Following in their footsteps: Da’Quaun Jamison's pursuit of greatness

After a few minutes of eating by himself, Jamison made eye contact with me and broke the silence.

“Man, you’re going to be writing my name a lot this year,” the senior safety said, persuasively.

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That was March 26 in Clinton Township, over 900 miles away from Jamison’s hometown of Lee County, Georgia. The night of celebration encompassed Murphy-Bunting, who was selected 39th overall by the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.

Family and friends only. Not too many people.

And the only teammate Murphy-Bunting invited was Jamison, his longtime roommate and best friend.

“It’s a testament to how close we are," Murphy-Bunting said. "That’s my guy. Anyone can tell you that if you saw me, you’d see him. It was vice versa."

When Jamison saw the Tampa Bay area code (813) appear on Murphy-Bunting's phone, he got the chills.

Jamison also realized Murphy-Bunting was officially moving on to the next level, leaving him to become the next great defensive back from Central Michigan.

"Being that we were roommates, we talked about nights like that," Jamison said. "Knowing I can be the next one, I have to put the work in."

But it's not just Murphy-Bunting that thinks fondly of Jamison. Former safety Kavon Frazier and cornerback Xavier Crawford also remain in touch.

Murphy-Bunting plays for the Buccaneers, Frazier is with the Dallas Cowboys and Crawford takes the field for the Houston Texans.

"Those are the three guys I really keep in contact with," Jamison said. "Even the night before a game, I’ll always call to get pointers."

'Come be the next great player'

Jamison began his CMU career as a grayshirt in 2014, unable to play or practice that season. He wasn't on scholarship for the fall semester but was added for the spring semester.

The reason Jamison flipped from a grayshirt commit at Buffalo to the same situation as a Chippewa was because of Frazier, a standout in the secondary that hosted Jamison for his campus visits.

"Come be the next great player," said Frazier, who is like an older brother to Jamison.

The next year, in 2015, he took a redshirt – another year without playing time. In 2016, Jamison didn't see game action, either.

While all this was happening, Murphy-Bunting took a grayshirt in 2015 and got a chance to play the following season. Like Jamison, he wasn't highly recruited out of high school.

Murphy-Bunting stayed close with offensive lineman Derek Smith, wide receiver Cameron Cole and Javi Bonamego, the son of former coach John Bonamego.

Eventually, Murphy-Bunting and Jamison got close, and the two began building a tight-knit friendship. They were teammates, roommates and best friends for three seasons of football.

When Murphy-Bunting showed up to play for the Chippewas, he had no idea how to watch film. Jamison was his crutch in that regard.

"I knew what I was watching, but I didn’t know what I was looking at," Murphy-Bunting said. "I couldn’t correlate it to being on the field.

"He was a big film guy, and he helped me a lot along the way."

Jamison made it simple, as he broke down every aspect of film and made sure Murphy-Bunting knew exactly what he needed to do in each situation. Eventually, digesting game film was like second nature to him.

As underclassmen, former cornerbacks coach Archie Collins called Murphy-Bunting and Jamison his soldiers.

"We would never back down from anything," Murphy-Bunting said. "We would never sit out for being banged up by anything. We were warriors, boy dogs, as Quaun liked to say. That’s an asset."

Jamison, a 6-foot, 190-pound safety, was also influential in Crawford's life. He came from Oregon State to CMU for the 2018 season and immediately connected with Murphy-Bunting and Jamison.

Crawford never expected to build such a relationship in less than a year.

“The short time I was there, those are two dudes that will be close with me for the rest of my life," Crawford said. "They’re brothers to me."

But it wasn't just an off the field relationship Jamison provided Crawford. He also taught him on-field tendencies.

From different techniques to general ways of approaching at the game, Jamison passed along tips to everyone in the secondary – including Crawford.

"There’s always something you can miss when you’re going through it by yourself," Crawford added. "It’s easy to focus on one thing, but someone can show you something else. I was able to add that to my game. It’s little stuff like that.”

Jamison finally found the field in the 2017 season. He made his first start at cornerback in a 26-23 victory against Ohio in Athens after teammate Amari Coleman was injured with a deep leg bruise.

"All the older guys were coming up to me, saying, ‘Just embrace the role, embrace the challenge. You’re built for it because you’ve been preparing yourself and listening,'" Jamison said.

In 2017, Jamison played in all 13 games, starting five of them. He recorded 33 tackles, one tackle for a loss and had five pass breakups. At the same time, Murphy-Bunting started all 13 games and was second on the squad with five interceptions.

All three – Jamison, Murphy-Bunting and Crawford – started in 2018, a 1-11 campaign for the Chippewas.

