Joe Gaiter: What does football mean to you?
Jalen Evertt: Football is very important to me. It helps me escape the from the reality of the world. It has taken me places that I never thought I would go. Also, through football I’ve created bonds with people that will last forever
Joe Gaiter: Tell us how you started playing sports?
Jalen Evertt: I started playing sports at three years old when I was introduced to Tee-Ball at the Boys and Girls Club. A couple years later I started playing flag football and basketball. Then I moved up to play tackle football.
Joe Gaiter: What are your fondest memories about Valdosta High school?
Jalen Evertt: I remember my junior year, it is the first game of the season, and I’m at safety. It’s the Winnersville Classic, the biggest rivalry game in South Georgia. It’s about the fourth quarter. We had a pretty big lead. The quarterback had overthrew his receiver. I caught a pick and ran it back for a touchdown. Later on, in the season I caught three picks in the same half in one of our region games. Then we went to the State Champion and won. We then got a chance to play in Texas on national TV at The Star wrapping up a wonderful season.
Joe Gaiter: Tell us about your recruiting experience.
Jalen Evertt: I wasn’t heavily recruited probably due to my size, but I was able to sign a scholarship to a great program at Reinhardt.
Joe Gaiter: Why did you choose Reinhardt University?
Jalen Evertt: Reinhardt has a great program. They had just started the football program about 3 years before I signed and were already making noise at the national level. I felt like I would fit in with their program and it wasn’t too far from home. I also loved the environment everybody shows love and looks out for each other.
Joe Gaiter: Tell us about the atmosphere during home games at RU?
Jalen Evertt: It is a packed-out crowd just about every game. Running out the Eagle’s Head through the smoke hearing the fans screaming is all you need to get your adrenaline pumping.
Joe Gaiter: What are keys in playing Free Safety on the field?
Jalen Evertt: I currently have moved to Dog which is a hybrid safety. I would say the most important key is your eyes. Reading the rights keys will help you be able to do your job and make more plays.
Joe Gaiter: RU was 9-3 this year. What would you say helped you have such a winning season overall?
Jalen Evertt: I would say the preparation each week for each team. We studied each team, learned what they do best, and prepared different ways to stop them. We also put forth equal efforts on the three phases offense, defense, and special teams.
Joe Gaiter: How are you planning on elevating your athleticism next season?
Jalen Evertt: I’m going to continue to grind everyday whether it’s in the weight room or on the field.
Joe Gaiter: Tell us about your Track and Field career?
Jalen Evertt: I had always wanted to try track, but it occurred during the same time as baseball season. I had to pick one or the other and I always picked baseball. My senior year I decided to give track a shot. I competed in high jump, triple jump, and the 4×100. It went good for my first year. I came in second at our region meet for triple jump and in the 4×100. I also made it to the State Championships for triple jump and the 4×100. I placed 8th in triple jump, and we placed 6th in the 4×100. After the season I realized that track was so much fun and wanted to continue in college. I talked to the track coach, Coach Turner and he allowed me to walk on. My freshman season went okay I competed in triple jump for our indoor season and capped it off placing 6th at indoor conference. For outdoor season I competed in the 4×100 at times along with long and triple jump. I placed in the finals for both jumps at outdoor conference. This past indoor season ended with me placing in both triple and long jump.
Joe Gaiter: Tell us about your Humble Clothing Brand.
Jalen Evertt: It started out as me just wanting to make some shirts to match my shoes. Then I grew an idea of starting my own brand. I wanted to display a positive message through my brand so I decided that it would represent humility. Growing up everyone would always say how humble I was and that it was a good thing. From this I came up with the name Humble Clothing Brand. After that we released some shirts, people loved them, and we just kept on going. We now make hats, shirts, hoodies, joggers and some athletic apparel. You can follow us on Facebook and Instagram @Humbleclothingbrand to learn more.
