5 Questions: Justin Fomby wants to make his only GHOE his best
Justin Fomby gave thanks at this week's football news conference in advance of North Carolina's A&T "Greatest Homecoming on Earth." But it wasn't to bless the luncheon, but to shine a spotlight on the people who keep him safe in the pocket.
Fomby took a moment to pray when it was his time to speak on Monday, but he wasn't alone at the podium. The sixth-year senior was flanked by his offensive linemen teammates: Reuben Adams, Sterling Wiggins, Korion Sharpe, Kellen Culberson, Cesar Minarro, Spencer Webb and Calvin Cunningham. He also mentioned left guard Brock Stokes, who couldn't attend.
"I brought up these guys because I want to start off by shouting these dudes out," Fomby said. " ... One of the things that my coach, coach (David) Marsh, mentioned is that these are some of the guys that don't get a statline and it's important to have that. In my position, in our position as a quarterback, these guys are the ones that do the dirty work and they protect us day in and day out and I want to give them their flowers and give them their recognition that they deserve ..."
The 6-foot-4, 216-pound Fomby was a three-star recruit out of Central Gwinnett High School in Georgia. He had limited playing time in three seasons at Northern Iowa but showed flashes, completing 63.5% of his passes for 433 yards and a 135.9 rating during the spring 2021 season.
Fomby then transferred to Houston Christian, where in 2022 he was 238-for-402 attempts for 2,297 yards, third in program history in each category. He missed that year's final regular season game due to injury and was relegated to a backup role in 2023.
Fomby earned a degree in interdisciplinary studies with a focus in business and psychology from HCU before coming to A&T as a graduate transfer. After seeing some action as Kevin White 's backup, Fomby has thrown for 466 yards, five touchdowns and one interception in the last two games as a starter against South Carolina State and Richmond.
Q: Very few athletes come up here and bring the offensive linemen and say a prayer. Talk about your background?
A: My story is a long story. If we got into it, we'd be here all day, but one of the things that I give it to is my parents and the way they brought me up. They are big on integrity, big on being genuine, being faithful and giving credit to where credit is due, hard work, getting your pail and your paint and going to work every day and that's the biggest thing for me, honoring those guys that do that ...
Q: Explain your transfer from Houston Christian to A&T?
A: It was a situation where when things are out of your control, you want to put your best foot forward. I have aspirations of playing at the next level in the NFL and when you find yourself in a situation where things might not be necessarily the right situation and out of your control, you have to find a way to find a way. And for me, it's never 'Run from an opportunity' or 'Run from anything,' it's finding the one that fits and finding the thing that is best for you and at the same time, still having the integrity of working hard, having that mentality and fighting through some things.
Q: How did you stay focused and ready for your opportunity?
A: You have to have that mindset every time. You can't allow your mind to slip. And if you do, like we always say, you are one play away and if you are one play away, you have to be ready before that play comes. And if you are not ready before that play comes, you'll find out really quickly that you weren't ready.
Q: In terms of your journey, you mentioned going through some hurdles. Describe your biggest challenges and how you overcame them.
A: I'd say the more challenging things I went through, I'm a Georgia kid, I'm from the 404 (area code) area. My freshman year, I went to Northern Iowa out of high school and it was a culture shock, 14 hours away from the house. I'm a big family man and I found myself in a situation where, not to talk too much about it, but being a three-star recruit and everything like that, I had aspirations to play at the Power Five level and I thought that's where I should've been and when you find yourself in a situation where you are not where you would like to be, especially far away from home and your support system is far away, you get to a dark place and I found myself there. Through faith and prayer, my family is my backbone and they were there for the thick of it. They were supporting me even in times that I didn't see and they were able to help me and talk through different things and help me to see the light in a situation where there was a lot of darkness around me. I became a better man at the end of the day and for anybody that is going through a situation like that where they feel like they are depressed or suicidal like that, I want to say to lean on the Lord because he can help you to break through that ...
Q: You mentioned having one chance to win a homecoming game at A&T. From what you've heard, what do you know about what this game means to the community?
A: It means everything. I've heard about it since the day I stepped foot on the campus, from the day I stepped foot in North Carolina. They told me GHOE is everything from the festivities, from the family atmosphere to the tailgates, to the game itself and all of those things are what makes this university something that is so special.
High School Sports Reporter
