Jason Lillard '19 Recruiting Profile

My name is Jason Onzimba Lillard. I have always loved playing soccer and my goals are to become a college athlete and then play professional soccer and maybe even play for the national team. I picked up the passion for soccer in middle school, during stay in Libreville, Gabon (located in West Africa on the equator). I believe that no matter the team I play for that I am always a big help; no matter where I go I always positively affect the game. With my big size (6'3 and 197 lbs) I can keep the ball longer by bodying players and slow the game down. I can also play fast, dribble well, and make accurate short and long passes using my skill when necessary. My 5’-10’-5’ shuttle sprint times are 3.93 seconds going to the right and 3.95 going to the left. These times are faster than some of the fastest MLS draft times. If you ask any of my coaches, they will say I am very respectful and follow directions to the smallest detail.

In addition to my athleticism and technical skill, I feel I am better than your other recruitment choices for other reasons.  You may have noticed that some high school athletes want to cruise through their soccer careers and expect opportunities to be placed in their laps. But fear not, I am nothing like them. I have worked my butt off to get where I am - on and off the field. I create my opportunities and take them when they present themselves to me.

I have consistently made progress throughout high school. In my freshman year, I didn't even make my JV high school team. I worked hard over the summer and made the JV team my sophomore year. In fact, I was one of the best starting players on the JV Campbell High School team. I also made it onto the ODP pool team my sophomore year. Again striving for improvement, I worked harder over the following summer. As a result, I played for the varsity team my junior year and the RPL SSA 01B Elite team coached by Kelham O’Hanlon.  Perhaps most importantly, I have maintained a 4.3 GPA throughout high school. So, I doubt I will have any problem with grades in college due to the fact that I have taken Honors and AP classes.  I also feel my continued athletic improvement and performance shows that I will meet the challenge of college-level soccer.