Meet the George County brother and sister duo who both star at wide receiver
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- Siblings DJ and Delanie McNair star as wide receivers for George County teams.
- DJ leads George football in final season after 800-yard year and roster turnover.
- Delanie balances flag football, track and sideline learning to sharpen spring play.
DJ McNair didn’t hold back, not even against his own sisters.
The middle child of the family, he aimed to put both Delanie and Dekari on a poster. That was back then, when their mother would move the car, roll the indoor basketball goal out into the driveway and watch as the pavement transformed into McNair Arena.
The two sisters never did beat DJ in those hard-fought battles.
“We came close,” Delanie, the youngest of the three, told the Sun Herald.
That’s where the competitive nature of the trio began to build. The oldest, Dekari, graduated from George County in May. That same month she won a softball state championship as the Lady Rebels’ pinch-running specialist, competed in the inaugural flag football state championship game and placed second in the 300-meter hurdles at the state track and field meet.
Delanie was right there with her, starring as a wide receiver for the high-octane George County flag offense and placing third in the 4x400-meter relay.
And, yes, they both played basketball. The competitive spirit that interlaces the pair and drives them forward can be traced back to the man in the middle.
“Us out there just playing around, (DJ) was showing us what to do and what not to do,” Delanie said of the streetball games. “It helped us out a lot and made us tougher.”
DJ is heading into his senior year one class ahead of Delanie. Like his younger sister, he also stars at wide receiver for the school’s football team, just the one that plays in the fall. He follows that with basketball in the winter.
His passion is rooted in a desire to take care of his sisters and family. To someday bring everybody together in the same place.
“I want us to have our own little road with everybody in my family staying on the same road,” DJ said. “That’s really been my main goal.”
DJ hauled in over 800 receiving yards a year ago in an offense rich in receiver talent and led by five-star quarterback Deuce Knight.
His final season will look a lot different. DJ is the lone remaining member of 2024’s electric receiving corps and Knight is beginning his college career at Auburn.
Defensive coordinator Kelley Causey has replaced James Ray as head coach and is returning the Rebels to the ground-and-pound team they were once known to be.
DJ isn’t fazed by the change. Lessons learned were never a one-way street for the McNair siblings and he credits his forward-facing attitude to the motivation he has for his sisters.
“I just have to be patient and our other receivers have to be patient because the ball is going to come our way,” DJ said. “It’s going to be a good season.”
Delanie will have a front row seat to it. She served as student manager for the team last year for school credit. Delanie is volunteering her time this year.
The Lady Rebels dropped the pilot flag football championship game to St. Martin in a hard end to a strong season. Delanie was a go-to weapon for George County throughout the brief campaign, which included a two-touchdown game in a one-score win over McComb.
She hopes by spending more time on the sideline in the fall, she’ll be better in the spring.
“I think maybe I can learn something from them and move it over into when we play flag football,” Delanie said. “Since we all do kind of the same thing, except we just don’t tackle.”
DJ has already worked with Delanie on her route running, which he simply describes as “kind of bad.” But he knows his sister and she knows DJ won’t let her rest.
“She’s doing good, I’m proud of her,” DJ said. “She’s come a long way.”
The football season kicks off for the Rebels on August 29 at home against Gautier. George County will compete in a new district with Hattiesburg and West Jones. The Rebels defeated the latter in the first round last year, marking the school’s first postseason win since 2007.
DJ has lofty goals, namely shooting for 2,000 all-purpose yards. His younger sister shrugs her shoulders at it when asked who will have more yards this year.
“I still think me.”
