Manatee High’s Quay Mays overcomes lots of adversity to sign with West Virginia
Quay Mays could have gone the way many high school football players do when their only collegiate path is through a junior college program.
Instead of quitting, Mays took the road to Northwest Mississippi Community College where his work ethic and skill shined.
It all prepared him for Wednesday, the first of three days in December’s early signing period, where he signed a national letter of intent with West Virginia University during a ceremony held at Manatee High School.
“On Thanksgiving, they reached out,” Mays said. “Everyone texted me. The players called. They made sure I was OK, because they know I don’t have family for real. So they made that day a special day for me.”
At an early age, Mays’ mother passed away and his father was in prison. Mays said his dad got out of prison when he was 17. Mays said his grandmother took care of him and he was in and out of homes until he was 15.
“At first it was rough, but you get accustomed to it after awhile,” said Mays, a 6-foot-2, 295-pound nose guard.
Mays has football in his DNA. His uncle is Alvoid Mays, who won a Super Bowl with the Washington Redskins and played at West Virginia after a stellar career at Manatee. His cousin is Florida State legend Peter Warrick, who won a national title with the Seminoles and reached the Super Bowl with the Seahawks following his standout career at Southeast High.
But Quay Mays’ journey to signing with WVU had potential road blocks that could easily derail most. Mays sidestepped those various hurdles.
When he was a freshman at Manatee, he was kicked out of the school for a fight and sent to the Horizons Academy. Then he moved to Orlando, where his dad was living following his release from prison, to attend Evans High. But Mays wanted to return to the Hurricanes for his senior season, and he said his dad made that happen for him.
Relocating to Manatee County meant moving in with his godmother, but Mays said she had received a 30-day eviction notice and it became every person for themselves.
It was noticeable one day at practice that something was off, which is when Mays said he moved in with the Sysak family. Teammate Carter Sysak helped Mays realize there was something special about his game, too, when he got him into a Team USA camp in Orlando following his senior season in 2017. Mays said there were Division I coaches that took notice right away.
“For me to play one year of high school and those D-I coaches act like that at that camp, I knew something was special about me and I knew I’d overcome JUCO,” Mays said.
“Junior college, that’s the real deal route right there,” added Manatee High coach Yusuf Shakir.
And to get to where he’s going, and ultimately his NFL dream, Mays has a motivating factor with his 2-year-old daughter Myla.
“I don’t have a choice,” Mays said. “If I come home, what am I going to do? I have to find a way to make money for my daughter.”
In addition to Mays, there were other signings in Manatee County on Wednesday including two others at Manatee High. Ryan Ives, who began his career at Out-of-Door Academy and didn’t play youth football, signed with the Air Force Academy. Kicker Axel Lepvreau, who is originally from France and was kicking soccer balls before learning to kick footballs, is heading to the University of Miami as a preferred walk-on.
Palmetto’s Lee Matthews signed with Charleston Southern, where he’ll early enroll in January. Braden River’s Andrew Bois D’Enghien signed with Air Force. Saint Stephen’s had two players, Dylan Davis (Furman) and Cam Vining (Army), sign Wednesday. Cardinal Mooney’s Nate Marshall signed with Bryant University.
