Ferrum College to Hold Special Commencement Ceremony for Jamarion Montford on October 8, Prior to Deployment
Ferrum College to Hold Special Commencement Ceremony for Jamarion Montford on October 8, Prior to Deployment
Ferrum College to Hold Special Commencement Ceremony for Jamarion Montford on October 8, Prior to Deployment
Ferrum College to Hold Special Commencement Ceremony for Jamarion Montford on October 8, Prior to Deployment
Ferrum, VA, October 2, 2026 — Ferrum College will hold a special commencement ceremony on Thursday, October 8, at 11:30 a.m. in Vaughn Chapel to celebrate and confer the degree of Jamarion Montford, a senior defensive back in football from Newport, North Carolina, before his upcoming deployment overseas in service to our country.
Montford, who is majoring in psychology with a minor in media and communication, serves in the North Carolina Army National Guard’s 29th Division Sustainment Brigade, reflagged from the 113th Sustainment Brigade in July 2026. He holds the rank of specialist and will soon deploy overseas as a behavioral health technician with Charlie Company, 230th Brigade Support Battalion.
In August 2026, Montford was one of 92 Ferrum College student-athletes to receive NCAA Division II Athletics Directors Association Academic Achievement Awards. These students have a cumulative grade point average of 3.5 or higher on a 4.0 scale, have completed at least two years of college-level work, and have been active members of an intercollegiate team during their last academic year.
Montford was also one of eight Ferrum players selected in January 2026 for the College Sports Communicators 2025 Football Academic All-District Team. These students must compete in 90 percent of the institution’s contests played or must start in at least 66 percent of the institution’s contests. Undergraduate student-athletes must have at least a 3.5 cumulative grade point average.
The special ceremony will allow Ferrum College to recognize Montford’s academic achievement and honor his commitment to military service before he departs. His family will attend, including his mother, Pansy Montford, and his siblings, Javien, Jenesis, and Josiah.
In addition to celebrating Montford, Ferrum College is proud to recognize two additional Panthers who have also been deployed. They are Zeke Surber, a four-year offensive lineman from Pulaski County who now serves as a lance corporal with Fox Company, 2nd Division, 1st Marines in California, and Specialist Tripoom Jala (TJ), a transfer student who played two seasons for Ferrum College and served as captain during his final season. He now serves with Charlie Company, 1-116 Regiment, MSCT (Mobile Brigade Combat Team), Red Dragon Battalion, 29th Infantry Division in Virginia.