Photo: Gators edge rusher Ja'Markis Weston gets a hug from mom Jennifer Stoudmire. (Photo: Emma Bissell/UAA Communications)
Weston Working Toward a Perseverance Payoff
Sunday, August 25, 2024 | Football, Scott Carter
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By: Scott Carter, Senior Writer
GAINESVILLE, Fla. — In the unusual path of Ja'Markis Weston's college football career, the numbers are as good a place to start as any in unpacking his curious route.
Three: official positions for Weston. A member of the 2019 recruiting class, Weston began his career as a receiver, then moved to safety, and enters his final season of eligibility as an edge rusher.
Four: Though never officially listed as a linebacker, Weston has taken snaps at the position.
Five: Take the four roles mentioned above, and then add "gunner," the special-teams assignment for which Weston is perhaps known best.
Meanwhile, rumors began to fly over the summer about Weston's impressive digits in a Florida offseason highlighted by the revamping of the team's strength and conditioning program under first-year director Tyler Miles.
Weston confirmed earlier this month his prowess in the weight room.
"Bench is 525, squat 605, power clean 315,'' he said.
Ja'Markis Weston is taking on the challenge of a new position in 2024. (Photo: Jordan McKendrick/UAA Communications)
If that's not enough, Weston can run 22.5 mph and said he was clocked at 4.44 the last time he ran a 40-yard dash. Those numbers are impressive standing alone, but when you consider his measurements – Weston is listed at 6-foot-2.5, 235 pounds – they create eye-popping value.
Weston is an NFL Combine junkie's dream.
"He gets it from me,'' said Jennifer Stoudmire, Weston's mom.
Weston grew up underprivileged in Clewiston, located on the south bank of Lake Okeechobee and nicknamed "America's Sweetest Town" because it revolves around the sugar industry. The U.S. Census Bureau listed Clewiston's population at 7,327 in 2020.
"Nothing but cane fields and red lights,'' Weston said. "Great fishing."
Talk to people back home who know Weston, and they say he is pretty much the same person those at UF have come to know. He is not a look-at-me publicity seeker. He is a loyal teammate. He is a laid-back guy off the field who likes to challenge himself through football and physical training.
Weston generated attention for his strength and speed long before he became an under-the-radar recruit six years ago.
"Ja'Markis was always the biggest kid on campus, wherever he was,'' said Brad Garrett, Weston's high school coach his final two years at Clewiston High and a middle school teacher. "I think the first time I had him was in seventh grade, and he was already 6-foot. He was just always one of those bigger kids, better athletes, and you just knew based on his size that he would be able to get somewhere."
Stoudmire was a big and strong athlete, too. Known as Jennifer Weston in those days, she is from nearby Harlem — a community smaller than Clewiston — and set school records at Clewiston High in the shot put and discus. She finished her prep career in 1997 at the Class 4A State Championships at UF's Percy Beard Track, adjacent to the practice fields where her son has spent so many hours in his time with the Gators.
Ja'Markis raised eyebrows when answering questions about his summer training when he mentioned his mother used to bench press more than 300 pounds. Gators head coach Billy Napier even had a say-what moment when told the news a couple of days later.
"Just born that way,'' Stoudmire said. "I was the only female [in school] who could bench press 350 pounds, and I was the only female that could leg press 300. I tried to go against some of the guys. Some of them used to lift more than me. Some of them used to lift less than me."
Stoudmire's athletic career ended after high school, with opportunities limited and money for college not included in the family budget. She joined the Job Corps for a while before returning home to help care for her ailing grandmother.
Not long afterward, she became pregnant with Ja'Markis and got a job. As Ja'Markis got older, Jennifer realized he was like her in more ways than physical strength.
"Ja'Markis was a very quiet boy,'' she said. "He liked to be by himself. I liked to keep him in sports to keep him related to other kids. He's a loner. He's just like me. Ja'Markis always did what he was told to do. He is not a hard-headed person. He is very respectful."
Weston became a standout on the field in middle school, and by the time he reached Clewiston High, he had the reputation of being a team-first player who would play any position the coaches asked. Still, playing on a 2-8 Clewiston team his senior year, Weston was far from a blue-chip prospect his senior season.
The 247Sports composite ranked him the 563rd overall prospect and the No. 69 receiver in the 2019 class. That didn't stop then-Gators coach Dan Mullen from visiting Clewiston and offering a scholarship in December 2018.
"I'm a big fan of his,'' Mullen said on signing day.
His mom watched Weston handle the recruiting process with maturity, never letting it impact his small-town humble attitude. The interest was a foreign world to her, but she knew Ja'Markis was a gifted performer on Friday nights at Cane Field Stadium.
"They had my baby playing offense, defense. It was like he was running the whole field by himself,'' she said. "He [didn't] have time to eat or anything like that when he got home. The only thing he wanted to do was just go to bed."
Three seasons into his college career, Weston made a favorable impression on UF coach Billy Napier when he took over the program after the 2021 season. While Weston has produced limited stats – his most memorable play was a 9-yard touchdown reception against Samford in 2021 – he has become a valuable member on special teams and a designated pass rusher in his final season.
Napier said Weston considered turning pro after last season in hopes of landing a spot on special teams in the NFL.
"We had quite a few conservations,'' Napier said. "I can still remember where I was at when he called me and told me. He said, 'Hey, Coach, I'm coming back.' I thought it was a big deal for our team. This guy is one of the best special-teams players in the country. He has some leadership traits. I think the players respect him. He's a guy that can rush the passer. And I think we can create some value for him on the edge as a normal-down player that can help him in his career.
"We need more guys like him, for sure."
Ja'Markis Weston with family members, including mother Jennifer Stoudmire, second from left, on Senior Day a season ago. (Photo: Mallory Peak/UAA Communications)
Weston's perseverance does not surprise Garrett. He can relate to Napier's assessment that you need players like Weston on your roster. He uses Weston as an example when talking to students about working to reach your goals.
"He wasn't blessed in high school being on one of those dominant powerhouse teams that most kids are playing on that level,'' Garrett said. "He has always stuck it out. I mean, anything we needed him to do, any position we needed him to play, he was going to do it. It was almost like he was there to please the coaches. That probably sounds a little odd, but he was making sure you were pleased with him no matter what he was doing.
"I don't think in high school he realized just how fast he was and how strong he was. It just didn't click with him. I think now it's starting to register with him. He's a role model to a lot of these young kids who are trying to come up and do the same thing. He has inspired a lot of people that he doesn't realize."
Weston's rare turn in the headlines because of his weight-room numbers hasn't changed his approach. He keeps it real. He rarely posts on social media; if he does, it's typically from a community service event he participates in with teammates.
He is about showing up for work and helping the team and has no plans to change whether he plays more or not.
"I've always been about that,'' he said. "It's been an amazing journey. I have no complaints."
Weston didn't get home as usual this summer. He had work to do at UF. When he comes home, Stoudmire says he spends most of his time throwing the football with local kids or running around in the street outside doing conditioning drills.
She is eager to see what the future brings as he prepares for the start of his final season when the Gators host Miami on Saturday. Whatever happens on the field, Stoudmire is pleased her only son has set an excellent example in a me-me-me society.
His biggest fan is a small one.
"My daughter is coming up just like him,'' Stoudemire said. "She is 5. She's a lot like me and Ja'Markis."
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