Journey of Patience: Jeremiah Favorite

The idea of transferring is one that is much-maligned in the current scholastic and collegiate sports climate. It sparks debates, creates questions of loyalty, and brings up all sorts of accusations. Regardless of where you stand on transferring, occasionally there is a player that comes into a town that immediately connects and becomes a huge part of the community. Boiling Springs has produced one such of these stories in Senior Defensive Back Jeremiah Favorite.

Jeremiah came to BSHS as a sophomore from Myrtle Beach back in 2023 – where he began playing sports shortly after he was able to form memories. 

“I started playing sports as young as 6-7 years old”, said Favorite. “I played basketball and football at the local rec center and I grew up pulling for the Lakers and the Ravens. Honestly, I did not enjoy football nearly as much as I did basketball. I believed I was going to go to the NBA, and it was not until my freshman year that I found myself falling in love with football.” 

Jeremiah still plays basketball and runs track – which as you might imagine makes doing anything else a challenge. But, balancing 3 sports, life, and schoolwork is something he relishes in because it has helped him to learn a lot of good life lessons. 

“What I love most about playing three sports is that they not only keep me busy all year long, but I learn life lessons”, Jeremiah said. “Balancing life while playing three sports is not easy. Lots of sacrifices have to be made. There have been times where I could not hang with friends or go to the big game with everyone else because I had homework or needed to study. Balancing sports, life, and schoolwork, you can easily lose some sleep and get majorly stressed or think you might not make it. But, in the end you get through it and learn tons of lessons.” 

To further expound on what it is like playing three sports as a student-athlete, he added that he has enjoyed the growth process. 

“I enjoy the growth and competitiveness. I love to compete and be the best I can be no matter what and I love looking back on the journey to see how I have grown and matured. This also carries over into school as I like to try to treat my grades like a competition. I like competing to get the best gradesI can and how much I have grown and matured mentally through the years.” 

As mentioned earlier, after transferring, Jeremiah immediately found his niche and blended into the Boiling Springs culture – which looking back makes him feel that moving was a huge turning point in his life. 

“I enjoy the community in Boiling Springs. It is small {compared to Myrtle Beach}, and that is what makes it the best”, said Favorite. “Everybody knows everyone and you are always well taken care of. Coming here is one of the best decisions my family has ever made. From day one, I have grinded and made a name for myself throughout the community, and I am so grateful they have welcomed and believed in me.” 

Speaking of family, that is also a huge part of his life. Jeremiah has a large family, which gives him quite the support system and a drive to be the best person he can be. 

“I am blessed to say that my relationship with my family is amazing”, he stated with an affectionate tone. “I have a pretty big family that is close and tight-knit on both my mom and dad’s side. I can truly say I would not be who I am today if not for their love and care around me. I am one of the youngest in my generation of the family and I truly believe there are people depending on me. They think highly of me and believe I can become something, and that motivates me to push and be better, not just for them, but also for myself.” 

Of all his family, Jeremiah’s mother is the one person who has believed in him the most. Her footprint on his life is made very evident in his character. 

“My mother has been my biggest influence for sure”, said Favorite. “She has taught me to be patient and shown me that everything happens in due time. There is so much more that she has taught me growing up, such as never taking anything for granted and always being grateful – both things that will live with me beyond my days on the field, but I have taken patience as the biggest. I always strive never to rush and just let life work itself out. I also picked up my greatest character trait from my mom – being a free spirit. I am always myself – never trying too hard to fit in. I love to be funny. I like feeling comfortable in my own skin. So does my mom. No matter what the circumstances, I can always count on her being exactly who I know she is.” 

Jeremiah has applied that lesson in patience from his mother to several of his experiences at Boiling Springs over the last 3 years – a story he did not hesitate to share. 

“There have been multiple times since I have been here that I have lost track of who I am and what my ultimate goals are. I did not always agree with some decisions that were made that were not solely mine. Reflecting on it and how I felt, my actions were childish and selfish. But, I got favor upon favor that many people would not have gotten or taken for granted. This goes back to how I learned from my mom about patience. I did not see everything she saw, but I am grateful that she saw a future in me and in this place that I did not when I was the new kid on the block.” 

Favorite’s patience in his football career has paid off in big ways, as he was ranked among the top 50 defensive backs in the state of South Carolina entering this season. That attention resulted in 25 division 1 offers from Old Dominion, Virginia Tech, East Carolina, Indiana, Vanderbilt, Coastal, Liberty, West Virginia, App State, Boston College, Charlotte, James Madison, FAU, Georgia Southern, Mercer, Northwestern, Wake Forest, Oklahoma State, South Florida, Maryland, UVA, Louisville, UNC, NC Central, and Michigan State – where he will be enrolling after graduating from BSHS in December.

“What stood out most to me about Michigan State is how much love I felt and how I seemed like a priority to them”, Jeremiah said. “Obviously, I felt that at other schools as well, but MSU just felt real to me. I remember my first call from them. I told my mom and she almost jumped out of her seat. She was very familiar with Michigan State’s history, but I personally didn’t know a thing about the school. In the end, though my family played a part in helping me make the decision, it was how hard MSU pursued me in recruiting that made me feel right at home. Go Green!” 

If all that was not enough, despite an injury that has left him out for the last month, he was also named Boiling Springs’ first Shrine Bowler since 2009 – all honors he relishes with humility. 

“Honestly, it means a lot more than many can even think,” said Favorite. “I was teammates with a Shrine Bowler my freshman year when I was at Myrtle Beach. I didn’t know much about the bowl but heard everyone saying it was the best high school all star game to be selected for in South Carolina. After hearing that, I always wanted to do it myself. I am so grateful for this community’s belief in me and embracing me that to be able to represent it on such a big stage is a dream come true.” 

Outside of sports and school, Jeremiah is an avid movie buff and that has given him a legitimate interest in acting, even if it is not a career path for him. 

“I would love to be an actor”, he stated. “I love watching movies and I have always thought it would be cool to play in some kind of movie or TV show. Do I see myself ever sitting in a theater class or going to a rehearsal for a play or movie? Probably not. But, I still think it would be cool. So if there is a movie producer reading, hit me up!” 

As is tradition with these stories, I found it fitting to wrap up with some advice Favorite would give to any young player looking up to him. 

“Never compare yourself to anyone else”, said Jeremiah. “Don’t let anyone on the internet bully you into thinking you may not be good enough. A lot of times people look at how good someone else is doing and become ungrateful and proud of who you are. Everyone’s story is different. Some things may come quicker for others. But that does not mean your time is not coming. So, always be patient and true to yourself. Put your head down and put in the work so that when someone says you can’t, you can look back and tell them that you did. You can only be you, so be the best you that you can be.” 

Jeremiah has been sidelined with an injury, but he is expected to make his return to the gridiron this Friday night – the timing of which cannot be better for Boiling Springs. But, it would not have been possible without the encouragement of teammates. 

“I can tell that my teammates not having me has been like missing a piece of the puzzle that we are still trying to figure out,” said Favorite. “But seeing the guys check on me and see where I am mentally and physically since I was out has shown me they are my real brothers. They are the guys I battle with everyday and it means more to me that when I fall, I have my brothers to pick me up. They are what has gotten me through this injury and the reason I am doing ok. I have been fighting to get back and get to work with my brothers.” 

You can catch Jeremiah and his teammates in action at Bulldog Stadium as they continue their region 2-5A slate with the Wade Hampton Generals Friday night at 7:30 PM.