The State Newspaper Profile on Rock Hill's Jonathan Meeks

Posted on Thu, Feb. 05, 2009
Safety's journey to Clemson needed important detour
By PAUL STRELOW
pstrelow@thestate.com

CLEMSON — Jonathan Meeks’ mother called Hargrave Military Academy last spring, seeking to learn whether the safety from Rock Hill could land a prep school tryout.

Tomorrow is the combine, she was told.

So on short notice, Meeks’ father took off from work and drove him three hours to the Virginia campus.

The 6-foot-2, 200-pounder made the cut. And after his mother nearly used up a retirement fund to pay Hargrave’s $15,000 annual fee, Meeks is to be believed when he suggests the chance to sign with Clemson on Wednesday morning is a blessing born of risk and sacrifice.

“It was all worth it,” Meeks said.

Yet Meeks received little fanfare on his journey.

Meeks played quarterback, receiver and safety his senior year at Rock Hill High, but was not selected for the North-South all-star game, let alone the Shrine Bowl. The recruiting services Rivals and Scout neglected to build a recruiting profile page about him.

A trio of instate Division II programs — Newberry, Coastal Carolina and Charleston Southern — were his most prominent suitors, in part because Meeks said he was about 100 points shy on the SAT of meeting NCAA initial eligibility requirements.

Fast forward to the fall. With the exposure that accompanies playing for one of the two prominent Virginia prep schools, Meeks garnered offers from most of the southeast’s major players.

“The guy went basically from being non-recruited to being offered — and I know, because they called me — by South Carolina, Clemson, Florida, Florida State, Penn State, Virginia Tech, North Carolina, North Carolina State — all of them wanting my opinion,” Rock Hill coach Joe Montgomery said.

“I’m sitting there thinking, the guy wasn’t even recruited a year ago. And now he’s got great opportunities.”

Both of Clemson’s starting safeties in 2008 were seniors, leaving patchwork linebacker DeAndre McDaniel, converted corner Marcus Gilchrist and a pair of redshirts as the only legitimate depth-chart competitors.

Meeks has finished his coursework at Hargrave and is taking an online class at Rock Hill’s Phoenix Academy to raise his GPA so he will not have to re-take the SAT.

At this time a year ago, he said he was pondering going the Division II or junior college route.

But he found hope in the case of a friend: fellow former Rock Hill defensive back Jonathan Hefney, who went to Hargrave, made All-SEC as a four-year starter at Tennessee and was on the Philadelphia Eagles’ practice squad as an NFL rookie last season.

“(The Meeks family) really took a leap of faith that he was talented enough to play at the Division I level,” outgoing Clemson recruiting coordinator Billy Napier said.

“I’m excited about the things he brings to the table as far as attitude and being a hungry kid. He’ll have a little chip on his shoulder when he arrives.”