JACKSONVILLE, Fla. – Sophomore
Josias Jean first put on a football jersey upon arrival in Fall 2017 before stepping on the track at Alcorn State University.
In the 2017 SWAC Championship football game, the kicker booted a pair of kickoffs for 110 yards. It came after he launched 19 kickoffs in the regular season, including nine against both Alabama A&M and Mississippi Valley State.
Three semesters later, the Fort Myers, Florida native will compete in the postseason yet again, but in a different sport. He boarded a plane Monday en route to the Track & Field NCAA Outdoor East Regionals to sprint in his home state among the nation's best in the 400m hurdles.
"It means a lot because I did not know I would make it this far in just one year. Making it to regionals just brings me one step closer to my ultimate goal; wearing that Haitian jersey in national competition," Jean said.
Living his first nine years on the Caribbean island of Haiti as the last of eight children, the 5'10 hurdler came from humble beginnings but always kept things in perspective.
"Being a Haitian-American has its ups and downs. The ups are that you can enjoy the best of both worlds and the downs is that sometimes a lot of the opportunities don't get offered to you," Jean said.
As a senior at Fort Myers HS, he was originally recruited for track only at the University of South Florida. However, he was not accepted into the university, but was contacted by Alcorn. He was informed that he would have the opportunity to play both football and compete on the track, and he signed with the Braves.
"The first year I handled it [playing two sports in college] pretty well and I actually enjoyed it. I was already used to it because in high school I was a three-sport athlete as I played football, soccer and track," Jean said.
Jean has come on strong on the track this semester where he has really broken through. His times continued to improve throughout the season, which included a fourth-place finish and personal-record time of 52.82 in the 400m at the 2019 SWAC Championships.
Jean, who won the SWAC Track Athlete of the Week honor on April 24 after his performance at the LSU Alumni Gold Meet, also holds the team's top time this year in the 400m with a 49.48. He's also competed as a member of Alcorn's 4x400m relay and 1600m distance medley relay teams.
Although Jean will try and move as fast as he can Thursday at 6:15 p.m. (CT) at regionals, the business administration major takes a slower approach to life.
"I've learned that patience is the key to success. Rushing success will only slow down your process," Jean said.
#FearTheBrave
