Jayden Neal (14) and the Knoxville Catholic Fighting Irish took on the South Greene Rebels in a non-region contest on Hollin Field at Dorman Blaine Stadium on Friday, Aug. 27, 2021, in Knoxville, Tennessee. Knoxville Catholic won 52-0. (Photo by Danny Parker)
By DAVE LINK
Jayden Neal made a monstrous jump in competition between the 2020 and 2o21 football seasons.
Neal went from being the starting quarterback for Farragut Middle School to the starting quarterback for Catholic High School, which competes in Division II-AAA against some of the state’s top programs.
He handled it with the poise of a veteran.
“To ask a freshman to play in the league that we play in says a lot about him,” Catholic coach Korey Mobbs said. “It says a lot about his maturity, and he handled it really, really well for us this year. He’s calm, cool and collected, never gets too high, never gets too low. He has the right kind of demeanor for a quarterback, much less a freshman.
“We’re excited about what he did for us this year and I think he’s got a great future ahead of him.”
Neal, the 5Star Preps Offensive Underclassman of the Year, became the frontrunner for the Irish’s quarterback job when Kaden Martin decided last spring not to return for his senior season at Catholic, not long after his father, Tee Martin, accepted a job as receivers coach for the Baltimore Ravens.
It didn’t take Neal long to win Kaden Martin’s vacated job.
Jayden Neal throws during 7-on-7 play at the University of Tennessee on June 10, 2021. (Photo by Danny Parker)
In early June, Neal was the Irish’s starting quarterback when it won the University of Tennessee’s 7-on-7 camp, going 7-0 with victories against Giles County in the semifinals and Powell in the overtime championship.
Nothing changed when Catholic opened the 2021 season. Neal was the starting quarterback, and he approached every game the same.
“Once I really got going through (the season), if anyone ever had any doubts of us winning, I didn’t really pay too much attention to it,” Neal said. “I always thought we had an even chance against every team we played because I’d never heard of any of those teams or seen them play, so it was 50-50 and we just had to play our best to win.”
PLAYING HURT, GOING 5-5
Catholic started the season 3-0 with lopsided victories over Chuckey-Doak and South Greene before a 31-21 win over Chattanooga Baylor, an East/Middle Region opponent.
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The Irish then lost three of its next four, starting with a 44-7 loss at Chattanooga McCallie, which won the Division II-AAA state championship.
Neal broke his left non-throwing hand midway through the season, but never missed a game, playing with a cast on his hand.
“Everybody says you can’t play a freshman at quarterback in this league,” Mobbs said, “and then he breaks one of his hands and really never missed a beat. He just took it in stride, and I think it kind of talks to his maturity at that age, and obviously his parents have done a phenomenal job with him just to prepare him and teach him the right and wrong things to do.”
After a 30-29 victory over Powell in an Oct. 21 Rivalry Thursday game, Catholic ended the season with narrow losses to Montgomery Bell Academy (17-10) and Christian Brothers Academy (28-24).
The Irish finished 5-5, 2-3 in Division II-AAA East/Middle Region.
Neal threw for 1,618 yards and 11 touchdowns, completing 51 percent of his passes.
“When I first got there, I really tried to do too much,” Neal said. “I knew I was going to have to play up to the best of my ability, but when we got going in the season, the players kind of helped me calm down and I really started playing my game and it ended up working out.”
WHAT’S AHEAD
Neal (6-0, 165 pounds) has grown an inch or so since the start of the 2021 season, Mobbs said, and “I feel like he’s growing every day.”
“He’s working his tail off to get where he wants to be,” Mobbs said.
Neal plays for Catholic’s junior-varsity basketball team. He does daily football workouts, even on basketball practice days.
“Football comes first,” Neal said.
Mobbs may use Neal more as a running threat in the future.
“I think sometimes you run the quarterback depending on whether or not you have a backup (quarterback),” Mobbs said, “and we were a little bit limited in that regard. Even though he is a dual-threat guy, we probably didn’t run him like he’s capable. I think moving forward that’s something he’ll bring to the table, there’s no doubt.”
Neal said his goals in the offseason are to gain weight and get stronger and quicker.
He’s excited for the future.
“Last year our coaches did a very good job,” Neal said, “and that was their first year (at Catholic), and I can’t wait for the next couple of years.”
Neither can Mobbs – especially with Neal in the program.
“He’s an excellent student, obviously a really good player,” Mobbs said. “He’s the nicest young man you could meet and again, he has the right kind of calm when it comes to a quarterback. If he makes a great play, you would never know it. If he throws an interception, you would never know it. He has the same demeanor. That’s what you want.”