JEREMY Garrett, the 18-year-old ‘defensive maestro’ will depart Guyana shortly for the USA, after gaining a scholarship to the Louisiana State University Alexandria.

The school, which competes in the National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics (NAIA) system, is one of the premier football schools at that NAIA level, and Garrett said that he’s more than ready and excited for his new journey in the sport.

“For me it all started in terms of balancing the academics and sport at my home club; we run a summer programme every year and that’s where it started for me. I’m thankful for the opportunity presented to me and I’ll look to make full use of it and make Guyana proud,” Garrett said.

A former student of Chase Academy, Garrett excelled at the Caribbean Secondary Education Certificate (CSEC) examination, as well as Caribbean Advanced Proficiency Examination (CAPE).

Daniel Thomas, secretary of the Fruta Conquerors Football Club where Garrett played his entire life, said much of the player’s success and his getting a scholarship, has to do with attention given at Chase Academy, since the school set the platform for the defender to excel academically.

According to Thomas, Garrett’s journey has been ‘long’, for the charismatic defender, but as a club, Fruta Conquerors are more than happy to assist in whatever way possible.

Meanwhile, president of the Guyana Football Federation (GFF) Wayne Forde, upon wishing Garrett well, reasoned that “almost five months ago, the GFF started a level of engagement with coaches within the university structure of the United States. We determined that some of the players will be challenged to access opportunities in some of the higher-ranked universities while others might be suited for community colleges and academic institutions.”

“The Federation was required to offer certain assurances on behalf of Jeremy, but in the final analysis, it is pleasing to us that Jeremy will be able to access this opportunity. I think Jeremy will be leading the charge for many young players who will follow him subsequently.

“The goal of the Federation is clearly to open up these opportunities to as many young players as possible,” Forde said.