In Ja’Marion Wayne’s perfect world, baloney would swim in the sea.
A senior all-around standout for the Parkway West football team, Wayne swore off meat in eighth grade and became a pescatarian. By choosing to only eat fish and other sea creatures, Wayne had to give up his favorite food.
“Baloney with chips and cheese,” Wayne said with a laugh. “I’ll eat baloney with everything. I’d make a baloney sandwich, eat it and get another one.”
The No. 5 recruit on the Post-Dispatch Super 30 countdown of the area’s top senior prospects, Wayne hasn’t been hampered by his diet. Far from it.
In his three previous varsity seasons, Wayne has been among the most versatile and productive players in the area.
“I’ve coached for 23 years now, he’s the only kid that started for us both ways as a freshman,” Parkway West coach Jeff Duncan said. “We knew he was going to be special.”
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Wayne’s impact was immediate. In the second quarter of his first varsity game as a freshman, Wayne returned an interception 42 yards for a touchdown against Parkway South. It was a sign of things to come as Wayne exploded on the scene. He finished his freshman year with 29 receptions for 555 yards and 10 touchdowns at wide receiver. At defensive back he made 98 tackles and had seven interceptions.
A key moment in Wayne’s development came in the final game of his freshman season. Parkway West lost to eventual state champion Vianney in its district tournament. That night Wayne finished with two receptions for 22 yards. It was the first time in 11 games he didn’t score at least one touchdown.
“I told our coaches if that happens that’s our fault,” Duncan said. “We started reworking what we were doing offensively. He’s not only going to be a receiver he’s going to be a running back. He’s not only going to be a running back he’s also going to be a quarterback.”
As a sophomore Wayne went wild as he caught 25 passes for 466 yards and scored seven touchdowns. He rushed for 895 yards and another 12 touchdowns. He completed one pass that went for a 50-yard touchdown. He also made 65 tackles in the defensive secondary.
“He’s a threat to score every time he touches the ball,” Duncan said.
Wayne’s sophomore season established him as a college prospect. As the coronavirus pandemic began shutting down the country in the spring of 2020 he received his first scholarship offer from Kansas. Missouri, Minnesota, Nebraska, Arkansas, Kentucky and Indiana also came calling.
Some players thrive off the sheer number of offers they receive. Wayne isn’t one of them. Staying close to home and having his family nearby to support him as he transitions to college was important. He verbally committed to Mizzou in December. The Tigers won Wayne’s pledge by consistently staying in contact with him and pushing him to be at his best. It resonated with Wayne and gave him a glimpse of what he believes he can expect when he arrives on campus.
“The Mizzou coaches were on me every day. They kept coming with it,” Wayne said. “I’d rather be with somebody that makes sure I’m on my A game then somebody that barely hits me up. Mizzou was on me, every day they’d hit me. They sold me with that.”
The Tigers recruited Wayne as a wide receiver. The nearly 6-foot-4 and 181-pound Wayne is positively giddy at the possibility of reuniting with the multitude of talented local players who have been parading to Columbia since Eli Drinkwitz took over the program. He played with and against several of them in youth football. Freshman defensive lineman and Drinkwitz’s first area recruit Mekhi Wingo is Wayne’s cousin. Being surrounded by so many familiar faces is a huge plus for Wayne.
“I feel like I’m going to be good,” Wayne said. “They’re going to be on my head. They’re not going to let me mess up.”
If there’s one thing Wayne wishes he could take with him to the next level, it would be the ability to play multiple positions. He’s grown fond of being on the field all the time and moving around to exploit matchups.
“It feels bad because it’s my last year being able to get in all these different positions,” Wayne said. “I have to show out, this is my year. There’s no other year of me playing all these positions. I feel like it’s getting me ready conditioning-wise. I’m going to miss it for sure.”
If the season plays out like Duncan envisions then Wayne will have ample opportunities to make an impact at a variety of positions. During last fall’s truncated season, Wayne once again was impressive. In seven games he caught 24 passes for 404 yards and a touchdown. He rushed for 391 yards and four touchdowns. He also completed nine passes for 83 yards and two touchdowns while being intercepted once.
Wayne has been working on becoming a more complete player and that includes stepping in under center.
“This year he’s going to jump into that quarterback role,” Duncan said. “He’s really become a better leader this year. Playing that quarterback position this summer has forced that.”
Wayne will once again be a force at safety, where he made 41 tackles and had two interceptions last fall. That’s another position he won’t play when he leaves the Longhorns. While defense isn’t necessarily his favorite thing to do on the field, he loves handing out a good lick.
“That’s the only thing I really like about defense,” he said with a laugh. “You get a big hit, that’s everything. Everyone is screaming. Everyone gets hype.”
Wayne will not only leave the other positions behind at the next level, he’s willing to restructure his diet if that’s what it takes to be at the peak of his powers. He’s talked to the Mizzou coaching staff about being a pescatarian and said they believe they can make it work. But if not he’s open to change.
“Whatever Mizzou needs me to do I’m going to do it. I want to get bigger, I want to get stronger, I want to get faster,” Wayne said. “If they can get me that, I’ll most definitely eat meat if they need me to eat meat.”
And that's no baloney.