Deciding on the University of Oregon

Juwaan was blessed with over 40 offers to play football on the college level. As we received offers from each school we researched the school using the information that was available to us online. We ruled out a lot of schools due to the fact that Juwaan was thinking about following the track of a pre-med major. His education was the most important thing to us. A large percentage of the schools had pre-med or biology tracks but the graduation rate was very low for a number of them.  On the other hand, some coaches’ eliminated their schools by indirectly suggesting Juwaan choose to major in business instead of taking on the difficult track of pre-med.

As a family we discussed the importance of narrowing down his selections of schools because the process is already overwhelming without such a variety of options. Juwaan slowly began to pick and choose schools by the interactions and impressions that he was given on his official visits of the schools that were high on his list.  We saw many other students feel pressure from coaches and family members to choose a specific school but we didn't want Juwaan to feel pressured by anyone to make such an important decision. At the beginning of the process my husband and I told him that this was his first adult decision and we would support him 100% no matter what school he chose. . We also told him that if he was ready to make a verbal commitment that we would support him as well so that it would take the pressure off of the press.

When Juwaan was in high school I checked his grade portal everyday, stayed on top of all of his assignments and I even went to tutorials in the morning so that I could learn math the way they taught it in the classroom so that he could understand in school and at home. It was important that he maintain good grades and balance his after school activities.  With Juwaan being at the University of Oregon he has access to his grades and I get to check his grades periodically throughout the semster. Juwaan has declared a major of Journalism and Broadcasting which is totally different from what he wanted in his younger years. I’ve had the opportunity to be apart of some of his work and assignments this summer. He loves the production and research of reporting on a particular story and I love to hear the excitement in his voice when we talk about his assignment. As a mother, all I want is for him to love his craft and the path that he has chosen.

At The University of Oregon Juwaan is on the quarter system which is unique because he normally gets to come home to visit at least three times a year for about a week at a time. Juwaan comes home for Spring Break which is normally late March and then he gets to come home in June. It’s normally Father’s Day weekend which is pretty awesome for my husband as they can have their man bonding time. Then, he begins football training when he returns to campus shortly after the summer break. During football season, our family tries to break up the visits to Juwaan’s gamse to spread the love and support. We try to see him at least once a month for one of his home games. The Oregon Ducks are a part of the PAC-12 conference so they don’t get to the east coast that often. Juwaan also gets to come home around Christmas time but his time home depends on the day and time of his bowl game.  

Juwaan's National Signing Day

Another National Signing Day has came and gone and as I reminisce about Juwaan’s National Signing Day, I can truly say that it was a life lesson for the whole family. We learned a lot as a whole that we will put into play when we do it all over again in five years!

The journey of a student-athlete is a long and hard one, one that is hard to understand unless you have been a student athlete or part of their supporting cast.

The recruitment process can be rigorous for the student athlete as well as the student-athlete’s family.  It has two major parts that play a role before colleges will even inquiring about you: Athletic ability and good grades.

When Juwaan first came home with the flyer from elementary school to play football I was a little less than enthusiastic, mainly due to the fact that I didn't understand the game other than the basics! The first year that Juwaan played football, I was a nervous wreck because he would get hit and it would seem like eternity to me as his mother for him to get up. Then, watching these people decorate their cars, hair, make t-shirts and noise makers at a kids’ game. I said to myself, “That isn’t going to be me!” My sister, Adrienne, my sister's friend, Yolanda, and I would all look at each other and say, “Are these people for real?” It’s a kids’ game!...Needless to say, the next year, that was us at EVERY game.

It’s just something about being your child’s #1 fan and cheerleader that you’ll do whatever it takes for them.  For me, the college games just seemed overwhelming. One time, I was given tickets to a University of Georgia football game and at that time the crowds of people were overwhelming. To me, it was three Black Fridays at Best Buy rolled into one event within a 10 mile radius. The traffic was ridiculous! To an extent, I feared the college games.  I also remember how Juwaan’s face would light up when Coach Miller and his family would invite Juwaan to go with them to Auburn’s football game.  Juwaan became exposed to college and football at early age, which was beneficial to us in the long run. He knew early on that his main focus was to do well in school and keep his room clean (although, sometimes keeping his room clean was a huge task). I could always count on Juwaan to make the honor roll!

