8/30/2021 football Edit

Tulsa LB Justin Wright is a throwback in many ways

Justin Wright leads a tough Tulsa defense. (Getty Images)

Larry Lewis

ITS Senior Writer

Justin Wright, the old school linebacker who hits like a freight train while manning the middle for TU, is also old school in other ways as well.

Such as marrying his high school sweetheart while in college. Or making several trips to a tiny country town that was made famous by a 1977 hit country song.

Although he has never hung out with Waylon and Willie and the boys, the 21-year-old Wright, a big country music fan, enjoys going to Luckenbach, Texas, as well as singing and playing guitar.

Wright has gone to Luckenbach, Texas (population 13, located 50 miles north of San Antonio and 69 miles west of Austin in Hill Country), which is home to music events on most weekends.

Making the journey from his hometown of Abilene, Texas (population 125,000, 50 miles west of Fort Worth) to Luckenbach is fun for Wright.

"I've been to Luckenbach like five times. It's three or four hours away," Wright said. "It's not even a town. You've just got to be there. It's not any bigger than that football field out there. It's packed. People come from all over the place to come there."

Old country songs from singers like the late Waylon Jennings, Willie Nelson, the late Johnny Cash and the late Hank Williams, Sr., Hank Williams Jr., Johnny Paycheck, George Strait, as well as not so old Randy Rogers, are among his favorites. Wright also sometimes likes blues and classic rock.

Wright credits quarterback Davis Brin for making him a George Strait fan (Brin's favorite).

As for Wright's favorite person, that goes to his wife Emma, whom he met as a freshman in high school. They've been married for over a year.

"It's been easy, honestly," Wright said of the transition to being a married man. "Obviously, it's only been a year, but I feel like I married my best friend."

TU needs to give a lot of credit to Emma Wright for getting Justin Wright on to the TU campus.

"She was so happy because she wanted to go to a Paul Mitchell Cosmetology School in Tulsa before I got an offer to go here," Wright said. "There was one in Austin and one in Dallas, but she wanted to go to the one here. So when I got the offer to go here, it was a done deal."

Having little Wrights running around will likely have to wait due to the extremely busy nature of being a married TU student athlete who majors in Marketing in the Collins College of Business.

"I'll give it a couple more years," Wright said.

The 6-foot-2, 239-pounder will be forever linked with former TU linebacker and Arizona Cardinals starter Zaven Collins on what may be the most famous defensive play in Golden Hurricane history. A second before the nation's defensive player of the year ran back a 96-yard interception return to end the Tulane game in double overtime last season, it was Wright who made the play possible.

Wright's blitz up the middle on third-and-goal ended up delivering a substantial hit to Tulane quarterback Michael Pratt, whose rushed, harassed throw was picked off by Collins. Without Wright's blitz, there is no pick six, and likely no national awards for Collins at the end of the season.

"We were in our goal line package, and I'm on a rush, pretty much," Wright said of the play. "Any time we call that package, I am rushing, no matter what, and it was wide open. If I had gotten there a little sooner, it might have been a little different. I think what happened is definitely the best outcome that could have happened. That was awesome."

It's not often a player is better off without a sack, but that was one case.

Having received playing time, mostly on special teams, at TU as a redshirt freshman in 2019 after playing four games as a true freshman in 2018, Wright was unexpectedly thrust into the starting Mike linebacker position just before the season opener at OSU due to a season-ending injury to Yohance Burnett.

Wright, listed as a redshirt junior from Cooper HS in Abilene, responded, starting all nine games. He led all TU linebackers with 62 tackles, including nine for losses, and 1.5 sacks. He had an interception, a fumble recovery, and two quarterback hits.

"I was ready for last year, mentally, emotionally and physically," said Wright. "I was ready to take on that role and I haven't looked back since. I don't plan on doing that anytime soon. I'm excited for this season."

Wright is pumped up about 2021 not only because of the high number of returnees from a good defense in 2020, but also due to the large amount of players returning on offense. And because of new quarterback Davis Brin, who Wright already calls a "great quarterback."

Thanks to the performances of players like Wright, Tulsa was able to adjust to the uncertainty of the entire season and go undefeated in AAC conference play, and was ranked for much of the season.

"It was a weird season last year. We had so many games canceled or pushed back," Wright explained. "One thing that Coach Monty would tell us was not to expect anything. There is always going to be something you are not expecting that is going to happen. Just go with the flow, and suck it up and just do it."

Wright's only frustration with last season is that Cincinnati twice got games canceled that were scheduled to be played in Tulsa, but TU had to play Cincy on the road for the championship game.

Things like that can only increase Wright's resolve in his determination to make 2021 even better than 2020 for TU.

"High hopes," Wright said.