MORGANTOWN — Redshirt-junior Ja’Quay Hubbard has traveled a long way to become a starting offensive lineman at WVU.
After originally signing with Virginia, the Sharpsville, Pa. native transferred to WVU one year later in 2020.
“All in all, I feel like it was a great decision for myself,” Hubbard said Tuesday. “Out of high school, I didn’t have West Virginia as an offer when the old staff left, so I didn’t really even have an opportunity to consider them. I’m a western Pa. kid so it’s not far, and I never liked Pitt, so I wouldn’t go with Pitt after UVA, and I kind of always had my mind set on West Virginia.”
One problem was, when Hubbard finally got to Morgantown, he wasn’t in the right physical condition to be able to make an impact.
Hubbard said that from his freshman year of high school to his sophomore year in college, he had lost about 100 pounds. He used techniques like not eating before going to sleep, sleeping with the temperature in his room turned down, drinking green tea and really focusing on his cardio.
With that 100 pounds, however, Hubbard also lost the strength that it takes to play offensive line.
“I was not in the strength position I needed to be,” said Hubbard, whose ideal weight is around 317. “That’s where the last year and a half to two years have come with working Coach (Mike) Joseph and his staff. I lost all the weight but I was lacking in strength.”
Hubbard said he added that strength back last season by adding nearly 17 pounds of muscle. It paid off, as he split time at right tackle, appearing in all 12 games and making 11 starts. Now that he’s where he needs to be physically, Hubbard said his current focus is more on technique.
“I lose the 100 pounds and then I wasn’t strong enough. Then I get strong enough and it’s my feet aren’t right,” he said. “I think that’s just a personal thing, I feel like it’s a constant battle. Even if I’m fortunate enough to make it to the next level, every day I’m going to be learning something.”
His first start last season came as a bit of a surprise in the season-opener at Pitt. Being so close to his hometown, only about an hour away, it was a special game for him and his family.
“It meant a lot to me,” Hubbard said. “My grandfather was in UPMC Hospital on his deathbed during that time. Being able to play in front of him for his last few days while he was in Pittsburgh, I will never forget that.”
Hubbard said the drive to lose weight came from former Pittsburgh Steeler Mike Adams, his godfather. Adams, who went to Ohio State before the NFL, is from Farrell, Pa., in the same county as Sharpsville.
“He was a really big mentor to me and he said ‘the leaner you stay, the longer you play,’” Hubbard said. “That stuck with me from my freshman year on because I’m not lean at all, so it looked like my career was going to be cut short.”
Hubbard said what keeps him going is simply his love of football.
“I knew that if I wanted to make my dream come true, if I wanted to be an asset to this team, I needed to take my conditioning seriously,” he said. “It’s a continuous battle. I was born a big boy so sometimes I want the fried chicken over the salad, but then I think about Penn State (the 2023 season-opener) and I take the salad.”
Aside from the benefit to his football career, Hubbard also knows that losing 100 pounds will improve his life as he gets older.
“The day I’m done with football and ride off into the sunset I’ll be like, ‘Wow, I did lose a lot of weight,’” Hubbard said. “I’ll appreciate that more the older I get.”
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