Tuesday, June 1st, 2021
Finals week was finally over, and I felt like I could breathe again for the first time in days. Chemistry, Spanish, History, English Literature - all done. My grades were solid across the board, which meant I was academically eligible for everything coming up this summer and fall.
Thank God that's over. Isabella's study sessions definitely saved my ass in chemistry.
I was walking back from turning in my last exam when my phone started blowing up with notifications. The group chat, news alerts, social media - everything was going crazy about something.
The first text I saw was from Coach Rivera: Jakari, check the news. Big day for college football. This changes everything.
Then I saw the headline that was everywhere:
SUPREME COURT RULES UNANIMOUSLY IN FAVOR OF COLLEGE ATHLETES IN NIL CASE
Holy shit. They actually did it.
Name, Image, and Likeness rights. College athletes could finally make money off their own success. I'd been following the case for months, knowing it could change everything about recruiting and college football.
I found a quiet spot on campus and started reading through the articles. The Supreme Court had ruled 9-0 that the NCAA couldn't limit education-related benefits for student-athletes. It wasn't full NIL yet, but it was the first domino that would lead to athletes being able to profit from their name, image, and likeness.
This is going to be huge. Kids are about to start making real money in college.
My phone buzzed with a call from my grandparents.
"Jakari, baby, you see the news?" Grandma asked as soon as I picked up.
"Yeah, I'm reading about it now."
"Your grandfather been following this case for months. Says it's going to change everything for you young athletes."
"Put him on speaker, Grandma."
"Jakari," Grandpa's voice came through clearly. "This ruling means by the time you get to college, you could potentially make money from endorsements, social media, camps, all kinds of opportunities."
"That's crazy to think about."
"It's justice, is what it is. Y'all been making millions for these schools while getting nothing but scholarships. Now there's a path to actual compensation."
After hanging up, I decided to check something I'd been avoiding for weeks - the recruiting rankings. With my junior year essentially over and the college recruiting process about to heat up even more, I needed to see where I stood.
I pulled up 247Sports on my phone and navigated to the Class of 2022 Wide Receiver rankings.
247Sports Class of 2022 WR Rankings:
Travis Hunter - ATH - 6'1" 185 lbs - Florida (Florida State commit) Five-star, 1.0000 composite rating
Evan Stewart - WR - 6'0" 175 lbs - Texas Five-star, 0.9891 composite rating
Matthew Golden - WR - 6'4" 195 lbs - Texas Four-star, 0.9378 composite rating
Luther Burden III - WR - 6'0" 200 lbs - Missouri Five-star, 0.9856 composite rating
Tetairoa McMillan - WR - 6'5" 210 lbs - Arizona Four-star, 0.9734 composite rating
I kept scrolling through the five-stars and four-stars, looking for my name. The top guys were all elite prospects who'd been getting recruited since they were sophomores. Kids who'd played for powerhouse programs their whole high school careers.
Finally, I found it:
238. Jakari Williams - WR - 6'2" 185 lbs - Chicago → California
Three-star, 0.8536 composite rating
Top Interests: Illinois, Eastern Michigan, Northern Illinois, Ball State
Player Evaluation:"One of the more dynamic three-sport athletes in the country with a 1,400-yard football season, All-Conference performance on the hardwood, and a 23-1 long jump personal best. Above-the-rim basketball ability clearly translates to the football field with amazing catch radius and catch point ability.
However, struggled to show consistent separation despite inferior competition and often relied on athleticism over technique. Film shows indicators of great athlete with amazing hands and body control, but not necessarily a polished 'football player' and struggles as a pure separator.
Transfer to one of California's elite programs has brought increased attention, moving him from unranked to three-star status. Significant upside if he can develop route precision."
Player Comparison: George Pickens (Georgia)
Two hundred thirty-eighth. Three-star rating.
Two hundred thirty-eighth out of hundreds of thousands of kids playing football. Based mostly on my Chicago film when I was just out there being athletic. At least they got the athleticism part right.
But looking at the guys ahead of me, I could see the difference. Most of them had been playing for elite programs since freshman year. They had highlight reels going back years, camps and combines, connections with college coaches.
I'd been at Malibu Prep for a month.
I opened MaxPreps to see what kind of numbers the top guys were putting up, then looked at my own stats from the past season:
My 2020 Stats (Chicago):
89 receptions, 1,427 yards, 18 TDs 16.0 yards per receptions.
Travis Hunter - 2020 season:
137 receptions, 1,731 yards, 24 TDs (offense) 47 tackles, 5 INTs (defense) Led team to state championship
Evan Stewart - 2020 season:
76 receptions, 1,329 yards, 17 TDs All-State Texas 6A
My numbers are competitive, but Travis Hunter is just ridiculous. Dude is playing a different sport than everyone else. The difference is they've been doing it longer and for better programs. Plus my ranking is based on old film when I was just being athletic.
I scrolled up to look at the Class of 2021 guys who were about to graduate - the players one year ahead of me:
Class of 2021 WR Rankings (Recent Graduates):
Emeka Egbuka - Ohio State - 6'1" 190 lbs
Marvin Harrison Jr. - Pennsylvania - 6'3" 195 lbs
Malik Nabers - LSU - 6'0" 180 lbs
Brian Thomas Jr. - LSU - 6'3" 190 lbs
Xavier Worthy - Texas - 6'1" 155 lbs
These were the guys who'd just finished their senior seasons and were heading to college. The standard I was chasing.
