Q&A: 2023 Barbe WR Jamaal “Speedy” Levi
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Barbe and other programs around Lake Charles returned to action this past fall after the devastation of Hurricane Laura turned much of life in the area on its heads in 2020. And while the Buccaneers took their knocks through a…
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Continue ReadingBarbe and other programs around Lake Charles returned to action this past fall after the devastation of Hurricane Laura turned much of life in the area on its heads in 2020.
And while the Buccaneers took their knocks through a 4-6 regular season, one of their talented juniors was among the breakout performers of not just southwest Louisiana, but the state.
Wide receiver Jamaal Levi Jamaal Levi 5'9" | 155 lbs | WR Barbe | 2023 State LA caught 72 passes for 1,597 yards and 20 touchdowns in a Class 5A all-state campaign that surpassed former Barbe, LSU and SMU star Trey Quinn’s lofty single-season yardage record.
“Speedy” — as his nickname would suggest — uses his track speed to create problems for opposing defenses, but also showcases good ability for his 5-foot-9 frame to elevate and high-point and acrobatically haul in catches in coverage.
Levi is young for his 2023 graduating class and still developing his body and his game with quarterback Will McClain Will McClain 6'0" | 170 lbs | QB Barbe | 2023 State LA , cousin Reed Boyd —who is more like a brother — and the rest of the Buccaneers. But Northwestern State became the first college to extend a scholarship offer this spring.
Here are a few highlights from a recent conversation with Levi and Boyd during Easter weekend.
What were some of the things y’all talked about during the times in the wake of the storms the last couple years — especially the one two seasons ago that really kind of shook things up and had so many people move around and a lot of guys leaving Barbe at that point? What were some of the conversations y’all had about navigating some of that, whether amongst yourselves or what coaches and administrators told y’all about how to handle it? And then as y’all were able to get back to this past season and have some things not necessarily always go the way the way you’d hoped they would or make the type of run you would’ve liked, but to be able to take the positives and keep building and moving forward, how did you approach all of that?
We were going to go to Kinder with some of the other Barbe kids, and our coach called us while we were working (cleaning up) from the hurricane and all those things. And he said we were going to have a varsity season and all of that. And then we went to the practice the next day, and they told us we weren’t going to have a varsity season and all that, and that kind of brought us down. but we started working out to prepare for the junior season we just had. And now we’re getting ready for our senior year and hopefully to prove to people that we can do better this year. We have returning kids, like some of our kids who got hurt (last year). Our defense is going to be way better.
And last year, dealing with some of the adversity of so many people being new to varsity football and y’all just trying to get back to it at all, but one of the highs involved was you having 72 catches for 1,597 yards and 20 touchdowns and breaking a couple of Trey Quinn’s school records with three 200-yard games and your yardage total. And I think a few people have had the same reaction that I had: If you’re breaking Trey Quinn’s receiving records, you’re doing something pretty right. What went so well for you his season? How were you able to go off that way? And when did you guys realize it was going to be that type of a special performance?
Me and my quarterback, we’ll talk about it and how deep balls are really my thing because of my speed and stuff. But this year I’m gonna have so many eyes on me I think we should spread it out, throw it to (other receivers), like (cousin Reed Boyd), because he’s grown a lot and gotten a lot bigger.
One of the people that had the same reaction as me about those Trey Quinn records, (former tiger end) DeSean Smith reacted on Twitter and said kind of the same thing: If you’re being beating Trey Quinn numbers, then you’re doing something pretty special. What did it mean to see a guy like that that had gone on to play at LSU and everything reach out and show that love — a guy that had had a fantastic career in his own right when he was at Barbe? How much did it mean to hear from some of those older guys as y’all were able to get back and put some excitement back into that program this past fall?
It meant the world to me. The day that I broke his record, it was during the game against Comeaux, and he actually came up to me and congratulated me. And DeSean Smith and all them, they came and talked to me after the game. And it just feels so good to break his record as a junior, and now I want to break my own record next year hopefully, keep doing good things and getting better.
I’m sure DeSean and Trey and all those guys feel very similar to me that that run that they had to the state championship game is probably a little longer ago that it feels like to us. But when y’all were youngsters, do y’all remember seeing some of those guys come through, and what are some of your memories of just kind of the standard that was set for Barbe football that was waiting for y’all when y’all got there?
The West McNeese Miracle, that game that Trey won the game to go to the championship and stuff, I remember watching and saying to myself, “That’s gonna be me one day. I’m going to do good things at that school and try to set a record. And obviously I broke the dude’s record, and it just means the world to me.”
They had Kennon Fontenot back in the day. Y’all have Will McClain Will McClain 6'0" | 170 lbs | QB Barbe | 2023 State LA . Talk a little bit about the way he leads that offense and is able to distribute the ball around, to work with you Jamaal despite some of those tight coverages you see, but to know when to find his other weapons and get the ball to the right place on the field.
So, Will McClain Will McClain 6'0" | 170 lbs | QB Barbe | 2023 State LA , he’s a junior. He’s about 5-11. He’s a lefty. And he can sling it. He can throw the ball really far, because if he throws it deep, all he’s got to do is throw it, and I’ll go get it. And like Reed was saying, if I’m bracketed or something, he knows when to throw it to Reed, when not to throw it to me or when to throw it to our other 6-2 receiver and stuff.