@story  WHITNEY RAY
@images  GLENN GILLEY
 
If you haven't heard of Fort Smith’s Shaquille Jones yet, you will. And if we're all lucky, Shaq, as he's known on the gridiron, will be a Razorback next year. The 6'2”, 180 pound Northside receiver has dominated defenses all year long. What words can't capture about this football phenom, numbers do.
 
Shaq shattered Arkansas' all-time high school receiving record in Northside's eighth game of the year against the Bentonville Tigers. He ended his high school career with 295 catches, 3,571 yards and 26 touchdowns. Along the way, he broke every receiving record in Northside's football history. But Shaq wasn't satisfied with best at his school, nor did he stop pulling pigskins out of the air once he landed the top spot in the state. 
 
With every pass he pulled down and pinned to his chest, Shaq not only brought the Grizzlies closer to the end zone, he brought himself closer to the all-time national receiving record. He started the season just outside the Top Ten all-time receivers in the county, and slowly began to climb. On the same night he shattered Arkansas' receiving record he climbed to eighth in the nation. He tried not to think about the record. He focused on running his routes and catching passes. He jumped to seventh place and soon held the sixth position. His quarterback kept throwing passes, and like clockwork Shaq kept ripping them out of the air.
 
He came closer than any Arkansas football player ever had, but the number one position in the country proved just beyond his reach. Like a Hail Mary pass that lands in the end zone with no time left on the clock, Shaq had run out of time. It was about the only record he didn't get his hands on during the three years he spent playing football for the Grizzlies. In a game against Springdale Har-Ber, Shaq caught seventeen passes, setting yet another state record. When he hung up his grass-stained helmet and sweat-soaked jersey after a heartbreaking playoff loss to the Southside Rebels, Shaq was fifth in the nation for all-time receiving.
 
Sports Illustrated caught wind of the Arkansas kid with the quick feet and sticky hands. Shaq was featured in a November 2011 issue of the national publication's “Faces in the Crowd” section. He'll never forget the morning when he awoke to a voicemail from the SI reporter. "I never thought Sports Illustrated would write an article about me. I ran around my house like five times. I was just so stoked. I really didn't know what to do. I told my mom, ‘I don't even know if I should call them back.’ I was shocked."
 
Of course he called, the reporter wrote, the magazine made the rounds through smelly locker rooms and smoky bars. College football coaches from all over the country heard about the Fort Smith kid with the magic hands. Shaq is getting letters of interest from Arkansas, Arkansas State, Auburn, Clemson, Illinois, Kansas, Old Miss, Texas A&M, Tulsa, and a deluge of other NCAA Division I coaches. But he wants to be a Hog. And why not? The Razorback playbook was written for athletic receivers. 
 
Under the leadership of Coach Bobby Petrino, the Razorbacks have developed one of the most high-octane, quick-strike offensives in college football. This year, Coach Petrino proved pigs can fly. Quarterback (and Greenwood’s own) Tyler Wilson threw for 3,433 yards, 22 touchdown passes and completed 63 percent of his throws. He has a locker room full of talented receivers and a 10-2 record to prove the offense works. Adding a target like Shaq could help. Shaq soars above his competition, jumping high enough to dunk a basketball in full pads and helmet. He seems to hang in the air. While defying gravity he finds ways to make the impossible look easy, pulling down balls few receivers would even dare to attempt to catch.   
 
He treats cornerbacks and free safeties the way his namesake treats double teams on the hardwood. Born around the time basketball legend Shaquille O'Neil entered the NBA, the famous name gave him a lot to live up to. While NBA Shaq was breaking backboards, Shaq Jones was trying out different sports. He enjoyed basketball, but decided it wasn’t physical enough to allow him to use all his talents. He quit hoops his sophomore year and hit the weight room. He put on more than ten pounds of muscle, improved his vertical leap and his forty time. 
 
His dedication paid off and his tenacity justified the comparisons to the NBA's 7’center. He's even stolen NBA Shaq's nickname, Superman. "My friends just started calling me Superman. They said, 'They call Shaquille O'Neil Superman because he's unstoppable on the court. So we're just going to call you Superman because you are unstoppable on the football field,' Shaq said, remembering the day his teammates gave him the nickname. "I just took it and ran with it."
 
Midway through his junior season it became clear Superman has the talent to play at the next level. He decided to give basketball another shot. The competitor in him needed to be fed.
 
On the court and out of his bulky football gear, Shaq really soars. His specialty is the breakaway dunk. When Shaq gets a steal or a long rebound, no one can catch him. A few dribbles past half court and the football star takes flight. Every muscle in his body tightens as he leaves the ground. He soars above the rim, almost looks down through the hoop, before hammering the basketball through the goal. He's not the star of the team, but his hardwood heroics aren't to be taken lightly. While he's having fun on the court now, Shaq knows his future is on the gridiron. He continues to lift weights and train. 
 
Shaq says being mentioned Sports Illustrated is the highlight of his career. He grew up watching Razorback football and is excited about the Hog's amazing season and number six BCS ranking. Becoming a Razorback has been a lifelong dream. But if Shaq gets to play at the next level, he hopes to take his talents all the way to the National Football League. "I've always wanted to be a Razorback,” Shaq said. And then he added, "I can't really say right now. I'm weighing my options."
 
He's proven he has the work ethic to play in college. He's tall enough, strong enough and athletic enough to compete right now and has proven he can make plays. And diehard fans wait on pins and needles to find out his decision. They won’t be waiting long.