Sun Belt Media Days: Wright Finds a Home as ULM's Starting QB

NEW ORLEANS – You'll pardon ULM quarterback Jiya Wright if he's not basking in the limelight that usually comes with the starting job.
Now on his fourth college stop since his final high school season in 2017, Wright has self-reflected enough to know that he can't ever get too comfortable in his current situation.
"It's definitely an honor to have that position," Wright said from Sun Belt Conference Media Day. "But as far as preparing, I'm working like I'm not the guy. I feel like that's how it has to be. You've got to work like the guy behind you, who wants it just as bad as you. I won't feel like QB1 until we set foot on that field come Sept. 2."
Wright made a run at ULM's starting quarterback job in 2022 but Chandler Rogers wound up winning the position. The 6-foot-1, 205-pound Wright was then sidelined for most of the season after suffering a rib injury late in the third quarter of the opener at Texas.
"We didn't figure out until two weeks later that I had a cracked rib," Wright said. "I was out there the next day trying to throw and run around. I wasn't trying to let it stop me until we realized it was a cracked rib and it was going to take some time."
When Rogers hit the transfer portal, it opened the door for Wright to grab the reins again. A promising spring helped him solidify a role he's been chasing for years. As a result, Wright was also invited to represent his team at the Sun Belt Media Days.
"When they said they wanted to take me, I was beyond thrilled and appreciative," Wright said. "I had to take a step back. I'm usually an easy-go-lucky, go-with-the-flow kind of guy. Having this opportunity, I'm very thankful to come down here and be myself and shine some light on ULM football."
When Wright shares his own story, it's one of perseverance.
Combined, Wright has appeared in six games and played a total of 87 offensive snaps over
the last two seasons (2021-22). His last three starts under center came during the abbreviated 2021spring season at Fort Scott (Kansas) Community College.
ULM fans haven't seen much of Wright in action but those glimpses were promising. In a blowout loss at Appalachian State in October 2021, Wright ran for 91 yards and a touchdown on 20 attempts while completing 9-of-17 passes for 158 yards with one score and two interceptions. Wright entered the game in the second quarter after Rogers suffered a bruised biceps.
"The one thing I like the most about Jiya is, he never quits and never gives up," ULM coach Terry Bowden said. "He faces adversity and works through it. He has a strong arm, and he runs the ball very well."
As a senior dual-threat quarterback at Homestead High School in Fort Wayne, Indiana, Wright threw for 2,307 yards with 28 touchdown passes and added 11 scores and 750 yards rushing. He enrolled at Northern Illinois in 2018 but was moved to safety after a coaching change and opted to leave.
"It was a reality check going in there because I was very arrogant," Wright said. "I think back and wonder, 'Why was I even like that?'"
Wright next landed at Division II Florida Tech, which offered a degree in aviation. He found himself humbled again, as he encountered a fifth-year quarterback and another competitor who he says outplayed him as well.
"I had to ask myself, 'Do I want to just become complacent or am I going to attack this thing and become the football player I want to be?'" Wright said.
He was getting his mind right but the universe had other plans in 2020. COVID- 19 led to Florida Tech dropping its football program, which left Wright without a team. After a semester in Florida, he moved on to Fort Scott (Kansas) Community College.
"I took some time off to perfect my craft as a quarterback and just get better," Wright said. "I really lucked out with Fort Scott. That taught me further that when you're on your own, you've got to get after it. There's not going to be anybody pushing you. I was 10 hours away from home and didn't really have a support system there. It was get up, grind and that was your life."
Kurt Kennedy, the quarterbacks coach who recruited Wright to Fort Scott, actually left there for ULM 10 days after connecting with Wright. But in his new job as ULM's director of recruiting and player personnel, Kennedy didn't forget about the athletic quarterback from Indiana.
"He said, 'If you perform on the field at Fort Scott, I'm going to get you there,'" Wright recalled. "He's kind of the one who got me in the door with ULM."
Wright attended a tryout camp in the summer leading up to Bowden's first season and showed enough to claim a roster spot.
"The coaching lineage with Terry Bowden is amazing and with (former offensive coordinator Rich Rodriguez's offense), I thought I'd fit in really well," Wright said.
Now two years later, Wright has emerged as not just a leader, but also one of the top all-around athletes on the team. He ranked second in the Iron Hawk summer test results after recording personal bests of 485 pounds in the squat, 330 on the bench, 4.03 in the Pro Agility as well as a team-best 39-inch vertical jump.
"I've worked really hard and I train day in and day out," Wright said. "If I'm not happy with something, I'm going to train, whether it's throwing or running or watching film or any of that."
Wright said he took a page from former ULM teammate and roommate Boogie Knight's preparation playbook.
"I knew what it meant to work," Wright said. "But he taught me what it means to work on everything every day, and I've followed that since he's been gone. I thank him for that so much."
Wright is also thankful to a ULM coaching staff that not only gave him a chance but has surrounded him with an impressive assortment of offensive weapons, including All-Sun Belt caliber receiver Tyrone Howell.
"As a quarterback, it's almost a bad thing," Wright said with a laugh. "Where do I want to go? Who do I give the ball to, because I have so many options? Just this summer, seeing how guys move and getting some route sessions in and building chemistry … I told Coach Bowden this on the ride down … any type of play we want to make, we have the personnel to do anything we want on the field."
Wright has also found a comfort level with offensive coordinator Matt Kubik, who returned for his second tour at ULM prior to the 2022 season. Wright feels the freedom to be himself while playing within Kubik's system.
"My biggest thing as a quarterback is being on the same page with him," Wright said. "I want to make sure that I'm thinking the same thing he's thinking when he's calling the plays. Being able to be in that offense for two springs and coming up on two falls, building that chemistry with him and understanding what he wants has been huge for me."
Said Bowden: "He is suited for that offense. We can move him around the pocket and he runs it well. He fits the style of offense that we have at ULM."
In his own way after taking the long path to this moment, Wright can relate to the ULM football fan that has seen only one bowl berth since moving up to the FBS level in 1994. He'd love to be part of a team that gives them something special to cheer about in 2023.
"With the support that the fans, locals, everyone associated with ULM has given us," Wright said, "it's definitely overdue."