For the entire summer, MJ Stroud and the Alcovy Tigers have been dedicating numerous hours and days preparing for the upcoming season. 

Following a very productive season in 2020, the start of 2021 can’t get here fast enough for Stroud. He’s been counting the days to Aug. 20 when the regular season commences. 

“I just want to play,” Stroud said. “It’s going to be fun [to play this season]. I’ve been looking forward to it since the end of last season.” 

The 6-foot-3-inch senior is coming off an impressive junior season. 

Stroud recorded eight receiving touchdowns and averaged 18 yards per reception as a tight end. On defense, Stroud recorded 27 tackles, 10 of which were tackles for loss, and forced two fumbles. 

Opposing quarterbacks were well acquainted with Stroud, too, as he had five sacks on the season. 

His sack total and receiving touchdowns led the Tigers. 

But Stroud has prioritized one thing over all others and that is hitting the ground running from the opening whistle. He even mentioned the importance of that for himself and his teammates. 

“Start fast,” Stroud said. “What I did at the end of last season has to carry over to this season. Everybody has to know their job so we can all move faster.”

Throughout the summer, Stroud has mainly been in the weight room lifting and has benefited from his team playing in a few padded camps, too. 

He feels that his team has a lot better chemistry heading into this year compared to last year. After all, this group of players has been playing together for a good while now. 

That should pay dividends for the Tigers as the season progresses.

“We’ve been playing together since we were in middle school,” Stroud said. “So, it’s a great feeling to be playing with people you’ve known for a long time.”