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Los Angeles, CA–It would be hard to find a better football name than Blaizdy Duprat. His teammates appropriately call him “Blaze” as the senior lights up the field at Lely High School in Naples, Florida.
The defensive back attended Football Hotbed’s Senior Showcase January 24 in Miami and received an offer from ASA Miami on the spot. He committed to the junior college last week and is ready for the next step in his football career.
“When I first got the offer, I still wanted to look for more colleges, if any of them would offer me,” he tells Football Hotbed of making his final decision. “Then, I was just sitting in class and then I was thinking about it. ASA College in Miami is closer to home, they’re paying full tuition. They got the major that I like — sports management. Then, it’ll give me a year or two to better myself and transfer somewhere else, so I thought it was a great idea to commit. I talked to my coach. I talked to my mom. I told my brother. I told my friends and they all agreed with me. And then I called the coach out there and announced that I am committing.”
He admits that people around him were advising him to wait and see if he got other offers. “Wait it out,” “don’t commit yet,” and “you can get better schools” were all sentiments that echoed in his head.
“But I told myself, I think this is the right school for me right now and I committed,” he says.
Duprat, known as “Savage Seven,” explains that he hadn’t heard of Football Hotbed until a friend sent him the flier for the second annual showcase. He explains how the platform gave him the opportunity that he probably wouldn’t have had otherwise.
“I was like, ‘Alright, this is a chance to showcase my skills,’” he shares. “‘Cause I feel like I’m underrated and haven’t had the exposure I need. So I had to go get it instead of waiting. So I found this opportunity perfect. So I took the opportunity, I went and then I just showcased my skills and I’m very glad that I did go to the Football Hotbed Senior Showcase ‘cause it got me an offer.”
He credits Coach Culmer St. Jean for making the biggest impact on him in football and Coach Fritz, his defensive back coach since freshman year, for helping him get to the position he’s at. He also trains in track, which he says helps him with his lightning fast speed. He competes in the 100m, 200m and triple jump.
“My coach always encouraged me to do track because it gets me faster,” he says, “but then also comparing me to real speed with people that have been on track their whole life. They’re really fast and it motivates me to get faster and be faster than them.”
The senior didn’t play football until fifth grade because basketball was his first love. But his older brothers convinced him to pick up a pigskin and he took off from there. Initially, Duprat played running back, but decided to switch to defensive back in high school because he thought that would give him a better chance to make it to the next level.
Once he fell in love with football, Blaze adopted the Philadelphia Eagles as his favorite team. The players that drew his attention were Michael Vick, DeSean Jackson and LeSean McCoy. He says that as he transitioned positions throughout his personal career, he was able to incorporate their various styles into his playmaking abilities.
“LeSean McCoy’s shiftiness and I played running back, I always wanted to like imitate that,” he explains. “Then DeSean Jackson’s speed I always wanted to be like that and I utilized it. Then when I went to high school, I realized playing running back in offense is going to be hard getting to the next level. I decided to play defensive back. The coach loved me at defensive back. They utilized my speed and everything.”
Now, Duprat is seeking to be an inspiration to others as his older brother Andy, who is a senior running back and linebacker at Lely, is awaiting a scholarship. He says that his offer from ASA has encouraged his brother to remain positive and hopeful for his own opportunity.
And the desire to be a positive influence doesn’t stop there as Savage Seven hopes to use an education in sports management to one day give back. He volunteers at Sports CLUB in Naples where he coaches and mentors the local youth and hopes to further this in his own way.
“I want to be a president and in charge of a sports facility,” he shares, “and create my own sports program for little kids, teach them the sports way, but also teach them the way of life.”
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