- April 28, 2024
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Que'Shaun Byrd rushed for nearly 200 yards against Mainland. Photos by Jeff Dawsey
Byrd broke for a 64-yard touchdown run late in the fourth quarter to cut into Mainland's lead.
If you search Que’Shaun Byrd’s name on the top high school recruiting websites, you’ll find limited information about him. No offers. No grade. And seemingly no interest, despite his 3,000+ yards and over 33 touchdowns in the last few seasons.
What most of those sites do list is his 5’6 – give or take an inch – stature and 160-pound size. It’s no secret that he’s short. Lend him a couple inches, and he couldn’t find a large enough mailbox to contain all the schools that would be pleading for him to play for them.
“I get frustrated because it seems like colleges only care about size and not the talent in a player,” Byrd said. “When comparing my states to other players thats are bigger than I, my stats are still better.”
Lining up behind an experienced offensive line, Byrd rushed for over 1,500 yards and scored 21 touchdowns in his during his sophomore year. Since that remarkable season, Byrd has run behind a bunch of underclassmen and a passing game opposing defenses don’t fear. Teams stuff 8-9 players in the box, anticipating a Byrd run, though it sometimes doesn’t matter.
This past week, Mainland’s defensive coordinator yelled to his players, “It’s a toss right! A toss right,” but Byrd still managed to take that toss to the right and go from the 33-yard line down to the four-yard line.
“He’s one of the Top 10 players we have played since 2012, and that includes a list of guys like Sony Michel, Dalvin Cook, Torrance Gibson, Charles Nelson and a host of others,” Roland said. “Everything he does, he does with the opposing defense knowing that he is going to get the ball.”
While the season is still young, and Byrd has many more yards to reach, schools rarely wait until the last minute to offer student-athletes. That usually takes place during their junior season, but Byrd says he has drawn interest from a couple of schools, and, if picks up any offers from the big schools, he plans to show the rest just what they missed out on.
“My motivation will be to prove that it doesn’t matter how small I am,” he said. “I can make big plays, even bigger plays then those guys that are 6’1 and 200 pounds.”
Scouting from an opponent: Travis Roland, Mainland High School’s defensive coordinatir, said, “He’s (Que’Shaun) one of the Top 10 players we have played since 2012, and that includes a list of guys like Sony Michel, Dalvin Cook, Torrance Gibson, Charles Nelson and a host of others. Everything he does, he does with the opposing defense knowing that he is going to get the ball.”
