My Commitment, by KJ Jarrell

I started playing tackle football for a team called the Saints when I was seven years old. My dad was a coach on the team, and I played safety and running back. It was fun, and really helped me with my fundamentals. I played for i9Sports in a flag football league, and that's where I was able to develop some footwork, and put some moves on.

I remember playing football at recess as early as preschool. In elementary school my dad would come to school for recess and be the quarterback for both teams. My teammates would get mad because he'd always be throwing me the ball. I don't remember if I ever picked him off, but I probably did.

I had never really been into watching football until this past year. When I'm not playing, I like to do other things, but watching other players has helped improve my confidence quite a bit. I used to be afraid of making mistakes, but now, when I'm watching football, I see that it's just part of the game. Seeing guys like Tyrann Mathieu miss a tackle, or watching a big name defensive back get beat made me realize it happens to everyone.

I'm a Washington Redskins fan, and I know they're garbage right now, but Sean Taylor is my favorite safety of all time, and my favorite all-around player is DeSean Jackson. Jackson is the reason I wear the number 10. He's also the reason I originally wanted to be a receiver. It was my junior year, when coach Max Tabach came to Saguaro, that he really opened my eyes to what I could accomplish as a safety. Most of what I learned about playing safety, I learned from Coach Tabach. That, combined with the outside training I got from and Airibin and Ayrius Justin, who worked with me since 8th grade, made me feel comfortable back there.

I went to a Rivals camp in Las Vegas at the end of my sophomore year and didn't know what to expect. It was cold and rainy, and I had never been to a camp as a DB before. It wasn't until I was lined up for drills with some other players that I realized how serious this all was. I could hear them talking about their offers. One person had 7, another person had 4. I had nothing, but I was just focused on football. I love to compete. Any time I have a chance to compete I feel like it makes me better, and one of the things I realized when I was out at that camp was that I was one of them. I was able to walk away from being around some of those highly recruited players and tell myself 'I'm with them.'

It was a couple months after that camp when Coach Jason Mohns called me into his office and let me know I had been offered by UCLA. I went home to tell my parents, and they were happier than me. It was awesome. That's really the best feeling- making your parents happy.

An hour later, I got offered by Washington. That was a crazy day.

After that I knew I had a target on my back, and something to prove. I watched Christian Kirk and Byron Murphy play with offers, and I looked up to them, but they were older than me. I was one of the first kids my age in the state with an offer, It messed with me a little bit. I felt like I had to do more because of my offers, and it took me a while to realize that I'd be fine just playing my game.

Every year at Saguaro, I expected to win. It was cool as an underclassman to watch the different groups of seniors celebrate a championship every year, but I knew that I'd never know what it was like to feel what they felt unless we could win one as a senior class. It didn't disappoint. It was the best feeling in the world to be able to go out on top.

As a senior I kept my head down and focused on Saguaro's season. When it came to recruiting, the whole season I told myself, 'whatever happens, happens.' Once we won the state championship, my focus became the Army All-American game. Once that was over, I took my first break from football in a long time. I put my recruiting off for that week, because I trusted it would all work out.

When Corey Stephens, Kyle Soelle and Jared Poplawski all committed to Arizona State, it almost made me want to join them. But to me, that would have been too early. Those guys knew where they wanted to go. I'm sure Corey and Kyle have known where they wanted to play from the day they were born, and Jared has family that's played at ASU. I was happy for them, but it was just too soon for me.

I loved all my coaches at Saguaro. Because of that it made me look for coaches I'd click with at the college level. I know you're not supposed to commit to a coach, and that it's a business and they can leave at any time. But still, once you've had that kind of support, it's hard to not want to keep it. Jason Mohns especially. He told me over and over again that things would all work out. It sounds strange, but it hasn't always been easy. I drive 30 minutes to school every day, and I thought about transferring somewhere closer to home when some of my friends left football or left Saguaro. Coach Mohns always just told me to trust that things would work out, and I had to ask myself 'If I leave, am I going to regret it?' Regret is a feeling that I hate, and Coach Mohns is someone I believe, trust and respect. Soon after that, I was seeing my work pay off. I was playing as a receiver as a sophomore, and seeing time in a nickel package as a safety. I knew things were going to be the way Coach Mohns said they'd be.

Trust is important. Coaches that recruit you skate around who they're looking at and who their priorities are. But I was always thankful. Look, these coaches didn't have to recruit me. They were spending time on me, and their time is their money. I respect every person that talked to me and sat across from me. The one thing I tried to do was just listen. I never really felt like it was my decision anyway. I felt like it was God's decision, and God had a plan for me. I knew God would make the choice clear for me, and that it would all work out.

My plan was to go to USC. We prayed about it as a family, and my dad told me it would be alright if I stay home. When he said it, it just felt right. I didn't rush out and make any decisions right away. I just knew that could work. The next week reaffirmed that this was a door that was being opened for me.

I had an in-home visit with ASU's defensive coordinator, Phil Bennett, and we hit it off right away. He's a southern guy, and my family has roots in New Orleans. I really liked him, and my parents really liked him too, which is important. Then, on my official visit, I saw ASU in a whole new light. I'd never really had the good vibes I was getting about Arizona State the way I did while I was on my official visit. I've always liked the defensive backs coach, TJ Rushing, but I didn't really know too much about Todd Graham. My family and I met with him before, in his office, but that was at a time when I was still researching colleges I might be interested in. Being around Coach Graham this last weekend, my family and I got a better understanding of him. I was able to see the person he is away from the football field, and got to know him outside of the business of being a recruit. He gave us more than enough reason to feel comfortable with him, and Arizona State as a destination. It was the first time I felt at home on a visit.

It's because I am home.