By LEE BRECHEEN, Louisiana Football Magazine
One of the most gifted football skill players in Louisiana goes to Northwood High School in Shreveport. He’s Mavjayvious Moss, who stands 5-11, 180 and on a bad day runs 4.45 in the 40-yard dash, and on a good day will post 4.4 or better.
He has skills similar to former Green Oaks and LSU cornerback T White, now a Pro Bowler with the Buffalo Bills. I saw White at Green Oaks and he was a dynamic player on both sides of the football at receiver and corner. Northwood’s Moss is the same type of player but under the radar in terms of getting national exposure.
But it’s not like he’s getting under-recruited – just not coast to coast yet. Colleges near and far have picked up on his ability and gifts God gave him.
Check his list of offers so far: Baylor, Tulane, Louisiana Tech, Southern Mississippi, Mississippi State, Grambling, Arkansas State, Northwestern State, ULM, UL Lafayette, Memphis, Minnesota, Vanderbilt, and New Mexico State, with more surely to come.
How about those Golden Gophers, you might ask? That’s the geographic outlier on the list above. Moss said after his recent official visit to Minnesota: “Head Coach P.J. Fleck is one of the most energetic and straight up coaches I have ever seen. He is a family man and he believes in a strong community. Without the people outside football it wouldn’t even be football. Coach Collins is my recruiter for Minnesota and I have been in contact with him since I earned the scholarship offer from the Gophers. I have a positive brother-like relationship with both of those two coaches.
“I just came back from my Minnesota trip from June 9-12 and it was a very great experience. I will be at Baylor from June 24-26 and I am looking forward to that, too.”
Those are the leaders in the chase to secure his commitment, he said.
Moss is excited about his days after high school but he definitely appreciates being at Northwood and being part of the Falcons’ program under coach Austin Brown.
“The coaching staff at Northwood is a very special staff. They understand their roles as coaches are not just to be a football coach. What I mean by that is they know their worth toward the young adults on the team. They all are more of a life coach than a football coach. All of my teammates get along very well. A lot of us have a good relationship with each other’s families outside of the football community.”
This fall, on the heels of a strong 2021 season, Moss is very optimistic about the Falcons and very respectful of their opponents.
“All the teams we play against are going to play to their highest standard. My favorite district game is North DeSoto, a very physical team and a team that will play until the last second. Benton has been a very challenging non-district game. Just tune in Week One for the results.
“With my (position) coach, ‘Little Mastermind,’ he will line me up anywhere and everywhere I am needed on the offense too. With coach (Jarrett) Taylor’s creativity, I will play all over the defensive side of the ball, and I will play also as a punt and kick returner.”
Notes on Mavjayvious Moss: This cornerback and athlete tied a state record with five — yes, 5 — interceptions in one game in 2021. I have watched football for 32 years and have never seen someone at any level pick off five passes in one game. As a freshman, Moss had 44 tackles, four Interceptions, and took one of those to the house. That production is not something you see every day from a freshman in high school.
