Matt Wixon

Archive | E-mail

FERRIS – With 30 touchdowns and more than 2,300 yards rushing in less than two seasons, Ferris running back James Hopkins can let his statistics do the talking. Sometimes, he'd like them to do all the talking.

Hopkins, a senior who is the centerpiece of the Ferris offense, has a severe stuttering condition. He's had it his entire life, and despite weekly speech therapy, vocalizing his thoughts is difficult.

Very difficult. When Hopkins speaks, you can see him fight for the words.

"It's hard," he said. "Sometimes I feel out of breath when I talk."

Hopkins often leaves defenders feeling out of breath when he breaks free for a big run. He did it several times during his most breathtaking performance of last season, when he rushed 24 times for 376 yards and six touchdowns in a win over Kennedale.

"It was unbelievable," Ferris coach Randy Barnes said. "He put on a show."

When asked about that game, Hopkins just smiled. The 5-10, 185-pound star does that a lot. It's an easy way to express the words that are locked in his brain. It's also a way to avoid the embarrassment he sometimes felt years ago.

"When I was younger," Hopkins said, "I used to stomp my feet when I talked or jerk back and forth when I talked."

That was Hopkins trying to force the words out 10 years ago. Hopkins, 17, doesn't do that anymore, but it took him about 20 seconds to say the sentence above. Since sixth grade, when his family moved to Ferris from DeSoto, Hopkins has met weekly with a speech therapist provided by the school district. He said he works on taking deep breaths and speaking when he exhales.

Connie Peters, the associate director of continuing and professional education at SMU, is trying to find more intensive therapy for Hopkins.

"It's a very misunderstood condition," she said. "It's not because he's nervous or afraid."

According to the Stuttering Foundation of America, about 1 percent of Americans stutter. One factor likely to contribute to the development of stuttering is genetics, and the foundation said that research has shown that people who stutter process language in a different area of the brain than those who don't.

Stuttering is sometimes mistaken for a lack of intelligence, and that would be a huge mistake with Hopkins. The senior, who also stars in basketball and track, is a member of the National Honor Society and the math club. He is going to college like his older sister Jamie, who is on the track team at the University of Huston-Tillotson.

Hopkins, who has rushed for 719 yards and 11 touchdowns this season for Ferris (3-3, 0-1 District 12-3A), is being recruited by schools such as TCU, Tulsa and UT-El Paso. The recruiters see his football potential, but they don't know the degree of his stuttering until they visit Ferris.

Barnes and one of Hopkins' friends, senior tight end Jeremy Masterson, usually join Hopkins in the interviews to help him answer questions. Other friends and students also help Hopkins, although he can say a lot with a few words, a smile or – of course – a text message.

"I think an advantage of a small town is that these kids are so tight," Barnes said. "In a small town, everyone knows James. His friends can almost finish sentences for him."

And Hopkins, who said eating and "chilling with friends" are his favorite things to do, is obviously well-liked. On Friday, he was elected homecoming king.

But what about when Hopkins leaves for college? What about when he is in an unfamiliar place without his friends to help?

That's part of the discussion about where he goes to college. Hopkins needs more therapy to improve his speech and reach his goal of becoming a teacher and coach.

"Kinesiology," is what he told me when I asked what he wants to study. That's not an easy word for anyone to say, but Hopkins had the confidence to try it. He tried, and then succeeded, which is the pattern Barnes envisions for Hopkins after he leaves Ferris.

"He's a classy, charming young man, polite and respectful, a team player," Barnes said. "In 28 years of coaching, he's the best kid I've ever coached."

Not the best in ability, Barnes clarified.

"Just the best kid."

That's all anyone needs to say.