Blakely was redshirted for his freshman year, but he still ended his college career with a total of 50 games played. During those games he completed 17 solo tackles, 44 total tackles and 3.5 sacks. The majority of his plays were during his final seasons.

"I was just coming in after a second elbow ligament surgery," said Blakely when asked why the decision was made to redshirt him. "I was slow at first because I was coming off the surgery and getting back into the groove ... for me, it gave me more experience and time to catch up to the college level speed of the game without being so under pressure to learn as fast as I could. I was able to ease into it."

Then COVID-19 hit during Blakely's RS-senior season, which made the league come to an abrupt halt after only 10 games.

Because the pandemic cut the 2019-2020 season short, the NCAA granted permission for collegiate level players in their final eligible year the option to play in the 2020-2021 season.

That combined with being redshirted gave Blakely an uncommon six years in his college football career. {

"It was a crazy event, a historical tragedy," said Blakely. "But, honestly, in some aspects it helped a lot because it gave some guys the extra opportunity for an extra season of play. 10 games isn't enough, you need more time. That gave us the extra year."

Blakely was referring to the ability to shoot more good video films to show potential recruiters, like the XFL, NFL or IFL.

The Indoor Football League picked up Blakely shortly after the 2022 Pro Day, and he played five games for the IFL before being sought out for the XFL draft, which was held in November of 2022.

"I got the call about three or four days beforehand," said Blakely. "They asked me how fast I could get there, and the next day I was on a flight that morning out of Atlanta and was in Texas that afternoon."

After the draft, which keeps similar to the NFL draft when comparing their camps and training, Blakely signed a one season contract with the XFL Orlando Guardians.

"At the beginning it was a hard transition," said Blakely. "Certain rules are similar, but some are different. Like, you can't leave until the ball is caught. First couple times doing that it's hard to grasp. I'm so used to leaving on the sound of the ball. Now I gotta wait until the ball is caught. After about two or three games though it became second nature."

Blakely explains another rule that has changed the way he plays. "When it comes to the kickoff you're only five yards away from the defender. You gotta make that decision right then."

Blakely goes on to explain how in the NFL or at a collegiate level a player has time to see angles and lineups, but, because the teams start closer together in the XFL, there isn't that opportunity. "It's right here, right now," said Blakely. "You gotta get it, go after it. You gotta be fast." In fact, his quick movement is exactly what caught the XFL's attention in the first place. "Based on his films he played very fast, and we needed that," said Mark Snyder, who is Blakely's linebackers coach.

"He is a very twitchy football player, meaning he is explosive. He is the Energizer Bunny of the team."

Currently, the Orlando Guardians are 1-7."It's a work in progress," said Snyder. "You have to get to know all the different personalities and get to know who can do what. In year two we will have a better feel for what they will do."

Three of their losses this season have been within a three-point margin. "It's very frustrating to know, man, one-point, two-point, three-point margin," said Blakely. "But, if you look at it from the XFL it is not that bad. As crazy as it sounds to lose 10-11 it's not really that crazy in the XFL. You can score up to nine points in a play. So, you could be behind fairly much and come back in two series."

Another rule that is very different in the XFL when compared to the NFL is that there are no extra points after a touchdown, which is still worth six points. After a touchdown, the team has three run/pass only options: the 2-yard line for one point, 5-yard line for two points or 10-yard line for three points.

"To go back and look at the films to see what happened it might not be the obvious plays that made the game," said Blakely. "It could only be one play that resulted in 3-yards that ended up making the difference in a win or lose. Those small things really add up to big things." With only two games left, Blakely has almost completed his first season as a professional football player. He has played in four games thus far. "It's a totally different schedule," said Blakely when asked how it is being a professional player. "I always say high school is a grind, college is a harder grind, and pro is even harder grind, but it's more personal."

Blakely explains how more of the responsibility now falls on his shoulders. "When you're a pro no one is over your shoulder saying you gotta workout. They tell you what time it is, but you don't have to go. But, as a pro you know your body and so you treat it well. Your body is your paycheck, and you get out what you put into it. It's cliche, but it's true. It's really up to the player to make sure they stay relevant.

"When we first started, it was nerve wracking because I had a roommate during camp that went to practice one afternoon and then he was gone the next morning," said Blakely. " They had cut him ... it forces you to really stay focused and put your mind to business and what you are here for."

Knowing his situation could change at any time, Blakley makes sure to always bring his best. "The football Gods don't show no mercy to anybody, boy or girl, it doesn't matter," said Blakely. "If you cheat the system the system will cheat you."

Though physical health is obviously important for any professional athlete, it's not the only thing that should be focused on if a player wants to properly prepare for games. "Mental health is really key when being a professional," said Blakely. "That's what keeps you in it ... in order to stay in the game you do have to have body prep and be healthy, but you also have to have a good mental game. You can have talent, but if you don't stay healthy you won't stay in for long."

Blakely's coach agreed the game is about more than skill. "When you build a team you look for chemistry," said Snyder. "He [Blakely] has a really good personality. Very distinct and vibrant. He always has a smile on his face, and he gets along with everybody. He has a future ahead of him."

So, how does Blakely maintain everything?"Surround yourself with people who are like minded. I hangout with teammates all the time and they keep me going as I keep them going." Because football is not only a team sport but a challenging sport, Blakely explains how the Orlando Guardians have formed a brotherhood to keep each other accountable. "You have bad days and good days," said Blakely. "The bad days could be very bad ... when we all first got here we talked about why we play the game and we use that as leverage against each other. If I'm having a bad day my brothers will say, 'Jay, you said you wanted to get your mom a house. You can't do that if you're out here arguing with coaches,' and it will bring me back to why I am there."

Blakely is going to continue to work hard and take his career as far as he can. Because, at the end of the day, he knows it's all about one thing — getting that house for his momma. "She can have whatever she wants," said Blakely. "I told her I'm going to build her a house and that's what I'm going to do. That's the goal. If she wants it in Colquitt County then that's awesome, but I will build it wherever she wants — if she decides she wants it in Dubai, then Dubai here we come. She is worth it because she's my mom."