After just 10 carries in the last two seasons, Jackson State football running back Nate Blount IV is getting the opportunity to fill the starting role for the 2026 season. And no one is more excited about that than his mom.
“I think she’s more excited because when you have kids and you want the best for them and they succeed on that level, it’s like you’re really happy for them,” Blount’s dad Tray told the Clarion Ledger. “So I think she’s really interested in what he’s going to do and that’s his biggest cheerleader.”
Blount has 75 career rushing yards and enters the 2026 season as JSU’s projected starter. However, that role comes with some pretty big shoes to fill.
Blount watched as the Tigers produced the No. 8 rushing offense in the FCS in 2024 and ranked No. 3 in 2025. Both seasons came with 1,000-yard rushers in Irv Mulligan and Ahmad Miller, both of whom led the SWAC in rushing.
In hopes of alleviating that pressure, Tray Blount’s advice to his son has been simple: Do you.
“You never go in trying to fill someone else’s shoes,” Blount's dad said. “You fill your own. You fill what you have to do to be successful at your points. Make your name known. … Don’t put any pressure on yourself. Block the crowd out, block the noise out, play football, have fun, do what you do, you will be successful.”
Although it seems like a lot of responsibility to take on with little experience, it’s not a situation Blount is completely unfamiliar with. He’s used to having his team rely on him dating back to his time at Brandon High School in Brandon, Mississippi.
For three years, he was Brandon’s leading rusher. In 2022, he helped his team to the MHSAA 6A championship game, rushing for 816 yards and 11 touchdowns in four playoff games. He finished high school as a three-star recruit with 5,218 rushing yards and 68 rushing touchdowns.
“I used to tell people, he kind of had the weight of a town on his shoulders at different points in time when he was playing at Brandon,” Blount’s high school coach Sam Williams said. “We were so reliant on him and believed in him so much from the time he took the first carry as a varsity player to the time he took his last.”
At SWAC Media Day, JSU coach T.C. Taylor said Blount could have played more snaps the last two seasons, something Blount’s dad agreed with. His insistence to stay the course and not leave the program has not gone unnoticed by Taylor or the people around him.
“He’s kind of stuck it out at Jackson State at a time when a lot of people move around and trying to go jump to the next best thing,” Williams said. “… He’s going to have a big year because he deserves it. He’s worked really hard. He’s done things the right way. He didn’t take any shortcuts.”
Blount’s dad acknowledged that by not playing much, his son managed to learn from the wealth of running backs on the depth chart ahead of him, helping him focus on progressing in anticipation of this year.
Now all that’s left is for him to take the field when JSU’s season opens against Tennessee State on Aug. 29 (7:30 p.m. CT, ESPN+) in Nashville.
“I’m very excited. I’m elated really,” Blount's dad said. “… I’ve wanted it for him. He wanted it for himself. My wife wanted it for him. Everyone wanted it for him. For me to be stepping into JSU this year, wherever we go, whatever we do, I’m going to wear his number proud.”
Tia Reid covers Jackson State sports for the Clarion Ledger. Email her at treid@usatodayco.com and follow her on X @tiareid65.
This article originally appeared on Mississippi Clarion Ledger: Will Brandon star Nate Blount IV be Jackson State's third straight 1,000-yard rusher?