“I still remember this day. It was my sophomore year, towards the end of the year,” says Lamarriel. “I was struggling with a class so I went to ask my teacher for help. She was stressing about something, and she flat out told me to my face, ‘You’re not going to be anything.’ It hit me to the point where I wanted to break down. But it really changed me. I had to prove somebody wrong. My four older brothers didn’t finish high school so the teachers were basing me off of them. They saw that I was trying, but every time I would struggle with something it was, ‘Oh, you’re not going to be anything.’ I had three or four teachers tell me that, and so it motivated me to get out and do something with my life.”
Lamarriel Taylor is your typical high school senior. He’s got a serious case of senioritis, but expresses sadness at the thought of leaving his friends. At Mission Bay High School, he is a standout wide receiver on the football team being recruited by major college football programs across the country including the likes of University of Southern California and the University of Washington among others. In San Diego, the sun is shining and the weather is great. But life wasn’t always this way for Lamarriel.
Though he’s lived in Texas, Illinois and now California, East St. Louis was home for Lamarriel during his formative years, and his options were limited to say the least. Living amongst teen pregnancy, drug abuse, gang violence, abuse and rape, he knew there had to be more to life than what surrounded him. Adding insult to injury, he has a brother who was just recently sentenced to 65 years in prison.
“I didn’t want to follow that path,” he says. “My mom is a nurse and she pretty much inspired me to be who I am. I saw her work long hours and I just want to pay her in return. I learned a lot of things from her as far as CNA and stuff like that. She has inspired me to be different.” Lamarriel stresses that both of his parents were a part of his life growing up.
To be different, Lamarriel pursued his academics rigorously. He was relentless in achieving the highest standards he could, now maintaining a 4.0 GPA. His school environment was difficult, stressful back in Illinois, but moving to San Diego with his uncles has been a life-changing experience.
Football was something that came naturally. Lamarriel began playing at age six and excelled almost immediately. By the time he began high school at Cahokia in Illinois, he started the varsity team his freshman year. And after helping to lead his team to the state championship, the colleges began the pursuit.
“There’s in home visits. Unlimited calls within a certain period of the season. There’s mail. There’s assistant coaches, position coaches. It’s so stressful. Just last night I was talking to three coaches at one time. I was texting one coach, on Facebook with another coach and on the phone with a coach. One day I received so many letters from one school – it was the whole entire coaching staff. I didn’t believe it. I first thought, what’s the point of reading all this, but then when you look at the big picture it’s like, they’re showing a lot of love.
“Committing to a college, for certain schools, you get a good job based off of your degree and where you come from. You have to look at that, and then you have to look at where it is located. Do you want to deal with that weather? How will you be in contact with your family? Where will you fit on their team? That’s usually everybody’s last worry, but that’s a big part because why go to that school if you’re not going to play a factor? You can pursue education just the same and play a factor on THEIR team.”
In deciding where he will go, Lamarriel says, “There are pros and cons with it, but it’s all inside of you. I try not to play with it too much. I talk to my uncle a lot about it and he gives me a lot of advice on how to research a school and look at their coaching backgrounds. But coaching has changed…they can just up and leave just like that.”
At 6’2, 189, Lamarriel displays the body type of a receiver, and he’s definitely got the stats to back up the hype. Racking up 100+ yard games is certainly not an anomaly. But he remains grounded.
“A lot of guys brag about that stuff, but I try to let it humble me. It’s stressful and exciting at the same time. Just last night I couldn’t sleep because I’m supposed to make a decision soon,” he said in reference to National Signing Day – which has become a nationally televised event in recent years. But Lamarriel says that the impact of his decision, and the way he goes about making it, will last.
“It’s a lot of pressure. You don’t want to let anybody down. You look at it like ‘it’s all about me, but it’s really not because you reflect your family, your school, where you come from.”
The past year and a half has been a breath of fresh air for Lamarriel. Life at Mission Bay is a complete contrast from what he endured in Illinois. He lauds the teaching and administration at Mission Bay, from the principal on down, and attributes his success to the great support he’s received. And the coaches were not omitted from Lamarriel’s praise.
Still, academics remain at the forefront of Lamarriel’s mind. He chose Mission Bay because of its IB (International Baccalaureate) program. He currently holds a full medical scholarship towards any school in the country he wants to attend. He was also presented as a finalist for the National Merit Scholarship Award by his principal in front of his classmates. He received a 2000 on his SATs and says that he wants to pursue his nursing degree. Real Estate is also an option. There is life outside of and after football.
But most visible is Lamarriel’s humility. So often youth are perceived as naïve, impulsive and not able to think things through. But Lamarriel is thoughtful, intuitive and grateful for his place in life.
“Being that type of guy, it sets you apart from a lot of people. I really humble myself because I know the things I had and I know the things I want to get in life. And I know where I come from and I know where I’m going. I really don’t dwell on success because that comes with the hard work you put in it. It’s up to you what you put in it and your outcome is what you gave. Whatever you give is what you get out of it.”
Lamarriel points to his strong mind as the key to his endurance and motivation. And he urges his fellow classmates to pursue the same. “Know what you want to do. If you’re weak minded, you can be taken advantage of. Being weak minded, you can be influenced to do the wrong things. Being weak minded, you can be encouraged to go the wrong way as far as going where you don’t want to go. I tell guys that are getting recruited just as much as me, don’t be weak minded. Don’t let them tell you what they want you to hear. You get out of them what you want to hear. And let that be your strive.
“I know what I’m going to do. I know the decisions I’m going to make and I know they’re going to be positive. Be a leader. Help others. And try to be as humble as you can. Take care of business. Everybody can say they want to do something, but if you’re not doing it what’s the use of talking about it.”
And in his humility, Lamarriel doesn’t forget to acknowledge the source of his strength. “I thank the man above for where I am every day. I never thought I would be where I am today. Living back there [East St. Louis] is not something a kid should have to go through.”
Lamarriel rejoices in being a part of the brotherhood and insists that every interview he is a part of, so are his teammates. He presses that winning is not made possible by one person.
He talks about a cycle of negativity back in East St. Louis. Whether it is football, nursing, real estate or any other endeavor Lamarriel pursues, the cycle has already been broken with him. Success has no choice but to follow him.