'We got deep'

Jamison, Murphy-Bunting and Crawford weren't just three of the four starters in the secondary. They were roommates, best friends and truly indivisible.

They come from the same type of household.

"Single mom raising us, and stuff like that," Murphy-Bunting said.

Jamison's goal through football is to make his mother, Tonya, proud. He also wants to be a role model for his younger brothers, one of which is Otis Reese, a sophomore defensive back at Georgia.

Murphy-Bunting grinds on the field for the same reason, as does Crawford. Everything is about family, friends and football.

"We lived through each other, honestly," Murphy-Bunting said.

Playing for more than oneself gave the trio more energy, dignity and pride. The complacency of an "I made it" frame of mind was thrown out the window, Murphy-Bunting explained.

The mentality of always having something more to gain has changed the lives of all three athletes, and it goes beyond the field on Saturdays and Sundays.

"We talked about changing our families lives forever," Jamison said. "We come from the bottom. We know what it's like to be counted out."

Those conversations occurred late at night between Jamison, Murphy-Bunting and Crawford. Sometimes they lasted until the early hours of the morning.

As the three grew close, the discussions expanded.

"From playing video games, hitting the bar or whatever it was, it was us three," Crawford said. "We were inseparable.”

Then, as the 2018 season continued, there became a level of depth to the conversations. Marriage, children and growing old together entered the picture.

Everything became so much more significant than the game itself.

“We got deep to the point where we all want to play together and be able to end our careers together and have our houses and families near each other, to let our kids grow up together," Murphy-Bunting said.

If three of the four players starting in the secondary someday at the NFL level were Jamison, Murphy-Bunting and Crawford, it would mean the world to each of them.

For those Chippewas to strap up the pads, put on the same uniform and take the field side by side in the league is a dream, something that would seemingly only appear in a movie.

Even though Murphy-Bunting is blessed to be with the Buccaneers as an active member of their secondary, it would be tough for him to turn down a chance to play with his "boy dogs, soldiers and warriors" again.

"I want to play with those guys again, win a championship and retire in the same category," Murphy-Bunting said. "That would be amazing."

'Quaun has what it takes'

Jamison is far from normal when it comes to the typical college football player. He doesn't take supplements, not even protein shakes, yet he hang cleans and squats 500 pounds.

That's why Jamison refers to himself as "all-natural," and his friends describe him as "an animal" in the weight room.

Murphy-Bunting said it's impossible to teach a football player to eat properly, take care of his body, spend time in the weight room and focus in the film room, but those are characteristics Jamison has perfected.

Jamison has also spent time at cornerback, nickel and safety, a testament to his versatility.

"His work ethic is second to none, and you can’t teach things like that," Murphy-Bunting said. "He’s fast, physical and a hard hitter. I feel like he’s something that any team in the NFL would love to have. He’s nothing but a baller."

Crawford agreed with Murphy-Bunting, claiming Jamison possesses NFL talent.

“Quaun definitely has a shot to play at the next level," Crawford said. "I mean, Sean and me told him, ‘Once we leave, it’s going to be on your shoulders.’ It’s about putting in the time and work."

Regardless of what Murphy-Bunting and Crawford think of Jamison's play, he is going to be overlooked by NFL scouts. That's what comes with being a player in the Mid-American Conference.

People don't often expect greatness from non-Power Five athletes, but that's what makes it even more enjoyable upon achieving success.

Just ask Murphy-Bunting, who went from being projected to go undrafted to a second-round selection over the course of six months.

His work ethic paid off at CMU's Pro Day and the 2019 NFL Scouting Combine.

"It comes with sacrifices," Jamison said of defying the odds. "People don’t see that on the outside. There are a lot of sleepless nights thinking about what you could’ve done better. While I’m here in my last season, I’m always holding that over my head."

Without Murphy-Bunting and Crawford by his side, Jamison is the lone member of a legendary trio remaining in Mount Pleasant.

For his final college season, Jamison has been called on to prove his leadership and carry a young defensive back room, one that features a starting true freshman at cornerback under first-year coach Jim McElwain.

"For Quaun, with his draft status, I personally believe a situation like this helps him," Murphy-Bunting said. "It will show how much of a leader he is, being able to pull those guys along and get them on the same page."

Arriving in December 2018, McElwain hasn't been around the program for nearly as long as Jamison.

But what McElwain noticed in Jamison from the beginning was rare, majestic and genuine.

"The biggest piece there is he’s a guy you wish everyone would emulate," McElwain said. "He really loves the game and loves his teammates, and that’s something you wish they all had.

"This opportunity that he’s had here, he’s made the most of it."