The surname McCrimon is synonymous with athleticism and winning in Florida’s Osceola County.
Located just south of Orlando and serving as a “gateway” to some of Florida’s major tourist attractions such as Disney World, the county seat is the city of Kissimmee. And Kissimmee is home to one of the state’s oldest high schools, Osceola High, which was established in 1887.
Osceola High’s athletic tradition is highlighted by two team — the 1982-83 state 3-A basketball champions and the 1998 state 5-A football champs. Both featured relatives of Jimarion McCrimon, who has carried on the family tradition at Osceola.
McCrimon is a three-sport athlete for the Kowboys, but football is his forte. The 6-foot-5, 270-pound offensive lineman will be bringing his talents to East Carolina next fall when he enrolls as part of the football recruiting Class of 2023.
The Pirates were among many schools recruiting McCrimon, but had not offered until Allen Mogridge joined the staff as offensive line coach in early January. Mogridge came to ECU from South Florida, where he’d already been pursuing McCrimon.
“They had shown interest in me before he (Mogridge) got there,” McCrimon said. “They came to my school and talked to me and wanted to see how I looked (as a senior).
“But Coach Mogridge got in contact when he moved to East Carolina and told me he wanted me there. They offered me, so I got up there for a visit. Everybody over there just looked like a family and I wanted to be part of that.”
McCrimon officially joined the Pirate family by signing a national letter of intent on Feb. 1. He chose ECU over offers from Alabama A&M, Appalachian State, Arkansas State, Coastal Carolina, Georgia State, Purdue, Central Florida, Western Carolina and Western Kentucky.
The signing added another chapter to the McCrimon family athletic legacy that has spanned generations.
Seven of Jimarion’s great uncles and aunts played basketball at Osceola High, including Zettie McCrimon. Zettie went on to compete in the junior college ranks and signed with Central Florida, but never played there.
McCrimon’s grandfather, Jimmy McCrimon Sr., starred for the 82-83 Osceola High basketball squad nicknamed “The Speed Express” because of their high-scoring style. McCrimon Sr. averaged more than 25 points a game to lead the Kowboys to a 37-0 finish and would later sign a letter of intent to play for Central Florida.
Jimarion’s father, Jimmy McCrimon Jr., was a basketball and football standout at Osceola High from 1998 to 2001. He was a freshman defensive end on the ’98 state champion football squad and a starting forward for the basketball team. He was joined on the football championship team by cousins Shawn and Darius McCrimon.
“I’m like a third-generation Osceola football player, so I knew I was going to play football,” Jimarion McCrimon said. “My dad, my grandfather … They taught me basically everything about sports that I know today. They were a great help to me.”
Despite his family history, Jimarion McCrimon was surprised when he earned a spot on Osceola’s football varsity as a 6-5, 260-pound freshman in the fall of 2019. He started the first game that season at tackle against Harmony and would hold down that position for four straight years.
“I was not expecting to start as a freshman,” McCrimon said. “I wasn’t even sure I was good enough for the varsity until they told me one day in the preseason to get one of the varsity jerseys for practice.”
McCrimon earned first-team All-Orange Belt honors and was named to the Orlando Sentinel’s All-Area first team as a senior.
College recruiters began to take notice of McCrimon after a sophomore season in which Osceola advanced to the state 8-A championship game. He helped protect quarterback Chad Mascoe, who now plays at FCS Campbell University, and blocked for an offense that amassed more than 2,000 yards rushing.
But it wasn’t until after his junior season that McCrimon received his first scholarship offer from FCS Western Carolina in July 2022. Appalachian State, Georgia State, Western Kentucky, Alabama A&M and USF would follow with offers in the same month.
Thanks to Mogridge, the Pirates got involved late, but in the nick of time to secure a quality offensive line prospect for the future.
“They see me as a tackle or possibly a guard,” McCrimon said. “One of my biggest strengths is my footwork. I play hard and fast.”
Other sports may have helped McCrimon develop that footwork. He’ll finish out his senior year at Osceola as a starter on the basketball team and participating in the throwing events for the track and field squad. He averaged 4.7 points and 4.3 rebounds in basketball this season, and has personal bests of 41.025 feet in the shot put and 121-2 feet in the discus.
McCrimon will enroll at ECU this summer with a goal to contribute in some way to the Pirates next fall.
“My goal is to put in in the work for them to realize that I’d be an asset to their team,” he said.
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