JUCO Recruiting Report: Jadon Washington (Hopkins/Iowa Central Community College)

It takes a special kind of player to rise above the many negative external factors involved in the junior college football process and focus on the necessary grind it takes to earn that coveted Division I offer. With dozens of Minnesota athletes committing to JUCO football programs around the nation every recruiting cycle, many commit to being a #JUCOProduct, but it is rare to see any JUCO prospect, much less a Minnesotan, succeed in one of the toughest paths a football player can take to find the bright lights of Division I football. This is one of the reasons why Northstar Football News is so excited to present this special "JUCO Recruiting Report" on Iowa Central Community College & Hopkins High School graduate RB [player_tooltip player_id="2089" first="Jadon" last="Washington"]. Last year as a true freshman he recorded a 4.47 second 40-yard dash, put on 25 pounds in the weight room, and worked his tail off to earn some starting running back carries in-route to a 300 yard, one TD season in 2019 that earned him a DI Missouri State offer at the end of March. Because he plays and succeeds against some of the toughest junior college competition the U.S. has to offer and is a former MN prep, Washington is a great spokesperson & advocate for the JUCO process, and is a well-spoken mouth-piece that can help Northstar’s readers understand some important facts about the difficulty of junior college football, what is takes to succeed at this level, and how Minnesota high school football helped prepare him for the process. With his first DI offer already under his belt, Northstar Football News was very lucky to be able to talk to the Hopkins grad at this point in his JUCO journey about some of these facts, his recruitment, and more, and we hope you enjoy this special "JUCO Recruiting Report!" <a href="http://www.hudl.com/v/28Mgfd">Hopkins High School Highlights </a><a href="http://www.hudl.com/v/2Bx2jy">True Freshman JUCO Highlights</a> [caption id="attachment_19085" align="aligncenter" width="364"] Washington.[/caption] NFN: Hello and thank you for your time, Jadon. Congratulations on the Missouri State offer & your 2019 success with Iowa Central. Please begin by sharing with us a little bit about yourself. When did you begin playing football? What are some fun facts about yourself? And what do you like about the game of football? Also, include some of your measurables and stats! Washington: "I started football when I was in 3rd grade didn’t finish out the season because I signed up late I didn’t get my pads till the second to last game of the season. I played one game that year at receiver I touched the ball one time on a wide receiver reverse and after that I decided to switch positions for the upcoming year and the rest of my life. My mom inspired me first to play football she played in a women’s league for a team called the Minnesota machine and I was water boy for that team so I was at every game. A fun fact about me is I started boxing before I played football cause I always had a lot of energy as a kid and I was doing both football and boxing all the way up till 8th grade. What I like about football is the strategy and aggression the overall dominance you can show in front of a crowd of people. I’m 5’10 188 pounds the last time I ran a 40 it was a 4.47. I always had a problem with gaining weight growing up so when I got on campus I was already the smallest guy this spring I turned it around by asking teammates how to gain weight while lifting and I gained 25 pounds in 7 weeks I love the weight room always have. Last year in Juco I didn’t play many games I was on jv the whole season up until I got my chance against Fort Scott to play I played 3 games had 276 rushing yards 1 TD and 86 receiving yards I had 3 sophomores ahead of me also working hard throughout the season all I could do was work my butt off until I got my chance." [caption id="attachment_19087" align="aligncenter" width="300"] Washington running through tacklers.[/caption] NFN: Now tell us a little bit about your career as a Hopkins Royal. What were some big/memorable games for you? Additionally, what was your recruitment like out of high school? What made you go the JUCO route and what got you to Iowa Central? Washington: "Well my most memorable game was when I rushed for 243 rushing yards and 3 tds for Hopkins against Armstrong even though it resulted in a loss that was my first ever game having 200 plus rushing yards and that boosted my confidence as a running back. I have had a bunch of games with 170 rushing yards and a bunch of receiving yards. My sophomore year I had a game at Shakopee during their homecoming I had 292 yards and 4 TDS 165 of those yards were on the ground to ruin their homecoming during my first full season of varsity football. My recruitment in high school wasn’t what I expected not only because of lack of size but I also didn’t have the best grades in high school so I had D2 offers across the board I knew in my head that wasn’t my limit so I waited and Coach Foster