They all have something I'm working toward - consistency over multiple years at elite programs. But my ceiling might be just as high. Especially now that I actually know how to run routes.
My phone buzzed with a text from Isabella: Finals are DONE! Beach day to celebrate?
Me: Hell yes. Just saw some recruiting stuff that's got me feeling some type of way
Isabella: Good type of way or bad type of way?
Me: Mixture of both lol. I'll tell you about it
Isabella: Pick me up later? I'm buying In-N-Out on the way
Me: Say less. On my way
As I walked toward Isabella's dorm, I thought about the NIL news and what it meant for my future. By the time I got to college, the landscape would be completely different. Athletes would be able to make money from social media, endorsements, training camps.
That meant being good wasn't enough anymore. You had to be marketable too. You had to build a brand, connect with fans, become someone people wanted to follow and support.
Another thing to think about. Football skills, academics, character, and now marketing myself. This is getting complicated.
But also exciting. The possibilities were endless if you could perform at a high level and connect with people.
I pulled up to Isabella's dorm and texted her. She came out wearing shorts and a crop top, looking like she belonged in a California tourism commercial.
"Yooo, you look good," I said as she walked up to me and tippitoed to give me a quick kiss.
"Thank you, You look stressed though."
"Not stressed. Just got a lot on my mind."
"The Supreme Court thing? I saw it blowing up on Twitter."
"That, and I finally looked at my recruiting ranking."
"Oooh, how'd you do? Wait, let me guess - you're mad because you're not number one?"
I laughed. "Two thirty-eight in the country for wide receivers."
Isabella paused for a second. "Wait, that's actually fire though? Like out of how many kids?"
"Thousands who want to play D1."
"So you're basically top 250 in the entire country and you're over here looking sad about it?"
When she put it that way, it did sound different.
"It's just... the top guys are five-stars getting recruited by Alabama and Georgia. I'm a three-star with barely any interests from MAC schools."
"But didn't you just transfer like a month ago? And weren't you in jail six months ago?"
She had a point.
"Plus," she continued as we drove toward In-N-Out, "isn't your ranking based on your old film from Chicago?"
"Yeah, pretty much."
"So basically you went from unranked to nationally ranked just by transferring to a good school, and now you actually know what you're doing. Sounds like you're about to blow up."
We pulled into In-N-Out and ordered way too much food - Double-Doubles, animal fries, shakes, the works.
"Tell me about the NIL thing," Isabella said as we headed to the beach with our food.
"Basically, college athletes are about to be able to make money. Endorsements, social media, camps, all that."
"That's huge for you, right?"
"If I'm good enough, yeah. But it also means the competition's about to get crazy. Now it's not just about getting a scholarship - it's about building a brand."
We found our usual spot on the beach and spread out Isabella's blanket. The ocean was perfect, and for a minute I just watched her arrange our food and felt grateful for how normal this all felt.
"What's really bothering you?" she asked, taking a bite of her burger.
"I read my scouting report. They basically said I'm a great athlete but not really a football player. Said I rely too much on athleticism and can't separate. So in other words a Poor mans George Pickens"
"But you can separate now, right? I've watched you practice."
"Yeah, that's the thing. They have no idea what I can actually do now. The training here has completely changed how I play."
"So you have a secret weapon?"
"Something like that."
Isabella grinned. "I love it. You're about to surprise everybody."
"That's the plan."
We spent the afternoon eating, talking, and just enjoying being teenagers on a beach in California. Isabella told me about her summer journalism program, I told her about the training schedule Coach Rivera had planned.
"You nervous about the Serra scrimmage?" she asked as we watched some surfers in the distance.
"Nervous but excited. It's the first real test since I got here."
"You're gonna fry them."
"How you so confident?"
"Because I see how you work. Every day, getting better at something. Plus you're hungry for it in a way most people aren't."
"What you mean?"
"Those top recruits? They've been told they're special their whole lives. You had to earn everything. That's different."
As the sun started setting, we packed up our stuff and headed back to campus. I felt better about everything - the rankings, the pressure, the opportunity ahead.
Two hundred thirty-eighth in the country was a starting point, not a destination. Three-star rating based on old film was where I was now, not where I'd finish.
The guys ahead of me had been doing this longer, but they hadn't been through what I'd been through. They hadn't learned what it meant to lose everything and fight to get it back.
Two weeks until Serra. The first real test of everything I'd learned and become.
Time to show everyone that rankings were just numbers, and that the kid from Chicago was just getting started.
As I dropped Isabella off at her dorm, she kissed me before getting out.
"Jakari?"
"Yeah?"
"Those rankings are based on old you. But I've been watching new you, and new you is different."
Walking back to my dorm, I thought about that. She was right. The system was making me things about route running and game understanding that most high school receivers never learned.
Plus, tomorrow the incoming freshmen would arrive for summer workouts. New talent, new competition, new guys trying to take my spot.
Time to see what the Class of 2025 looks like. Time to see who's hungry enough to push me to get better.
The competition was about to get a lot more interesting.