EDITOR’S NOTE: Since 2002, the Times Free Press has highlighted the top 12 college football prospects among Chattanooga-area seniors with its preseason Dynamite Dozen. The countdown of this year’s list continues with No. 5.
Whether it was a premonition or just being prepared, Jamyan Theodore certainly followed through on an internal suspicion he had leading up to last year’s regular-season matchup with rival McCallie.
In the days before the game, Baylor’s rangy cornerback said he began to imagine what his celebration would be if he was able to intercept multiple Blue Tornado passes — and especially if he returned one for a touchdown.
Turns out he followed through on both imagined scenarios, picking off three passes in the first half and returning the last of those 32 yards for a score. Several steps after crossing the goal line, with the football still tucked under his left arm, Theodore emphatically held out his right hand and counted “1-2-3” on his fingers, just as he said he had planned.
“Maybe he was manifesting it to happen,” Red Raiders coach Erik Kimrey said with a laugh. “He has such a nose for the football and is a really intelligent and intuitive kid. When he breaks on the ball, he tracks it in the air extremely well.