Jamal Mtshali Profile
For those of you who reside in the Columbia area you may have heard of Richland Northeast High School DE Jamal Mtshali. Then again maybe you haven’t. The 2009 prospect has been on a mission to make sure that you along with top college football programs across the nation become more familiar with him. What Mtshali has been through during his high school years has been a long winding journey but he sees some light at the end of the tunnel at what many would’ve thought was a battle with little hope. Mtshali sat down with us and discussed his situation and his journey to become a known commodity in the recruiting world.
Jamal wasn’t the big name on the roster during his early years at RNE but he like many teenage young men went through a gamut of emotions and tribulations. An incident during his sophomore year would change the rest of his life and perspective on things immediately. ““Primarily I got expelled in the 10th grade that was a minor issue that even a lot of teachers agree with me on. Hopefully this will be my actual senior. We’re appealing to get an extra year, we just want the high school league to plead our case and that I was going through some things at the time and I was disobedient. I even went to South Africa to live a few months to live. I was at Blythewood Academy. My parents placed me there voluntarily. I was there to handle business and I have turned things around. I’ve got a lot ability that I want to put to use on the field. Football has done nothing but good things for me so I want to get a chance to show that.”
Since that time Mtshali has yet to have his case answered by the high school league. It’s what he has done with his time since the incident that has made him a much stronger person. He wanted to work tirelessly and put a great deal of his focus towards football because he loves the game. The young man has practically lived in the weight room ever since the incident. When there’s time to get a workout in you can bet Jamal is going to take advantage of that time to build muscle on his frame.
For starters Mtshali played defensive end at Richland Northeast but we project him as a linebacker on the next level. At 6’2 225 pounds he’s got a great frame for the position and boasts tremendous athleticism and strength. As we stated before the weight room is his second home. “I was in Muscle & Fitness October of 2007 issue. I sent it in and showed how I developed. I just emailed them and told them how they were an inspiration to become better with my physique and potential. It’s opened a lot of avenues for me with football and possibly bodybuilding in the future. I was like wow, I’m 16 and benching 405 pounds. They told me about it and I went up to the store and they put me in the magazine.” So now you’re probably wondering just how jacked Jamal is physically. He’s been eager to show scouts and college coaches that he’s going to be a force not just from the eye test but as a player on the field as well. Just for numbers sake we’ll let you in on some of his impressive numbers in the weight room. “I now have a max of 420 pounds on the bench press and 525 pound squat.”
“My main obstacle is my eligibility right now.”
With the look test easily passed Mtshali has continued his mentality of being a workout warrior. He came to the Under Armour/Scout.com combine in Charlotte ready to show the world exactly who he was. He put on a show posting some fabulous numbers but one number kept irking the 2009 standout. He posted a 4.82 second 40 yard dash. To Mtshali that wasn’t good enough. All of the prospects knew that the practice fields were running slow that day and Mtshali knew he was capable of posting a much better time.
Stay tuned for Part 2 of Jamal Mtshali’s story entitled “Jamal Mtshali: The Long Journey”
2009 LB Jamal Mtshali