At 10 years old, Shaun Terry II drank a Mountain Dew before a basketball game.

He committed four fouls before the first quarter ended.

Moving forward, his father, Shaun Terry, said no more caffeine. Terry II was already a high-strung kid when it came to sports, and while his dad admitted it was never a lack of effort, Terry II still needed to be calmed down at times.

"He wants to compete and wants to win so much that he will do anything, including hurt himself," Terry said. "He's so determined. I don't know. I guess he watched too many Kobe Bryant breaking his finger videos and still going and playing."

Three years earlier, Terry II showed off that fearlessness when his father helped him work on his jumping ability. Stacking five white lawn chairs, Terry watched his son dive head first and land on his stomach completely disregarding the point of the drill to hurdle the chairs.

That competitiveness and willingness to complete a challenge stemmed from a belief that Terry II had no limits.

"The one thing about Shaun is that he does not see size," Terry said. "In his mind, if Michael Jordan was in his prime, let's go to the court. I'm going to get you, I'm going to score. That's his mentality."

Terry II picked up the nickname "Little Shaun" when he was born, but he never wanted to be called "Junior". His birth certificate reads "Shaun Michael Terry II," and that's the name he's prided himself on.

When he was 5 years old, Terry II saw the size disadvantage he faced. His father grew to 6-foot-4, admitting the Terry name is used to late bloomers, but when it came to Terry II, he used his smaller stature to find his purpose in football.

"He always had a chip on his shoulder," Terry said. "We always said, 'They can't tackle you if they can't touch you.' So that's when he became real elusive, because being little, he never could run people over, but he could be elusive and juke 'em out."

But before he even took the field, Terry II boasted a level of confidence that told his father just what he needed to know. At 4 years old, Terry II was playing football and wrestling on the ground with his grandfather, James Terry III. Using all of his little strength, Terry II tried effortlessly to move his grandfather, to the amusement of his father and grandfather.

"He said, 'Little Shaun, you can't lift me,'" Terry recounted from James. "(Terry II) said, "Yes, I can. Watch this!'"

Once middle school rolled around, Terry II's height disadvantage became more of a detriment to playing time. He saw less of the field, so when it came to choosing a high school, Terry II explored open-enrollment options in his home state.

Terry II wanted a program that best prepared him for an opportunity in college. He attended middle school in Huntington, West Virginia, where his father's cousin, former NBA first-rounder O.J. Mayo, established his basketball stardom.

But living in Ohio, a program right down the road provided exactly what the Terry family sought out. Although zoned to South Point (Ohio) High, Terry II opted for Ironton (Ohio) High, a decision that came after many conversations with his family.

Since Terry could remember, his son wanted to play in the NBA, and if that didn’t pan out, then the NFL was the next best thing. Even a friend from Terry II’s early AAU days, Da'Ron Parks, thought Terry would end up as a basketball recruit.

"He always played football," Parks said. "But because he's really good at basketball, too, I didn't know that football would be what he wanted to do, even though he always could."

Ironton got the nickname "Ironton Prep" from college coaches and recruiters for its ability to mock a collegiate football system from practices to expectations, and as football became the primary sport for Terry II to continue athletics beyond high school, Ironton gave him a chance.

But when he showed up freshman year, Terry II weighed in at a disputed 105-110 pounds.

"Nobody knew who he was," Terry said.

The extra 10-minute drive down the road to Ironton paid dividends to that growth over the following four years. Terry knew his son had the potential to jump on the radar of college coaches in their hometown of South Point, but connections changed everything for the family.

Three seasons before Terry II arrived at Ironton, the program hired a new head coach. Trevon Pendleton, a former fullback at Michigan State, took over and steered Ironton into a stop for college football teams, with his connections and the school’s deep-rooted tradition in Ohio.

"There's so many kids that they've taken that shouldn't necessarily have had the offers that they did," Terry said. "But because of the program, the muscle building, and the program that they do, the system, he's gotten those kids all kinds of scholarships."

Since little league, where he learned to play through injuries and compete against older players, Terry II excelled in multiple roles at quarterback, running back and even on defense, but at Ironton, he found his home at wide receiver while still showing off additional skills as a passer and cornerback.

"Offensively, obviously, when he gets the ball in his hands, he's just a game changer," Pendleton said in December. "He can change the scoreboard at any second."

Terry II catapulted on the scene in his senior season as one of the most eye-catching pass-catchers in Ohio, totaling 2,320 all-purpose yards. Feeling snubbed of the Ohio Mr. Football Award, he left his mark on Ironton with the program's first state title since 1989.

"Obviously, I think Shaun took being just left out of consideration for Mr. Ohio in football as a disrespect, even though I'm sure that it wasn't meant that way," Pendleton said. "I think he used it as motivation, and he definitely was able to go out and harness all that emotion and put that on display."

Before Terry II signed his national letter of intent to Missouri in December, he previously held a commitment to a school similar in tradition and history to Ironton in Notre Dame. Yet, when it came to what Terry II wanted to accomplish, the SEC fit his mold.

Wide receivers coach Jacob Peeler visited Terry II for an Ironton boy's basketball game in 2024 and radiated an easygoing manner. Combining that with his accomplishments at Mississippi and Missouri, developing Luther Burden III, Terry II saw a path for himself to follow.

"Me and Shaun talked about it, and it's to make sure that you go where you're needed and not where you're wanted," Terry said. "There's a difference. Some teams will try to steal talent. 'Oh, I love you. Come play for me. That way, this other team does not have you.'"

When it came to visiting Missouri, Terry II was won over with how quickly he became a member of the program before ever committing. Peeler and head coach Eli Drinkwitz hosted him at their homes, meeting their children, other family members and pets.

"Some of the staffs look at you like they were the top dog," Terry said. "But Mizzou wasn't like that. They were just very humble. It just felt like places like around here, like a small local town and just a good family-oriented team."

During his official visit in June, Terry II bonded over his competitiveness with Missouri staffers, including offensive assistant Brendan Boylan, a product of Ohio and primary recruiter of the state for the Tigers.

"Terry is a diamond in the rough," said Tim Taggart, the personal quarterback coach of Missouri signee Matt Zollers. "That kid is an absolute freaking stud player, so for them to find him and pull him from Ohio, that's a big deal."

Boylan and Terry II, both equipped in deep football, went head-to-head in EA Sports College Football and Madden NFL. That competition stretched to even more activities beyond video games, while bowling, playing yard games and having a brief conversation with special teams coordinator Erik Link.

"He walked to Shaun and did a fair signal sign, like a kickoff or a punt, and he asked Shaun, 'What's this?'" Terry recounted. "Shaun just looked at him and said, 'I don't know,' and kept walking, and (Link) said, 'I love that,' because they want Shaun to do special teams. He was telling him, 'I don't know. I'm returning everything. I'm not fair catching nothing.'"

For the first time since he was 5 years old, Terry II won't be playing basketball. He's put his full focus into one sport for the first time in his life, enrolling at Missouri this past month. Even with that change, one thing has still taken precedent in his athletic career: faith and school.

Planning to visit every game this upcoming season, Terry said he'd give his son a short message on staying the course in this next chapter away from home: "Hard work, God first."

"When we talk, it's all quality over quantity," Terry said. "He says something very meaningful. I say something meaningful. We have a great relationship. Think about it, he's got my name, that's my boy."

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