Cole Beard 39- Andrew Myrick

Jonathan Veal Brusly High

Class Of 2020 offensive line ht: 6’ wt: 325

By: dan Martin By: Zachary Weinstein

Jonathan Veal is a 6 foot 325 pound offensive lineman for Brusly High School out of Brusly, Louisiana. With a 285 pound bench, 495 pound squat and a 405 pound deadlift, Veal is an absolute unit at the left guard and center positions. Using his power and strength, Veal is able to take oncoming rushers with ease and extend the passing game. Veal is also able to pancake defenders and clear wide-open running lanes for the offensive backfield. Veal’s swift explosion out of his three-point stance knocks defenders off-balance quickly and often. His combination of quickness and explosiveness makes him an anchor on any offensive line. His talent speaks for itself on the field. Off the field however, there is no shortage of extraordinary feats. As an active member of the Community Anti Drug Coalition of America and an assistant coach for the Westside Bulldogs, Veal has found his opportune outlet to give back to his community. I had the opportunity to meet with Jonathan and gain some perspective into his life. When did you discover your love of football? I started playing football when I was about 8 or 9. At that time my parents were actually in the middle of a divorce so my grandfather was naturally my go-to guy who also happened to be a big football guy. He would often rehash his memories of playing and that inspired me to begin playing which I eventually did in Port Allen for a community football team called the Westside Bulldogs. Was it your favorite part about playing your position? Initially when I started playing offensive line at around 8 or 9 I was not very fast and didn’t understand the left guard position really well. However, once I hit middle school and eventually high school, I then started to get some legitimate offensive line coaching and I very quickly learned that fast pace and decisive thinking is THE way to play that position. So for me thinking quickly, playing fast and being myself is my favorite part about playing on the interior offensive line. Do you have any specific technique that you use at your position? No, not specifically. I would say the two things that could be considered techniques are one: staying low...keeping a low center of gravity. And two: using your center to your advantage. Through my career, I’ve always built good relationships to the guys next to me, especially at the center position, so knowing his movements and seeing where he is at during a play I guess you could say is a technique that I’ve used in the past. What is your fondest memory at this point in your football career? Actually, it was this past year. We were getting ready to play Marksville in the 3rd round of the playoffs which was the farthest Brusly high school has EVER made it in the playoffs. So, all week we were hearing, “This is the team to beat. They are going to play fast and they are going to play physical.” As a result, we prepared with a bit of a chip on our shoulder that week. Gameday rolls around and an hour before kickoff it started thundering and lightning like I’ve never seen...rain just drenching everyone you know? Then eventually kickoff rolls around and we get off to a 14 point lead. Now, last time we had a 14 point lead against a district opponent, we ended up losing. This time around we ended up winning and moving on so having that moment and being able to wear that quarterfinal patch on my letterman is pretty special to me. What is the biggest obstacle you’ve had to overcome during your football career? My sophomore year, at the very end of our season, my grandfather passed away. As I touched on earlier, my grandfather was very influential to me and my game so naturally I took the loss very hard. I would always call him before the game if he wasn’t there. After the game I would call him if he wasn’t already riding in the car with my family and I on the way back from games. So, not having him there to watch me succeed definitely took a toll on me. I will say a positive, however, was that his passing made me appreciate my family more. Losing him and then coming back to football was easily the hardest thing I’ve dealt with personally.