Searcy (LP) Sports are a big part of Searcy and one student, Senior DeAirus Whitney, is taking a big step in his football career. Lyon College, located in Batesville, Arkansas is where DeAirus signed to on February 1st, 2017 and is where he will be calling home for the next four years.
Throughout his high school career he has worked very hard to get to the position he is in today and he states, “Football is a grind. It’s not for everybody. People say there is an offseason in football but you really can’t take a day off.” His drive to get faster and stronger increases every year, says his mother, Asedria Whitney. Dedication is another thing that has kept DeAirus in football, his mother stated, “When he’s not in the gym at school, you can trust that he is at a local fitness center.” One thing that really boosted his spirits in joining and playing football is the support from his family, his dad’s side of his family are die hard football fans and when he decided he wanted to join everyone was ecstatic. His family always supported his choice to play football, even since his younger years because they saw the passion he showed for the sport, especially his mother, “DeAirius’ passion for football has been consistent since his younger years as a peewee player, I would watch how excited he would be just from lacing up his cleats and sliding on his helmet.”
Although, DeAirus has had a couple colleges pursing him he states, “I just felt right at home when I visited Lyon. They’ve been recruiting me for about two years now and all the coaches are really great there.” Lyon’s coaches tend to work towards a personal relationship with their players and do not only focus on their athletic career but also how their doing in academics. The coaches also like to see how their players are doing in their social life, as DeAirus states, “They are always wondering about Searcy or my job or things that not many other coaches take the time to ask about.” While playing college football DeAirus plans to work on his strengths and making them stronger, and working towards minimizing his weaknesses on and off the field.
