Braden River’s Deqwunn McCobb hits the classroom hard to prepare for college football future

Deqwunn McCobb bumped into Jenny Elsdon in the courtyard at Braden River High School on Thursday to let his English teacher know he had an essay he needed to send her.

Communicating and staying focused in school are the key qualities for McCobb since he arrived at Braden River the second semester of his sophomore year.

“This is a kid, who before he came here probably let academics roll over the top of him,” Elsdon said. “And now, he’s so committed to doing well. He communicates like an adult.”

The McCobb that began his freshman year at Manatee and transfered to Southeast to start his sophomore year was different in school.

“I had bad grades, very bad grades,” McCobb said. “... I was just clowning around, young in high school (and) I was just making the wrong mistakes and hanging with the wrong crowd. ... I was procrastinating, not doing my homework and just not taking it serious at all.”

Now a senior and an integral piece of Braden River’s football team, the nose tackle is tied for the team-lead in tackles for a loss with six. His size, 6-foot-3 and 302 pounds, and talent are two aspects that should garner Division I football offers.

But McCobb has flown under the radar, due, in part, to his past in school where he said he had a 1.6 grade point average.

Since arriving at Braden River, though, McCobb has steadily improved, bumping his GPA into the mid-2.0 range. He said guidance counselor Kelly Bowling was a huge help. Braden River head football coach Curt Bradley said Elsdon was key, too.

Elsdon first met McCobb two summers ago, and she has witnessed his determination first-hand. This past summer when McCobb finished workouts with the team, he didn’t go home like most players. He headed to Elsdon to practice the ACT, which is a college readiness assessment test.

College football and academics are on his priority list.

“But he’ll be taken care of when it’s all said and done,” Bradley said. “He’ll play college football.”

McCobb’s role with the Pirates is paramount to the team’s success on Friday when Braden River travels to Venice in a battle of state-ranked teams. As a nose tackle, his performance alongside other defensive line members to thwart the Indians’ up-tempo offense is vital in a district contest between two evenly-matched teams.

Long before Friday’s game, McCobb’s football future was in doubt. He left Manatee when his mother, Laticia Johnson, and Deqwunn moved in with a family member. Getting situated in Southeast’s district meant McCobb had a new high school to attend. But the way he viewed school, McCobb’s ability to graduate high school was in doubt. His mom found a new house, one that was in Braden River’s school district. Everything changed. Slowly, McCobb got it together.

“When I got here, my coaches told me how serious it was,” said McCobb, who failed three different classes between his stops at Manatee and Southeast before making it up at Braden River. “If I didn’t step it up, I wouldn’t go (anywhere). It went in my head that I’ve got to get right and improve.”

And to get it clicked in his head, McCobb realized what he had to do after taking an online class when he first arrived at the East Manatee school. That online class, on Greek philosopher Plato, caused headaches and seven days a week studying.

On Friday, he’ll battle on the field. In the classroom, he’s already taking care of his future.

“He has made a complete 180 in his life as far as the type of man he is,” Bradley said.

Added Elsdon: “He’s more mature. He genuinely cares about his grades and that makes a difference.”

This story was originally published October 13, 2016 at 10:58 PM with the headline "Braden River’s Deqwunn McCobb hits the classroom hard to prepare for college football future."