Jordan Stapleton: Bigger, Stronger, Faster

West Harrison High School (Gulfport, Mississippi) senior running back, Jordan Stapleton

The VIP Crew: Mississippi has been producing a ton of great running backs. You

have added your name to the mix. How is everything going?

Stapleton: Thank you! Everything has been going good. I have been training a lot lately,

getting ready for my senior year. It should be a big year. I’m trying to leave this year as

one of the greats.

The VIP Crew: Being that this is your final dance, have you changed your

approach for this season?

Stapleton: I feel like since it’s my senior year, I’ve been hungrier than ever. You will see,

I got bigger, faster, stronger, so I feel like I leveled up most definitely.

The VIP Crew: What were some of the things you felt you needed to work on,

track workouts, weight room, psychological warfare?

Stapleton: I had to get faster. A lot of college coaches said for me to get faster, so I ran

track this year and got faster. I bulked up in the weight room as well and added some

weight. Mentally, I had to get ready to run the whole team because I will be a senior. I

was a leader my junior year, but now the whole team revolve around me, so I had to

mentally prepare myself for that aspect of leadership as well.

The VIP Crew: What are the goals for this year from a team concept?

Stapleton: West Harrison has never made the playoffs, so I want to send this senior

class out with a winning season, and be the first class to make the playoffs, and make a

playoff run. We also have to develop the younger guys, so West Harrison can no longer

be viewed as the old West Harrison, it would be the new West Harrison, that will

incorporate winning ways.

The VIP Crew: Do you have any particular games on the calendar that you have

circled?

Stapleton: Most definitely going to be Harrison Central, Gulfport, and Ocean Springs.

Just for the fact that we’re going up to 7A; Gulfport and Ocen Springs are the big

dawgs. Those will be good games. Harrison Central is right up the street from us, so

that’s a rival game. Last year it was Picayune High, because they are one of the best

teams in the state, so I wanted to have a great game against them. That was the game

last year most definitely.

The VIP Crew: You rushed for over 2,000 yards last season, 2,500 all-purpose

yards, how do you duplicate that production or perhaps even top it?

Stapleton: I just have to stay humble and don’t get the big head. I know I had a great

year last year, but that means nothing this year. I have to come back out and earn it.

Stay ready to ball out this year.

The VIP Crew: It terms of returners, how are you looking from an offensive

linemen standpoint?

Stapleton: We have all our O-line back, except for a tackle and we also lost a tight end.

Everyone else is back, so the offense should be better this year.

The VIP Crew: You are being recruited from all levels. Are you hoping to verbally

commit before the season starts?

Stapleton: I’m most likely going to commit at the end of June, so I can focus on my

senior year and lead my team to the playoffs without worrying about recruiting. I want to

have my future home secured and focus on my team.

The VIP Crew: What are you looking for in a team at the next level?

Stapleton: You know when you go to college, you’re not just going to be playing there,

you will also be living there. So, I want to have somewhere with a good community,

where the coaches support me, and I fit the scheme. That’s what I look for when I go on

visits and being recruited.

The VIP Crew: You obviously don’t have to reveal it right now, but do you have

any frontrunners right now?

Stapleton: Oh yes sir most definitely!

The VIP Crew: You have been on several visits and shaking a lot of hands with

college coaches. What has it been like to be recruited?

Stapleton: It’s been a dream come true. Growing up and watching these schools on TV

and being able to visit them is a dream come true. I’m blessed. I don’t take any of my

visits for granted. I just hope one day I can excel on that next level.

The VIP Crew: If a spectator or coach is watching you play ball for the first time

this year, what can they expect to see?

Stapleton: They are going to see a game-changer. I’m a do-it-all back. I can catch out

the backfield, I’m going to run the ball, and I’m going to stick my nose in there when I

have to block. They will see a game-changer in every aspect.

The VIP Crew: For defenders who may be breaking down footage of you from last

year, what can they expect this year?

Stapleton: Ain’t nothin sweet. They are going to think it’s sweet because it’s West

Harrison, but I don’t do a lot of talking. They just going to have to see me when we play

them.