Jason Raley '19 Recruiting Profile

     Football has provided me with a sense of purpose and strengthened my spirit. As an adopted child with somewhat of a turbulent past, but prosperous present, the allure of the game was always its intense nature. Throughout my youth, I regularly begged my mother to play the game. Following, much deliberation and nagging at age eleven I began playing for my local Pop Warner team. As I progressed into playing at the varsity level my love for the game only further grew. During my time playing at Berean Christian School, I would undergo one of the most stringent tests of my character at the start of my junior year.
Following my sophomore season, I was hit by my teammate during my Junior year spring game; my femur severed directly above my patella shattering through my left growth plate. The surgery went quickly. However, the effects of the operation would exist tirelessly. As my teammates continued to develop their strength and technique over the summer, my cast confined me to the limitations of a handicap. I spent the first month of my summer, bedridden in a full leg cast. The following months dwarfed the difficulties of the first. Rehab loomed over me as I approached the idea of recovery. The recovery period my doctor estimated was insurmountable, a year. To miss my junior season was not an option because of how important football is to me.
So I began my rehab with the intent of outworking my recovery deadline. Day in and day out I spent my days at the Cora rehab facility. After three months, my surgeon cleared me to return to play. I managed only to miss my preseason game. The opportunity was a rebirth, and I changed my number from 60 to 56, which I maintain to this day. I chose 56 because it is Lawrence Taylor's number, who was one of the greatest linebackers ever. Throughout my recovery, one quote particularly inspired me in which Taylor said, "Football is not a game for the weak of heart, because every day you've got a hundred reasons to take all those pads off."
After concluding my junior year, the season left much to be desired. We went 2-7, and a knee brace limited my mobility. After a fallout with my team during my Junior spring, during which my rugby team managed to win state championships, I decided to transfer for my senior year. With the intent of transitioning to linebacker, I managed to lose 30 pounds within two months without any of my lifts deteriorating. I did this by utilizing intensive diets and lifting 6-7 days a week, this provided me a transformation so significant that it initially alarmed my pediatrician.
I began playing for The King's Academy Lions in June of 2018. At the start of the season, I operated as a backup to the entirety of the defense. By the state championship, I had secured starting positions on both defense and multiple phases of special teams. The season was an incredible experience, during which I played at every defensive position besides cornerback. As I move forward into my college career, I intend to use my learned perseverance and versatility not only to play but excel at the collegiate level.