As Juwaan entered into the football program at Tucker High School, I recalled meeting with Coach Franklin Stephens and discussing his football program. Juwaan had always been academically strong, making straight A’s and a couple of B’s here or there. The agreement between Coach Stephens, Juwaan and I was that Coach Stephens would help Juwaan develop, if he demonstrated the work ethic that he wanted to play on the next level. Juwaan’s responsibility was to work hard on and off the field. My job was to stay on top of Juwaan’s academics. We worked as team to ensure that Juwaan’s athletic ability would afford him the opportunity to go to school on a scholarship and play the game that he loved.

National signing day for me was closure and final confirmation for me that GOD had answered another one of my prayers. As a mother, you pray and make decisions for your children that you feel will most benefit them in their future endeavours. At times, I questioned all of the decisions that were made throughout this journey but National Signing Day came and Juwaan’s letter of intent to the University of Oregon was a blessing! It gave me the answer to the prayer that every parent has “How would we afford to send my child(ren) to school?” Because of his hard work ethic, God given talent, and most importantly, faith, Juwaan was afforded the most wonderful opportunity to continue bot his football career and his education.

National Signing Day With Kaaryn Taylor

“A man’s gift makes room for him,
And brings him before great men.” Proverbs 18:16, NKJV

National Signing Day….  Until recently, I didn’t even know such a day existed. Now I find myself looking forward to it as a major milestone not only for our son, but for our family as well.

I am Kaaryn Taylor, and my husband and I have been entrusted by God to raise three children in the nurture and admonition of our Lord, Jesus – the Anointed One. Our eldest is Tony Taylor III, and on Wednesday he will sign a document in anticipation of the end of one season in his life and the beginning of another.

How did he get to this place where so many are interested in his decision, his future?  Only God knows the whole story, but I will share a glimpse of what I have seen unfold.

Tony and his siblings have always been good students, but organized sports have not always been a part of Tony’s life.  Tony played football for the first time ever in the fall of 2010 at age 14, and he played that first season with the Central DeKalb Jaguars.  After football season, he joined a basketball team also for the first time ever, helping his team to win their winter league championship.

In the spring and fall of 2011, Tony played football with the East Atlanta Mustangs in the Glory for Christ League.  (This was also the year he and his brother joined the U.S. Naval Sea Cadet Corps, in which they have both had amazing opportunities and are both currently Petty Officers.) 

In the fall of 2012, Tony transferred from Home School to Wesleyan School – a private Christian school.  (This is where he met Miles Smith, and our families became friends.)  Because of the rules in Georgia, Tony was not allowed to play varsity sports that first year but he played varsity his second year at Wesleyan, lettering in both football and track & field.  His third (and final) year at Wesleyan, he was not allowed to play any varsity sports at the beginning of the season (again because of the rules), but a Board hearing in September 2014 would determine if he would be allowed to participate in varsity
sports for the remainder of the 2014/2015 school year.  Thanks to the prayers of the entire Wesleyan School community, the Board ruled in favor of Tony and he
played varsity football as a high school senior.

Throughout all the adversities Tony faced, his faith in God’s plan for his life sustained him and kept him grounded.  Now, here we are, a few days before National Signing Day.  For Tony, this will take place during lunchtime at Wesleyan School.  How did he/we get here? By God’s Grace and Mercy – that’s how!

Oregan vs. FSU: A Mother's Perspective

My name is Danielle Brown. I am the proud mother of Juwaan Williams. Juwaan is currently a redshirt freshman at the University of Oregon. He plays special teams and defensive back while wearing the #17 jersey for the Oregon Ducks. Juwaan previously attended Tucker High School, Tucker, GA where he was a triple threat quarterback.

This past season has been an extraordinary one for those Oregon Ducks. The Ducks were the PAC-12 champs after defeating the University of Arizona on December 5, 2014. Going into the PAC-12 championship game the Ducks were ranked the #2 team by the playoff committee. On Sunday, December 7, 2014, I was glued to the television as the final playoff ranking was made. It was then announced that we were #2 and that we were going to play #3 Florida State in the Rose Bowl. The grand daddy of all bowl games. I started to scream and yell as my excitement took over me. When my excitement had subsided enough for me to call Juwaan I notified him of the news as well.

