Brunswick head football coach Garrett Grady remembers the first time he saw Hezekiah Kent, also known as Heze.
“I first saw Heze in middle school, and it was on the basketball court,” Grady recalls. “I remember being very impressed with his athletic ability for such a big guy.”
Grady was hoping he would see this young middle schooler again, but on a football field. He got his wish.
“He came to one of our morning [football] workouts, and our coaching staff was in awe of him and how talented he was,” Grady says. “This big kid can really play. He’s really special.”
Kent, a sophomore, plays tight end for coach Grady’s Pirates. And at 6 feet, 6 inches tall and 265 pounds, he continues to play basketball, too.
“Heze can move his feet really well for a big guy, and he runs well,” Grady says. “He’s a very talented athlete.”
Kent enjoys basketball, but it’s football that is his primary sport, and the one that’s commanding tons of attention from college recruiters. Grady says Kent has attracted the attention of several major college programs, and he has more than 20 Division 1 offers in hand so far.
Despite Kent’s incredible talent and ability, Grady and the Pirates coaching staff have eased him into the lineup, as this is his first year of playing full-time.
“Last season as a freshman, we played him a few snaps as a tight end,” says Grady. “But his role within our program has continued to grow just as Heze has, so we have used him a lot more.”
Grady adds that Kent now plays “the majority of every snap on offense as well as our special teams, too.”
In addition to lining up as the team’s starting tight end, Kent is being used as a Wildcat quarterback in certain situations, and according to Grady, it has been very effective against defensive fronts.
“Opposing defenses get tired of trying to tackle a 6-foot, 6-inch, 270-pound quarternback,” Grady says.
So far this season, Kent has 34 carries for 244 yards and 2 TDs running out of the Wildcat formation. From his tight end spot, the tall talented sophomore has 9 catches for 156 yards receiving and 1 TD. His rushing average is 7.1 yards per carry and he is averaging 17.3 yards per catch.
But his head coach says the stats only tell part of the story of Kent’s contributions.
“Heze makes a huge impact in ways that you don’t necessarily measure,” Grady says. “His run blocking has been great, and just his presence when he’s on the field really gives opposing defenses another thing to worry about.”
Grady says the Pirates’ plans for Kent eventually include using him on defense.
“We are repping him on the defensive line during practice, but he hasn’t played in an actual game on defense,” Grady says. “It’s coming. We plan to play him on defense next season.”
Grady went on to compare his Brunswick standout to one of the state’s most dominant defensive linemen: “Heze is very comparable to Vic Burley,” Grady says, referring to the former Warner Robins defensive lineman and current Clemson Tigers defender.
It turns out that Heze comes from an athletic family, and they are tall, too. His mother, Octoria Williams, played basketball. His cousin is Camden County standout DE/TE Alysis Williams, who also is 6 feet, 6 inches, and weighs 265 pounds. Kent also has a sister who is a cheerleader at Glynn Academy.
Grady says it is a joy to simply be around a player and student like Heze.
“I’m just fortunate to have the opportunity to coach a young man like Heze Kent,” the Brunswick coach says.
