Moss Point QB has shown he has what it takes. Why is he still waiting on a major offer?
Moss Point quarterback Ruben “Deuce” Lee’s status as a college prospect was on the rise at the start of the year, but 2020’s circumstances have slowed his ascent.
The 6-foot-1, 190-pound senior already held one Div. 1 offer from Southeastern Louisiana after leading the Tigers a Region 8-4A championship by throwing for 2,553 yards and 25 touchdowns as a junior.
Southern Miss and other FBS programs were also beginning to show interest.
Then the COVID-19 pandemic hit.
There was no spring practice for college coaches to further evaluate Lee, and there were no college camps for him to attend over the summer.
“I definitely feel like that hurt me,” Lee said. “I didn’t get to go camping. A big part of it is coaches want to see you throw the ball in person — how you look, how tall you are, how fast you are and how you compete against other prospects.”
As Moss Point begins the Class 4A playoffs Friday night with a 7 p.m. home game against Lawrence County, Lee has proven himself to be a more complete quarterback in his senior year.
Through eight games, he has completed 63.2% of his passes for 2,060 yards, 26 touchdowns and three interceptions while throwing to two of the state’s better receivers, senior Chanton Millender and junior Larry Simmons.
Moss Point’s Ruben Lee improves his game
Where Lee is most improved as a QB has been his play-making ability with the ball in his hands. He has run 112 times for 608 yards and nine touchdowns after scrambling for 285 yards on 121 carries a year ago.
In an era where dual-threat quarterbacks are all the rage, Lee seems to fit the bill.
“He was more focused on being a pocket passer early on in his high school career,” Moss Point coach Eugene Harmon said. “I told him to get to the next level, he’ll have to develop into more of a dual threat. That’s the way things go now. That’s what all the colleges are looking for.”
Southern Miss, other programs show interest
Lee has added another FCS scholarship offer, Alabama State, and a Div. II offer from Delta State, but an FBS program has yet to take the plunge.
However, there’s a decent chance that could change before before the early signing period arrives Dec. 16.
Southern Miss, Troy and South Alabama have all been staying in touch with Lee, who is on schedule to graduate in December.
“He’s on their board, but they can’t pull the trigger without getting a full season,” Harmon said. “They can’t get out on the road and really evaluate. The only thing they’ve got are his highlight and game films. It’s just one of those things where you just have to wait and see.”
In Lee, Harmon sees similarities to the Southern Miss quarterback who last led the Golden Eagles to the Conference USA championship in 2012.
“He reminds me a lot of Austin Davis at Southern Miss,” said Harmon, a former USM linebacker in the 1990’s.
Like Davis, Lee is an accurate passer, opportunistic runner and a strong leader.
“He’s been leading since he was a freshman and he stepped in huddle,” Harmon said. “Those linemen were all seniors at the time and all those guys respected him as a freshman. He’s taken on that role ever since he stepped foot on the varsity level.
“During the pandemic, he’s been one of our best leaders. He’d take a group of five out every other day and those guys would work out. He was just making sure everybody was staying together and everybody was on pace for the season. He made sure the whole team stayed together throughout the whole pandemic.”
After beating Stone County in the first round a year ago, Moss Point enters the Class 4A playoffs with a good shot of making a deep run into the postseason.
Lee is looking to top his sister, Robyn, a freshman guard on the Louisiana Tech’s women’s basketball team, who led the Lady Tigers to the Class 4A state title game in March before falling 37-30 to Ripley in Oxford.
“She went really deep two times, made it to the final four as a junior and then went to state her senior year,” Lee said. “She’s going to let me have it if we don’t get real deep.
“Honestly, the city just deserves it. Especially the time we’re in with the pandemic and the election. It’ll take everybody’s mind off it and focus on football. It would be great for the city.”
As for his goal of playing on college football’s highest level, Lee believes all will work out with time.
“I put in the work,” he said. “My dad always told me and my sister that good stuff happens to good people. She put in the work, was out there every night in the gym shooting. Every night, I’ve been out there throwing with the guys and practicing.
“Those numbers we’re putting up this year are not by accident.”
This week’s high school football schedule
Harrison Central at Ocean Springs
St. Martin at D’Iberville
West Harrison at Hancock
Biloxi at Gulfport
East Central at Hattiesburg
Gautier at Pearl River Central
Pascagoula at Long Beach
Wayne County at Picayune
Lawrence County at Moss Point
Bay High at South Pike
Vancleave at McComb
Mendenhall at Stone High
North Pike at St. Stanislaus
Florence at Poplarville
This story was originally published November 5, 2020 at 1:00 PM.
