JJ Guthrie: Focusing on the JSU Students

JJ Guthrie came to JSU from Cullman, AL after a successful high school career on the football field. JJ is now working on a student committee to help promote the football program to the student body. We spoke with JJ this week about the changes being made at JSU.

GI: Tell us about the committee you are serving on.

JJ: I’m on a student spirit committee. My part is the social media. Using facebook, I’m creating a link between the students and the football program. It’s important for the students to know who the football players are. This is an important step in creating school spirit. We’re going to be doing some player interviews for our facebook page. Right now, our facebook page has more fans than any other school in the OVC.

GI: What are some of the new things the committee is doing?

JJ: We’re starting by having Thursday night pep rallies before every home game and before the Ole Miss game. Players will be there, the Southerners will be there, cheerleaders will be there. We’ll introduce some of the players at each pep rally. We want it to be interactive. We’re planning to have them start at about 8 PM.
We’re planning to have concerts on Friday nights before games. The Friday night before the first home game, (Sept. 10th)we have a band called “Course of Nature”. They’ll be filming a video that night, so JSU students will be in the video. That should be fun.

On game days, Dillon Field beside the stadium will be the student tailgating area. Any students are welcome to tailgate here. Student organizations can reserve a space for their members.

GI: That sounds like the committee has been busy. Anything else you want to mention?

JJ: Fan Day is August 21st. Students are moving into the dorms beginning Aug. 20th, so we’ll have people at the dorms passing out flyers inviting them to Fan Day. We’ll have student tailgating for Fan Day, too.

During the season, we want the crowd to interact with the game. We’ll be giving out boom sticks and red towels to students. Just like with student tailgating, student organizations can reserve space in the stands for the game.

We’ll also be encouraging the businesses on the square to decorate. Our cheerleaders will be visiting them to paint their windows red. We want to involve the community.

GI: You’ve been on the football team for the last couple of years. Do you miss it now?

JJ: I miss it. I really miss the guys on the team. You develop a bond with them out there. I really feel I can help them more off the field now. I really appreciate the opportunity I’ve been given now to help with promoting the team.

GI: From your perspective, what should we expect from the team this year?

JJ: The team is really good. Our defense will be tough. We have some talent out there. Offensively, we have a lot of confidence in (Marques) Ivory (at QB).

GI: You played linebacker so you’ve seen these guys up close. Out of our linebackers, who is the hardest hitter?

JJ: That’s really tough. They all hit hard. If I had to pick one, I would say………Antonio Bonner.

GI: Thanks for taking a little time to talk with us. Good luck in school and on the committee.