Jarrod Kelley
#H8ME6ROWNTAL3NT
Auburndale 2016 cornerback Jarrod Kelley calls himself “Jayrod the Great”. It’s a title that may be tough to live up to, but Kelley doesn’t mind holding himself to higher standards.
“I call myself JayRod the Great because it’s a standard that I live up to,” he said. “Whether you’re in the classroom or the field, you have to be greater than the person across from you.”
Kelley is a senior in his first season at Auburndale. Last year he was a defensive staple on Winter Haven’s district championship winning team. The Blue Devil turned Bloodhound has received offers from Eastern Kentucky and West Florida, and is more than two-thirds completed with his Associate degree from Winter Haven’s Polk State College. Kelley says that taking college classes has made him more disciplined as a student, player and person.
“You don’t have the teacher there to tell you to stay up on your assignments, you have to have your own work ethic,” he said. “You really have to put your work in because you don’t get to turn in work late very often. I want to major in computer technology and I want to earn my Master’s by the time my eligibility is up.”
According to Kelley, he began taking his football career serious in the latter part of his freshman year.
“It got serious in spring of my freshman year after being moved up to varsity,” he said. “My cornerbacks coach gathered me and two that were moving up in my class and he said, ‘This is special, we haven’t had three sophomores on varsity in a while, and nearly all of those players reached the next level.’ It made me begin to work harder, take the weight room seriously, and focus more.”
Kelley was molded by other cornerbacks with Division I talent in his earlier years. He says that South Alabama cornerback Darian Mills played a huge role in his development as a player.
“He moved from corner to quarterback because we didn’t have one. He would work with me before and after practice and made sure the team was as safe with me at corner as it was with him. He was really an older brother to me.”
Writer - James Bennett, Jr.
Photographer - Dallas Gadberry Photos
#H8ME6ROWNTAL3NT
Auburndale 2016 cornerback Jarrod Kelley calls himself “Jayrod the Great”. It’s a title that may be tough to live up to, but Kelley doesn’t mind holding himself to higher standards.
“I call myself JayRod the Great because it’s a standard that I live up to,” he said. “Whether you’re in the classroom or the field, you have to be greater than the person across from you.”
Kelley is a senior in his first season at Auburndale. Last year he was a defensive staple on Winter Haven’s district championship winning team. The Blue Devil turned Bloodhound has received offers from Eastern Kentucky and West Florida, and is more than two-thirds completed with his Associate degree from Winter Haven’s Polk State College. Kelley says that taking college classes has made him more disciplined as a student, player and person.
“You don’t have the teacher there to tell you to stay up on your assignments, you have to have your own work ethic,” he said. “You really have to put your work in because you don’t get to turn in work late very often. I want to major in computer technology and I want to earn my Master’s by the time my eligibility is up.”
According to Kelley, he began taking his football career serious in the latter part of his freshman year.
“It got serious in spring of my freshman year after being moved up to varsity,” he said. “My cornerbacks coach gathered me and two that were moving up in my class and he said, ‘This is special, we haven’t had three sophomores on varsity in a while, and nearly all of those players reached the next level.’ It made me begin to work harder, take the weight room seriously, and focus more.”
Kelley was molded by other cornerbacks with Division I talent in his earlier years. He says that South Alabama cornerback Darian Mills played a huge role in his development as a player.
“He moved from corner to quarterback because we didn’t have one. He would work with me before and after practice and made sure the team was as safe with me at corner as it was with him. He was really an older brother to me.”
Writer - James Bennett, Jr.
Photographer - Dallas Gadberry Photos
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