Colts 2022 Draft Interviews: Jequez Ezzard, WR, Sam Houston State
Jequez Ezzard is a former zero star recruit out of Hapeville Charter High School in College Park, Georgia. He didn't have many offers come signing day, and he eventually opted to sign on with Howard University.
I asked him about that process and about how he ended up at Howard:
I didn't have any offers coming out of high school. Coach Flea came down from Howard and he liked me. He was actually the first coach that told me that he wanted to give me a scholarship.
I didn't know what Howard was or where it was, but he just told me to come up there and play ball. I just took that chance and went up there with him.
Ezzard wasted no time becoming a household name at Howard, as he totaled 1,959 yards receiving in 2017 and 2018. After he missed the bulk of the 2019 season due to injury, he opted to enter into the transfer portal. He eventually decided to transfer to Sam Houston State prior to the 2020 season.
I asked him why he chose Sam Houston State over some of the other FCS schools that were pursuing him:
Well, I'm not a big social media person. When I eventually entered into the portal, my best friend J.P told me that I could go anywhere in the country. He said he was going to make me a Twitter and he was going to reach out to every coach possible. He ended up showing me a screenshot that he had reached out to 600 coaches on the first day that he made the Twitter.
When he told me about all the coaches and what they said, it sounded like they were trying to recruit me. I told him that I didn't want to come in like I was a freshman. I told him to keep it FCS, and he started reaching out to North Dakota State and James Madison and such.
I was thinking about it and I knew it would be guaranteed to win at one of those schools. I told him to find me a team with a great defense that has never got over the hump. I wanted one of those underdog teams. I wanted a team that was always in contention but could never finish it off.
He reached out to a few more and then he found Sam Houston. They got back to us and it just went from there.
Ezzard certainly found an underdog team that was ready to take the next step in Sam Houston State. In his first year on campus, he exploded for 861 yards receiving and an incredible 22.7 yards per catch in the Spring Season.
Sam Houston State was able to finish that year off with a 23-21 victory over South Dakota State in the FCS Championship Game. I asked him what it felt like to be a part of that champion team:
It was different, man. I'm still trying to soak it up to this day. Coming from Howard, you never think about winning a National Championship. We weren't eligible for a playoff run even if we went undefeated, so we were packing up to go home in November.
It was just special, man. The longer you get to play, the better that the experiences are. Making it all the way with those guys, knowing what we went through in that spring, that was big. Like I said, I'm still trying to soak it all in today.
Ezzard finished his two year stint with Sam Houston State totaling 1,470 yards receiving on 79 catches for 15 touchdowns. His 18.6 yards per reception over that span was one of the best in all of college football.
Instant Impact After Transferring
Like I mentioned above, Ezzard was able to step in on day one and be one of the best players on a championship team. There wasn't any learning curve or adjustment period for him after transferring, he just stepped in and became an immediate star.
I asked him how that adjustment was for him and how he made the move seem effortless:
I'm kind of a "to myself" type of guy, but once I get around the guys, my personality starts to show. I just wanted to come in and take in their culture and take in their success. I just wanted to soak in what (the coaches) were teaching them and how they went about their process.
Once I got a good vibe of that, which was the first day we were out there conditioning, I realized this was the place that I needed to be. I knew that I really had to step up and up my game for these guys.
They were out there putting in the work day and night, so I knew it was time for me to up my standards so I could play at this level. It was a transition, but those guys there bring you in with open arms. They are all humble and grinding and they just wanted to win, man.
It was an easy transition and I'm glad they made it so easy for me. I know it can be tough for transfers, but it was smooth, man.
Role as a Receiver
Ezzard had an insane yards per catch in his career at Sam Houston State. A lot of that is due to the fact that nobody at the FCS level could keep up with his speed and explosion down the field.
I asked him if his role early on was to be that vertical threat or if it just transitioned into that as the season got rolling:
I'm just going to say it happens, man. God works in mysterious ways. Sometimes I just get the ball and special things happen. I'm just trying to help the team win and I know when I touch the ball, I'm going to make a play.
That can be a deep touchdown or a catch to keep the chains moving. Whatever it is, I will do it for my team. I just got more involved as the season went on, and they started believing in what I could do down the field.
With Ezzard's size and play style at college, he will draw a lot of comparisons to players such as Percy Harvin or Deonte Harris in the NFL.
I asked him if there are any players in the NFL that he truly tries to model his game after:
Julian Edelman. Julian Edelman is my favorite receiver of all time. His transition from four years of college quarterback to receiver is inspiring to me. He did everything that he could to help his team have success.
He's a smaller guy that's not super fast, but he's got that quickness. He doesn't have great breakaway speed, but when he gets into space, he does what he has to do. I'm trying to get my weight up to his size, I think he was around 215, and trying to do everything he did on his tape.
That is just my guy, he was a great ball player, man.
Return Ability
On top of being one of the better FCS receivers over the past two seasons, Ezzard was also a top tier return man. As a punt returner, he averaged nearly 14 yards per return with 516 total yards at Sam Houston State. He also returned two punts for a touchdown in the 2021 Spring Season.
I asked him if his excellence as a return man is more natural or if it is something that he had to really work at:
So when I started ball in high school, I played quarterback. That was really my main position, but my coach moved me to receiver during my tenth grade year. Once he got a glimpse of my natural ability, he started putting me as the return guy.
He had a coach come out there and teach me how to field the punts and it all just felt natural to me. The skill set just comes from backyard football. You aren't trying to get hit back there, so it's the same thing when you catch the ball in open space.
I'm just taken back to when I was younger, trying to make dudes miss and make a big highlight play. I just feel so natural back there and the guys trust me to make a big play.
NFL Draft Outlook
I finished off the interview with the same way I finish all of them. I asked Ezzard how he would sell himself to a team this offseason. I asked him what my team would be getting, on and off the field, if they draft him:
I'm all business, man. I'm not one to hang out a lot, especially during the season. I just want to be great and I want to help my team. I never want to be the one where I'm causing the distraction or taking away the focus from the team's goals.
I'm just a solid dude. I'm going to get to business, I'm going to understand my playbook, and I'm going to help all of my teammates and coaches have all the success that we can as a unit.
Take a chance on me, man. I'm a smaller dude, but I have a big heart. You are going to get all of me and more. Let's go!
Ezzard has been one of my favorite college football players over the past two seasons and it was an absolute joy to get to talk to him. While making the jump from the FCS level is tough, he is the type of guy that can find a role with his work ethic and special teams ability.
He was a special player at the college level and I'm very excited to see what he can do in the NFL.
Follow Zach on Twitter @ZachHicks2.
