Harrison Smith slips out from behind a swing set at the Jimmy Lee Recreation Center in St. Paul, set to surprise the North Area Titans 14-and-under football team, and immediately locks eyes with Jay.
“What’s up?” Smith says as he shakes hands with the 13-year-old boy. “I told you I’d come and see you.”
“Jay” is Javionte Jackson, a seventh-grader Smith met through his work with Big Brothers Big Sisters Twin Cities. They’ve connected several times through the program, and Smith has taken a liking to Jackson’s confidence. This summer, when Jackson caught a touchdown pass over Smith during one of the events the safety hosted at Vikings training camp, he turned back to let the All-Pro hear about it.