“Your focus determines your reality”. A quote that has rang true for many people over time. For athletes, what they focus themselves on is what they bring forth both on and off the field. Not everyone can say that they chose the hard way to get to greatness. However , every once in a while, we get an outlier that shocks us all. Our outlier today is none other than defensive tackle, Jeffrey M’ba. In his case, Jeffrey M’ba has focused himself so much on his craft on and off the football field that he is now beginning to reap the hard earned benefits of his work.
Hailing all the way from Fougere, France, Jeffrey M’ba has a story that is quite unlike any other. Originally from Gabon and Cameroon, M’ba moved to France when he was just four years old. It wasn’t until later in his life when he moved to Oakdale, Connecticut, that his outstanding athleticism was noticed and thrust into the spotlight. With no previous knowledge or experience playing American Football, M’ba decided that as a Junior in high school, he would go out and give it a shot. And boy, did he shoot. Jeffrey’s talent was exposed on the gridiron in ways that nobody could have ever predicted. With his size and build of 6’6 and over 300 pounds, M’ba was rightly placed on the defensive line where he rightly put fear in the hearts of any opposing offensive player. After only a year of playing football, college coaches noticed M’ba’s otherworldly talent and the offers started to roll in. As a four star in high school, M’ba garnered offers from Power Five schools such as Michigan, Michigan State, Penn State, Ohio State, and many more. Eventually , M’ba would commit to Virginia on March 23rd 2019. However, this was short lived as he decommitted from Virginia less than three months later . What would M’ba do now? He would dedicate more time and effort than ever before to perfecting his craft. Jeffrey M’ba chose to attend Junior College at Independence Community College in Independence, Kansas
JUCO is notorious for being one of the hardest grinds that any football player can go through. M’ba has embraced the JUCO challenge head on and has used it to his advantage. As a freshman, Jeffrey is listed at 6’6 305 pounds, an absolute monster on the defensive line. This size has perfectly translated over to the field as he has produced outstanding numbers in his first six games played as a Freshman. Racking up an astonishing 27 tackles (17 solo, 10 assists), 2 sacks, and a fumble returned for a touchdown, M’ba is making his presence known. His production on field has directly translated to his production off the field. As of late, M’ba has amassed over 20 Power Five D-1 offers. Schools such as Mississippi State, Michigan, Miami, NC State, Auburn, Florida, Oregon, and many many more have already offered M’ba. As of now, it is unclear the path the Jeffrey M’ba will take after his already dominant Freshman season at Independence, but one thing is for certain, whatever route he chooses to take, , M’ba will be an X-Factor wherever he decides to go after this college football season.