On a hot day in the summer of sophomore year, the Wayne family household’s silence was interrupted with the shrill shriek of the phone. Picking the phone up, senior Ja’marion Wayne’s expression shifted from confusion to excitement in a matter of moments. The University of Missouri, one of his top college preferences, had just called with an official offer to play football at their school. 

One year earlier, Wayne participated in football tryouts during his first year. With no doubts that he would make varsity, Wayne worked hard at tryouts and made the starting roster.

“I’ve been playing football since I was seven, and I’ve always loved it. Since then, I [have] put in a lot of work and a lot of dedication to get to the level I’m at today,” Wayne said.

During Wayne’s sophomore year of high school, he broke two school records in the Mayor’s Cup game vs. Parkway Central. It was a deviation from his normal position at wide receiver, and Wayne broke his records at a position he wasn’t used to running back.

“Some games I have energy, and some games I don’t. That game, my energy didn’t go down. I don’t know what it was, but I was hyper that day, and I did well. I had more of [an] opportunity to rack up the yards in the running back position coach had me play,” Wayne said.

Wayne broke the record for the most rushing yards in one game, scoring 310 yards. He also broke a record for all-purpose yards with 463 total yardages.

“[The game announcers] announced [that I broke the record] over the speakers in the middle of the game as soon as I broke it. So when I heard, I looked up at the speakers, then at the sidelines, smiled, and got my head back into the game,” Wayne said.

Wayne spent the summer of sophomore year going to different camps held by some of the biggest names in D1 collegiate football, including the University of Arkansas, the University of Indiana, and the University of Nebraska. Although the camps covered basic route running and agility drills, the underlying reason for the camps was to watch for possible recruits.

“When I went to those camps, I knew that I had to work hard and really pay attention to the changes [the coaches] asked me to make. They were really smart and told me different things I could work on to improve,” Wayne said. 

Wayne received his first offer to play football in college in the summer of 2020 through a phone call from head coach Les Miles at the University of Kansas and received four offers in total.

“My first offer, [from the University of Kansas], was really exciting, but about a week later, Mizzou contacted me. So even though I was already talking to them and I went to visit their campus, they made me an offer for the first time, and that was the most exciting part of college offers,” Wayne said.

Wayne decided to commit to Mizzou for their academic support system so his family could see him play. Mizzou offers academic support to all its players to ensure that the students have their academic needs met.

“The most important thing to me is having my family see me play. My mom inspired me and helped me get to the point in my career that I am at, so I want her to be able to see me do what she helped me do,” Wayne said.

Wayne’s goals are something that most football athletes aspire to complete. To make it into the NFL.

“I always tell myself that one man can make a difference. I think it reflects that if you have the determination and the commitment to something, you can make yourself better,” Wayne said.