Unique situation impacts SEMO QB battle

Southeast Missouri State sophomore quarterback Paxton DeLaurent scrambles during the Redhawks' annual spring game recently at The Pit at Jackson High School in Jackson.

Tom Davis ~ Tdavis@semoball.com

A lot was made of the recent performance by new Southeast Missouri State wide receiver Ryan Flournoy in the Redhawks’ annual spring game. After all, the junior college transfer contributed to a pair of touchdowns in helping Team SEMO beat Team Redhawk 31-7. However, another transfer, sophomore quarterback Paxton DeLaurent, did Flournoy one better and contributed to three scores, as he led his team to a 21-0 lead.

“Paxton seemed like he did really well,” SEMO offensive coordinator Jeromy McDowell said following the game. “He’s a little bit more athletic than you think.”

DeLaurent not only threw for a pair of scores (both to Flournoy), but he also caught a touchdown pass from wide receiver Dalyn McDonald on a trick play, as he tipped the ball to himself to negate a pass break-up in the end zone.

DeLaurent arrived in Cape Girardeau this January courtesy of his mother, Heather DeLaurent.

It wasn’t that Heather drove her son to campus, perhaps she did, but without her intervention, there would have been three fewer touchdowns scored in SEMO’s spring game.

In the age of highlights posted on TikTok and Twitter, Heather went old school in December to market her son to college football programs following his tremendous season as the starter at NAIA Central Methodist University.

She sent a “certified, hand-written” letter to eighth-year Redhawk coach Tom Matukewicz’s house explaining why her 6-foot-6, 220-pound son would look good in red-and-black.

“She said ‘You don’t know me, but I am writing to you about my son,’” Matukewicz said of maybe the most unique recruiting story of his long career. “I thought ‘You know what? She has something about her. She got my home address and I kind of liked what I read.”

Heather DeLaurent

Matukewicz made some phone calls, and it didn’t take much convincing given what Paxton had already achieved in his young career.

He threw for 98 touchdown passes at Camdenton High School and was the Class 4A Offensive Player of the Year, before throwing for 2,499 yards and 25 scores last season at Central Methodist.

Paxton was named the Heart of American Athletic Conference Freshman of the Year (due to Covid, he had played two seasons at CMU, but was considered a freshman) and helped his team win the league and nine games, finishing with its highest national ranking ever (14th).

“Everybody that I talked to,” Matukewicz said, “just had so many good things to say about him and we ended up offering him.”

Paxton’s journey has been circuitous after initially committing to walk-on at Missouri State out of high school. But watching him play, as well as interact with his new teammates at the spring game, it appears that he has found a comfortable place to call home.

DeLaurent was roaming up and down the sidelines talking, joking, and encouraging his teammates as if he has been a Redhawk for four years instead of four months.

“It’s just his personality,” Matukewicz said. “He’s raised well, and he understands that he is not going to be the quarterback here if he doesn’t have relationships.

“He has been purposeful with that.”

DeLaurent’s touchdown catch drew raves from everyone at The Pit in Jackson, where the game was played, but McDowell probably isn’t going to send DeLaurent out on a pass route ever again.

His second touchdown pass to Flournoy was maybe his most impressive play.

He got flushed out of the pocket, as no Redhawk receivers were initially open. He stayed focused downfield and waited… and waited some more… before he scrambled to an open area and hit Flournoy cutting back to the goal line.

“Sometimes quarterbacks use that mobility and bad things happen,” Matukewicz said. “But he used his mobility and created some plays and kept drives alive.

“I thought he had a good night.”

SEMO opens the 2022 season on Sept. 3 at Iowa State, and it is a long time before Matukewicz or McDowell determine who will start at quarterback that day between returning starter CJ Ogbunna, DeLaurent, and redshirt sophomore Christian Perez. However, McDowell made it clear that DeLaurent looked the most impressive in his first outing.

“Paxton had some really good series,” McDowell said. “He’s crafty and did some good things. I thought CJ struggled a little bit.”

Ogbunna played better as the game went on and eventually hit wide receiver, Johnny King, for Team Redhawk’s lone score.

“I was happy that CJ kind of got himself together and threw a nice ball for that touchdown,” McDowell said. “We’ve just got to be more consistent.”