Collegiate Times

Jeron Gouveia-Winslow had every reason to leave Blacksburg.  

In his first game as Virginia Tech’s starting whip linebacker, he allowed Boise State receiver Austin Pettis to slip past him for an easy game-winning touchdown catch.  

The following week, his missed tackle in the backfield sprung James Madison running back Jamal Sullivan on a 77-yard touchdown reception. That play served as the turning point in the Dukes’ monumental upset over the Hokies.

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Following last year’s 0-2 start, Hokies’ defensive coordinator Bud Foster revamped his defensive scheme to eliminate the whip linebacker from the team’s basic formations, leaving Gouveia-Winslow on the sidelines for most of the remainder of the season.

Tech fielded its worst defense statistically in nearly a decade.     

For the average high school superstar, the benching that followed those early season hardships would have been enough to prompt a transfer. Not Gouveia-Winslow.  

“Going through that whole process of being taken off the field for different packages was discouraging, but I never looked down on myself or quit,” Gouveia-Winslow said. “I took it as motivation and got better.”  

Even as he watched his teammate and closest friend Austin Fuller toil on the sidelines, leading to his eventual transfer to SMU, Gouveia-Winslow knew he belonged in Blacksburg.  

“I tried to be by (Fuller’s) side when everyone was down on him,” Gouveia-Winslow said. “It was difficult to watch and go through with him. I can see what it’s like to go through that, and I would never want to do it.”  

In the face of adversity, Gouveia-Winslow’s steadfast confidence was his most reliable trait. Watching several games late in the season primarily from the sidelines didn’t deter him.  

“It was interesting,” Gouveia-Winslow said. “You want to be on the field, especially with my background. Yeah, I was a hot shot (in high school); I made plays. But last year I wasn’t doing it and it was weird. When I came off the field, as upsetting as it was, I was still excited for us doing well. I’ve been a team guy all my life. I’ve never played selfish. I was excited for the team, but I still wanted to be on the field at the same time. It was definitely a reality check.”  

At 6-feet, 2-inches tall, 205 pounds, he is far from the prototypical linebacker of the modern era. Mental breakdowns, however, were his biggest obstacles.  

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A version of this article appeared in the Sep 2 issue of the Collegiate Times.