WE WERE ROSE BOWL BOUND! Tears rolled down my face as I began to think of all of the places that Juwaan has afforded us the opportunity to visit through his success in football. All I can say is that we have been truly blessed. My husband and I had never been to Los Angeles so I began planning for the game FULL Throttle.  As the weeks passed, the excitement built up like I was a little kid at Christmas. We were given the chance to participate in a once in a lifetime opportunity! This year was the inaugural year of the College Football Playoffs and we were determined to be there with Juwaan.

As we traveled to LAX, I was glazing out at the clouds and again my eyes filled with tears of joy as I thanked God for this awesome opportunity. The flight made me reminisce on all the Friday night’s that he would get out of the bath, put on his uniform, and sleep in it so that he could wake up ready for his Saturday morning Pee Wee games. My heart was now overwhelmed with joy and excitement for Juwaan; His dreams are becoming a reality!

To know Juwaan is to know that when he sets a goal, he is determined to see it through. Juwaan has always been hungry to succeed in football. He has played numerous other sports throughout his youth, including soccer, baseball, basketball, and track but his love for the game of football overtook everything else. 

Once we arrived, there were so many activities going on surrounding the Rose Bowl but the highlight for me was attending the parents’ brunch where my husband and I got the opportunity to speak with the University of Oregon’s Atheletic Director, Rob Mullens. He walked around to each table and spoke briefly with everyone. We introduce ourselves as Juwaan Williams’ parents and he finished, “from Tucker, GA. What an awesome kid. Thank you for allowing us to have him come across country to be a part of our program.” My eyes swelled up and sigh of relief set in. I thought about every mile that we’ve placed on our cars, every camp, combine and every piece of advice that Ihad been given. I even thought about the moves that we made to give him the best opportunity. All I could say was “Thank you God for choosing Juwaan and allowing us to be a part of the journey.”

Now, on the day of the Rose Bowl, we were up and out of the hotel by 7:30am. My brothers, Rob and Eric, along with my nephew Eric Jr., and my husband and I, were all in attendance to see the Oregon Ducks at the Rose Bowl. We were headed to tailgate with Oregon family, the Pietzolds. The excitement began to really build up as the team buses pulled up and they walked into the stadium; game Time was less than three hours away. The look on my son’s face was focused. He looked straight ahead wearing his Beats Headphones, only nodding his head when he walked past us. As he walked through the crowd of fans, I began to pray and ask God for covering over Juwaan and his teammates.

It’s GAME TIME...the parent section is always nice sitting. We were in the front row sitting to the right of the College Game Day broadcast and behind the goal post. My nerves were crazy to start the game, as the players entered the field and said their prayers. I said mine too. I asked God to cover them for the top of the head to soles of their feet and allow them to have fun while the game that they love... After all, they are still kids! Every time Juwaan lined up for the kick-off team, he always does the sign of the cross to give praise and thanksgiving to the man above. At the same time, I repeat the same prayer for Juwaan, asking God to cover him from the top of his head to soles of his feet. AMEN.

As the game entered into the 4th quarter, I leaned over to my husband and he said "We gotta play harder. Florida State is a 2nd half team!" So with  4:00 minutes left in the game, I began to feel overwhelmed. Then with 2:00 minutes left in the game, security was preparing the stadium for awards. Then the buzzer rang and it was the end of the game. I watched the young men celebrate their incredible victory and at that point we all knew that we were headed to the “NATTY”...LET'S GO DUCKS! Dallas, Texas here were come!

The players were running around the field looking for family and friends.  As I was waiting for the right moment to yell for Juwaan, my brother leaned over and said, “ I don’t understand how he hears you over all of these people.” I take that opportunity and to yell, "JUWAAN” at the top of my lungs. He heard me and came running. I had been holding a rose the entire game and handed to Juwaan. He was holding his hat and a t-shirt so he placed the rose in his mouth to give me a hug and a kiss. A photographer caught Juwaan as he was coming down off of the wall and taking that sigh of relief, saying “We got a lot of work to do!”