Diamond in the Rough: Kameron Booker

Sometimes it’s not about the size of a player, but it’s about his heart. Kameron Booker is a senior running back at Jonesboro-Hodge High School in Jonesboro, Louisiana. On paper, he does not seem like an efficient running back due to his size but looking at his game film will make you forget about his limitations and think about his potential. When I asked how he was able to make so many guys miss and break through tackles he told me it was because of his foot work. This kid is humble; he refuses to let his talents define him. A down to earth player who lets his feet do the talking, Booker is a player with untapped potential in the making.

At the bowl game, Booker ended the night by averaging 6.5 yards on 4 attempts with a total of 26 yards. I asked him what separates him from the rest in the state both on and off the field he told me discipline. In the coaching world, that’s the ideal player you want. A disciplined player is a one a coach can trust not only to run the play correctly but to do what’s right off the field. He’s the type of player to do what is told, nothing more and nothing less. Having a disciplined running back on any team is the one who will grind for every yard whenever he touches the field. His sense of motivation comes from his parents always pushing him to be better than he was the day before. To get another sense of motivation before a game, Booker watches highlights of former Neville High School and current Texas Christian University wide receiver KaVontae Turpin.

Kameron understands what he needs to work on but he never stops working on what he’s best at and that’s speed. He runs the 4×1, 4×2, 100 and 200 meter in track. Running a 4.47 in the 40 shows the raw speed this kid from Jonesboro has. His ability to cut through defenses like a hot knife cutting butter is a sight to see. Kameron is hard worker. This is especially good for the type of work he wants to get into after football, which is working in construction and building homes. Kameron is the hard hat type player who understands that without hard work, nothing can be accomplished.