WOODLAND HILLS, Calif. – New Rams running back Jarquez Hunter didn't have lifting shoes when he started training in the sixth grade, so he wore his cowboy boots.
By high school, Hunter was throwing up absurd weight, earning a spot in the powerlifting state championship in 10th grade. The self-described "country boy" from Philadelphia, Miss. said he felt his boots provided better leverage than other shoes, so he wore them in competitions.
"I just said, since I'm so comfortable wearing my boots while I'm practicing, I might as well just wear them in the competition, and it helped me," Hunter said.
He placed third in his sophomore year, and after his junior-year competition was canceled due to COVID-19, he won the gold at the Class 5A Powerlifting State Championship as a senior in the 198-pound class. He bench pressed 300 pounds while squatting and deadlifting 575, respectively, all in his trusty boots. In fact, he lifted more total weight (1,450 pounds) than nine of the 10 contestants in the two weight classes above him.
The 5-foot-9, 204-pound back out of Auburn has only increased his leg day weight throughout his time as an SEC standout, trading out his boots for athletic shoes. Hunter said that kind of training enhances his burst and power, helping him emerge as a top prospect that the Rams drafted in the fourth round of the 2025 NFL Draft.