By Audrey Sellers
On Friday night in Dragon Nation, when green and black pom-brpoms whoosh through the airbrand football fans chant “Defense!brDefense!” from the bleachers, there's a goodbrchance Southlake Carroll senior, #48 JacobbrDoddridge, will answer their call.br
The 6'3” 225-pound athlete has proven tobrbe an impact player in Carroll's powerhousebrprogram. The rare three-year starter was anbrAll-District performer on both sides of the ball.brDoddridge wreaked havoc in the backfield either rushing the passer as a defensive linemanbror laying crushing blocks as the Dragon's versatile H-back. No matter which side of the ballbrhe lines up on, Doddridge ranks as one of thebrtop players in Texas.br
The multi-position player packs the skill,brtechnique and raw talent that make him abrstandout on the field and a recruit that collegesbrare eager to snap up.br
Before the first snap of his senior season,brDoddridge had no less than nine Division Ibrfootball opportunities, including offers frombrArmy and Nevada, along with FCS offers frombrStephen F. Austin, Abilene Christian andbrHouston Baptist.br
Doddridge is also hearing from Ivy Leaguebrschools including Columbia, Brown andbrYale—no doubt due to his football ability andbrhis near-perfect 1450 SAT score. The averagebrSAT score this year is 1083, according to Prep-Scholar, putting Doddridge well into the 90thbrpercentile.br
There are more than 1.1 million high schoolbrfootball players and more than 80,000 collegebrfootball players in the country, according to Athnet, with only 14,000 of those playing at the DI level. The competition for football scholarships is intense, but Doddridge already standsbrapart.
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With so many opportunities ahead of him, he's undoubtedlybrpumped. “It's really cool, and I'm just so excited,” Doddridge says.br
A TEAM MENTALITYbr
Last year, Doddridge was a key cog in helping Carroll to the 2016brDistrict 5-6A championship and a 10-2 record. The Dragons came upbrshort, falling to eventual Division II state champion DeSoto in the areabrround, but Doddridge left his mark. He closed out the season with 54brtackles, 11 for loss, three sacks and one interception.br
The team captain is ready to play where he's needed and to do whatever it takes this season—not for himself, but for his team. Helping hisbrteammates push harder, train smarter and compete at their personalbrbest is what drives him.br
“To be a good leader, I can't be afraid to call someone out,” saysbrDoddridge. “The more you care for someone, the more you'll call thembrout because you want what's best for them.”br
Doddridge counts many of his teammates among his personalbrfriends, which is perhaps why he encourages them to work so hard.brFor him, success is when he can feel proud about a game. He holds hisbrteammates to the same high standard. “I call it a success when everyone is proud of how they played,” says Doddridge.br
In striving for excellence for himself and his team, there's no doubtbrDoddridge's heart is in the right place. On his Twitter bio, @JacobDoddridge, he writes, “1 John 3:23 Love one another.”br
Doddridge's coaches can attest to his leadership capabilities and hisbrcommitment to his fellow Dragons. “Jacob is definitely an ambassador for our Dragon Football TEAM,” says Southlake Carroll head football coach, Hal Wasson. “He's an outstanding young man, student andbrleader. He plays at a high level, and our players and staff have tremen-brdous respect for what he does for our TEAM.”br
The 17-year-old student-athlete puts in the work, attending footballbrmeetings at 7:30 a.m. followed by classes (he loves U.S. History withbrMs. Colvin) and evening practice. Doddridge tries to get a jump on hisbrhomework during the school day so he can get to bed at a reasonablebrhour, which for him is usually by 11:30 p.m. “It's all about managingbrmy time,” he says. “When I'm really tired, I won't do well in school. Ibrtry to get at least seven hours of sleep.”br
Despite a packed schedule, Doddridge finds ways to help at home.br“Both of my parents work, so sometimes I'll make dinner for them,” hebrsays. “Pasta is easy to make, so I eat a lot of pasta!” Sometimes, though,brhe just wants a burger from Kincaid's or tacos from Fuzzy's—two of hisbrfavorite local places.br
Whether he's at home, on the field or in the classroom, Doddridgebrwants to put a smile on his parents' faces. “I thank God for my God-brgiven talents, but I'm also grateful for my parents,” he says. “Theybrhave always been there for me and supported me. I want to makebrthem proud.”
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A DUAL-SPORT DYNAMObr
Doddridge's athleticism extends beyond thebrgridiron. As a young child, the blond-haired, blue-breyed athlete swam with the Timarron Tiger Sharksbrand later went on to play baseball. Doddridge didn'tbrplay football until fifth grade, but it didn't take longbrfor him to realize he could use his massive presencebrto dominate on the field. “I was always bigger thanbreveryone else, so that was an advantage,” says Doddridge. “When I got my first offer junior year, I realized some things could happen.”br
Southlake Carroll head wrestling coach, JoebrHathaway, also saw potential in Doddridge andbrencouraged him to pursue wrestling. “I wasn'tbrgoing to try wrestling at first, but Coach Hathawaybrsaid I should try it,” says Doddridge, who has beenbrwrestling since he was in ninth grade. He quicklybrmade a name for himself in the sport, becomingbran All-State wrestler who earned an impressivebrfourth-place finish in the Class 6A 2017 UIL BoysbrState Championship. Dragon Wrestling finished asbrthe 6A runner-up.br
“Jacob is a rare breed, whether you ask hisbrcoaches, parents, teammates or practically anyonebrthat knows him. Putting his obvious athletic abili-brties aside, he is the kind of person you want to havebrinvolved with your team, organization and life,”brsays Coach Hathaway. “He is an intelligent, genuinebrand trustworthy young man that makes his greatestbrleadership impacts through his consistent positive example. We are all looking forward to him winning a state titlebron the field and the mat this year!”
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Doddridge is grateful for lessons from both his football andbrwrestling coaches. “Coach Wasson and Coach Hathaway expectbra lot out of us. I've grown up a lot,” he says. “They coach us hardbrand have high expectations. I've really learned how to handlebradversity.”br
MORE THAN A STUDENT-ATHLETEbr
If you want a glimpse at a well-rounded scholar-athlete, just takebra look at Doddridge. Not only does he excel in two sports, he's alsobra Carroll Green Jacket, a piano player, a member of the NationalbrHonor Society and Young Men's Service League of Southlakebr(YMSL), a nonprofit for moms and sons to volunteer together.
To be a Green Jacket, Doddridge was selected from more thanbr200 eligible entries based on teacher nominations and essays.brHe's part of a noble group of eight young men and eight young women who will serve the communitybrin various ways this year—from volunteering at service events to ushering atbrgraduation.
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His involvement with YMSL hasbrbeen particularly meaningful. “I've gotten really close to my mom through allbrof our various service projects,” he says,br“so that has been really nice.”br
Doddridge's faith is also an integral part of his life. For the past eightbrsummers, he has attended KanakukbrKamps, a Christian summer-campbrprogram dedicated to developing thebrnext generation of leaders. Each stay,brhe unplugs from computers and cellbrphones for weeks at a time, but it'sbrworth it. “It's refreshing being aroundbrguys who are Christians,” Doddridgebrsays. “They're good influences.”br
Doddridge, too, is a positive influence on and off the field. His leadership inspires his teammates to playbrat their best, and his talent and workbrethic have drawn the attention ofbrsome of the country's top colleges.brWhen Dragon fans are cheering on thebrgreen and white this year, there's nobrdoubt they're expecting great thingsbrfrom #48.