Josh Abrams stared at his final exam that St. Patrick's Day morning, but he couldn't see it. The questions blurred and answers vanished completely when about half an hour into the 8 a.m. test, he received a text message from his mom. He had a son.
Thank goodness, Abrams thought, I don't think I was ready for a little girl. I know nothing about little girls.
It's been almost 20 months since his son, Jayden, was born and Abrams already has a he's-growing-up-too-fast fatherly air about him. The title of dad suits the 21-year-old Abrams, who is better known in Athens as an explosive kick returner or the Bobcat who pesters opposing kickers.
But after Ohio University's Homecoming win, he was just a proud father showing off his bushy-haired baby in the locker room at Peden Stadium.
'You have a son now'Abrams met Jayden's mother when he was a freshman at OU and she was a senior at Parkersburg High School in West Virginia. When they found out she was pregnant, he was 19.
I took a day kind of just to reflect on it and after that it was I've gotta do this
I've gotta do that we've got to get ready Abrams said, adding that not taking care of his son was never an option he considered.
It was OK
Josh
you have a son now
do what you have to do and raise him to be the best man
he said. Raise him to be better than you.
Abrams knew being a parent as a sophomore in college would have its challenges, especially after Jayden's mother decided to not be a consistent part of their son's life, but he was not without help.
When it became clear it was up to Abrams to raise his son, his parents offered to take care of Jayden at their home in Brunswick, Md., until Abrams graduated from college, got a job and was able to stand on his own.
There was never going to be any dropping out of school to get a job and raise the baby
his mother, Sharon, said. We told him we'd make sure Jayden's taken care of and not to worry about it too much.
But with her grown children far away, Sharon realizes that nothing can really keep a parent from worrying, so she and Abrams' father, Alvin, spend a good bit of time on the phone recounting Jayden's day to their son and making the roughly six-hour trip to Athens as much as possible.
Jayden doesn't see Joshua all the time and that's why we try to visit as much as we can
Sharon Abrams said. But every time we come up for a game or anything
he goes right to Joshua. That connection is there. He knows him and I think it would hurt Joshua if he didn't.
Growing upMore than 300 miles separate father from son while Abrams, a recreation management major, finishes his senior year. But when he's telling a story about his son Abrams reveals a mature, protective side of himself that's well-hidden on the football field.
The paternal instinct he exudes when concerned about Jayden's allergic reaction to a new food is the same as if they were together. When recalling how his father, a track coach, is already training Jayden as a star runner or how his mother tries to keep the bouncy toddler from drawing on the walls, Abrams worries Jayden will drive his grandparents crazy.
I'm very grateful to them
Abrams said. I talk to my mom and sometimes I can hear him in the background yelling just for no reason
