By Billy Watkins
Juice Wells has a tattoo on his arm as a tribute to his nephew who died as an infant. He has another of Psalms 23: 4: “Yea, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil; for thou art with me.”
“I’m always looking at them,” said Wells, who has two touchdown receptions in his first two games with the No. 5 Ole Miss Rebels. The Bible verse he said “reminds me that God is always with me and that I’m protected.”
There is a third one that is not as smoothly crafted as the others. He got it just before preseason camp at Fork Union Military Academy five years ago.
“I didn’t have any (scholarship) offers out of high school,” said Wells, who is 23. “I knew I was going to have to focus and grind, so I was like ‘I’m getting a tattoo to symbolize that.’ ”
It’s a Samurai warrior, which emphasizes loyalty, honor and self-discipline.
“Because it had just been done, it was getting all bloodied up and messed up during that camp. But I kinda like it like that now,” he said. “Nothing is going to go like you plan it. Without pain, we’re not going to know what good feels like. Without adversity, we won’t know how to get over our next trial and tribulation.”
Wells has certainly faced his share of challenges since high school in Richmond, Va.
“I’ve learned to find joy in adversity because it’s building you up for the next stage of life,” he said.
He’s enjoying his current stage since transferring from South Carolina in January.
When asked why he chose to sign with Ole Miss, he responded with a chuckle and said: “Why not Ole Miss? I wanted to be part of what Coach (Lane) Kiffin is building, and I wanted to go out my senior year with a bang.”
Wells, one of eight children, admits he never paid much attention to Ole Miss until late last season.
“Once I hit the portal, I caught some of the Peach Bowl win over Penn State on TV,” he said, “and I was honestly shocked that Ole Miss had won 11 games. I had no idea.
“I started hearing about them, about the culture they have here,” Wells said. “But once I got here and got the chance to sit around and talk to the guys and understand their mindset, the way they work out, the way they handle their business, I was like ‘Wow, there is a special thing going on here. We can make history. I’m thankful to be around these guys.
“I’ve never been around a group like this. Guys hold each other to a standard. They expect nothing but greatness from their teammates. They won’t let you slack off.
“And (quarterback Jaxson) Dart … he’s like a coach out there on the field. If he sees you do something that’s not quite right, he’s going to correct you and it’s going to come off like a coach. That’s one of the things I love about him.”
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Wells’ first stop on his winding journey to Ole Miss proved to be life-changing. Fork Union (Va.) is a postgraduate college preparatory boarding school with a military structure. More than 100 NFL players have attended the school.
Students are up at 5:30 a.m., in their rooms with lights out at 9:55 p.m. They aren’t allowed cell phones or emails during the first few weeks, and they attend a daily church service.
“It taught me self discipline,” Wells said of his time there. “How to be organized and responsible. You have to make your bed tight every day, shave every day, put on the right uniform every day. You have to be on time for everything. It really taught me how to become a young man.
“Of course, my father helped me a lot, but you’re on your own when you go there. Even after that, it’s shaped me. Once you really get serious about your life, all those habits you learned come back to life and you understand why you went through those things.
“To this day, I make sure I make my bed every morning. I fold my clothes and put them away.”
Following his year at Fork Union, he signed with James Madison University, an FCS school in Harrisonburg, Va. Wells earned All-America honors his sophomore season. The Dukes lost only three games during Wells’ two seasons. He had 116 catches for 1,853 yards and 21 touchdowns.
“I loved James U,” he said, “and it was really hard to leave there. It will always have place in my heart.”
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Wells entered the portal and signed with South Carolina before the 2022 season. He was named first-team All-SEC with 68 catches, 928 yards and six touchdowns.
But a foot injury sidelined him after only three games a year ago. He had just caught a 17-yard touchdown pass at Georgia when the injury happened.
The Gamecocks finished 5-7 and Wells chose to transfer for his final collegiate season. His decision didn’t go over well with the South Carolina coaches, players and fans. Some even questioned the severity of his injury, which eventually required surgery.
Wells explained the injury and trying to play through it,
“I first had a stress reaction in July, before preseason camp,” he said, referring to an injury that is a a localized weakening of a bone, usually caused by repetitive stress or overuse.
“It was bothering me really bad,” he said. “The doctor said I had a choice of putting a boot on my foot and sitting out a couple of weeks or go ahead and have surgery. I was trying to avoid going under the knife, So I sat out a couple of weeks, rehabbed it and was feeling good.
“I was three weeks ahead of schedule when I came back. Maybe I came back too early. I got a few reps the first two games and then the third week I broke it against Georgia.
“I tried to come back, but I felt like I was hurting the team. I couldn’t do things to my full potential. Me and my family just didn’t think it was the right thing to do, to keep trying to play on it.”
The 6-foot, 203-pound Wells, who has a fluid, almost poetic running style, is finally back to full speed. Along with fellow Rebel receiver Tre Harris, Wells was named preseason first-team All-SEC by Athlon.
“I love football, the competitive nature of it,” he said. “And I love being at Ole Miss and being around a group of guys who have come together to do something special. Whatever role I can play, I’m ready.”
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