Mosley taking his talents to Central Arkansas

Jay'Len Mosley made his announcement on Saturday, Jan. 4.

It was cloudy and chilly at Ronnie Fowler Field, the football stadium where Mosley made a name for himself as a record-setting wide receiver for the Eagles.

It was on that field he proved himself worthy of winning Mr. Football.

So it was on that field he wanted to do the last thing he could do as a part of the football program at JCS.

So with an archway made of different colored balloons representing all the schools on his final schools list - Tennessee, Louisville, Florida International and Central Arkansas.

One black balloon was at the top of the archway, and after Mosley heard congratulations from Eagles head coach Darby Palmer and a prayer from assistant coach Brian Bullinger, Mosley read a statement of his own thanking those he was grateful to and for and then popped the black balloon.

When he did, purple and silver ribbons came out, indicating Mosley is headed for Central Arkansas.

"College football is a business, and one thing I really appreciated about them and their coaching staff is how they treated me no differently after my injury than they did before," Mosley said. "It's not the biggest school, but it was one that I felt comfortable with when I made my visit."

Mosley said he quietly told the coaching staff he committed to them during his visit earlier in the fall.

So he's had time to prepare for this week, which will be busy as he's moving to Conway, Ark., to enroll early as classes begin on Wednesday.

"I've already filled out all my paperwork and everything, so now I've just got to get all my stuff over there that's going," Mosley said.

Mosley spent the majority of his junior season at Jackson Christian as a four-star recruit for wide receiver, defensive back and athlete. But in Week 11 in the region championship game, Mosley tore his patellar tendon in a non-contact injury in the second quarter of the Eagles' game at Trinity Christian.

He was emotional that night as he was carted off the sideline and into a vehicle to be taken to the hospital that night.

"I learned a few lessons in my recovery from that injury that I needed to learn," Mosley told the crowd of about 200 who'd come to the field for the announcement and signing. "The main thing being that football had become my identity, and that was something that could be taken away from me very quickly.

"So in that time where I couldn't walk and couldn't do much of anything, I took that time to really strengthen my walk with Christ and know that I'm more than a football player."

He said he hoped his legacy at JCS would be a man of God who had a little success playing football. That success included winning Mr. Football in 2023, over 4,187 career receiving yards fourth in TSSAA history), 60 career touchdown receptions (TSSAA record) and 221 career receptions (fifth in TSSAA). He had 66 receptions for 1,165 yards and 22 touchdowns this past season.

Central Arkansas runs an offense similar to that of Jackson Christian's, which means Mosley is looking forward to getting to work with the rest of the receivers and quarterbacks in the program.

"The ones I met, they were all like a family, which is another thing that's like here at Jackson Christian," Mosley said. "It's a great feeling to be headed there and knowing I'll continue my football career there."

Brandon Shields, brandon@jacksonpost.news