reached out to me and that lead to a juco commitment and a fresh new start." NFN: Share what you can about what some things are that you want people to know about being a #JUCOProduct. What are some things people should understand about junior college football that they typically don’t know? Washington: "Being at a JUCO, there’s a lot of people who come and quit because of lack of mental toughness and it shows all the time. If you really want it bad you’re gonna stay through whatever and work hard to get where you want to be. No excuses nobody ever believes in you unless you do what they thought you couldn’t, and that’s what I wake up and realize everyday. (I always think of the term) F.T.S. which stands for (Fail To Succeed) something I made up my junior year of high school after suffering from a turf toe injury cutting my junior season in half. I got it tatted on me so everyday I wake up I can see it and remember what my goal is." NFN: Tell us about Iowa Central’s season this past fall. What were some big games for you and the team? Who are some good competition year in and year out in the conference and how does JUCO ball compare to MN prep football? Washington: "Iowa Centrals football season was a small improvement from the year before. Winning all trophies we planned to win the only thing that didn’t go as planned was going to the natty because we had a rough few games with key players going down left and right we just had to play with what we had. 2 of the 3 games I played were key games for my confidence. Playing games on JV were just me stickin’ it out until I got my shot to play with the talent I wanted to play with, and my first game starting and playing a full game I ran for 145 yards a TD and had 29 receiving yards getting me player of the week in our conference. Another game I wanted to prove a point in is playing against a ranked team in the bowl game and showing what I could against the scouts. The game didn’t at all go as planned as we went into overtime to win but individually I think I solidified my self to play against good competition in a close game making a few highlight plays during key points in that game. We play in what’s arguably the best JUCO conference in the nation majority of our scheduled teams were ranked in the top-20 and top-10 a few times. Compared to playing in MN prep football where the winning teams just keep winning because they get more talent because all players want to win a ring so the attention to go there is high. Those teams have tryouts I went to a school that if you was a sophomore and you signed up for football you’re automatically on jv or varsity no matter the talent level." [caption id="attachment_19086" align="aligncenter" width="300"] Washington running that rock.[/caption] NFN: What are expectations for you and the Tritons in 2020? What are some of your personal goals? Washington: "Expectations for myself is to just keep improving and keep proving people wrong. A goal as a team is to improve and compete to be in the conversation to play in the natty next year. A personal goal I have as a running back is to rush for 100 yards a game that’s just what I think a good running back does." NFN: How is recruiting different at the JUCO level compared to in high school? How’s your recruitment going as well? Tell us how the Missouri State offer came to be. Also, who are some other teams you’re interested in and talking to? What are you looking for in a college? Washington: "Recruiting is different in JUCO because teams recruit players that they think will play right away so if they give you an offer they think you could make their team that much better. The Missouri State offer came from hard work in the classroom and having good film and they believed in me before anybody else and I respect that I believe I earned it and they do too. Right now I’m interested in any team who talks to me or gives me an offer I have no specifications for who I want to play for I just want the best I can get and that will play a part in a decision I make when it comes to commitment. I’m not afraid to be in competition with any player at my position so no matter where I go, the field is something I will see. All I’m looking for in a college is loyalty someone who believes in me makes me feel like they’re program is my future home for the next 2 to 3 years of playing days and redshirts I have left." NFN: What can you bring to a college football program and what do you do well as a football player? Washington: "I think I bring to the table hard work and a will to win no matter the situation I’m in for a college football program I will never stop trying to out the competition put in front of me I just want to be the best I can be and the best at what I do and you only do that by challenging yourself and I’m up for any challenge." Northstar Football News will continue to be your source for any news that comes your way about one of MN’s top JUCO players in [player_tooltip player_id="2089" first="Jadon" last="Washington"], and I’m excited to see what other schools take a chance on the hard-working Hopkins graduate.