Jabriel Washington is in demand

When you start breaking down the talent in the state of Tennessee for the class of 2011, no list would be complete without Jackson, TN (Trinity Christian Academy) athlete Jabriel Washington. In fact, some consider Washington to be one of the top prospects in the state.

Currently listed at 5-11, 165 pounds, analysts project the Trinity star to play cornerback in college but according to his coach, Michael Hodum, his athletic ability could project a number of ways at the next level.

“People are recruiting him at a lot of different positions,” said Coach Hodum. “It’s crazy. Georgia Tech has offered him as a quarterback and we’ve got people looking at him at defensive back and wide receiver so obviously he’s extremely versatile.”

At Trinity Chistian Academy, Washington’s main responsibility is quarterback, but any good coach knows that playmakers need the ball in their hands as often as possible.

“He’s our quarterback mainly because we have to have him touching the ball every chance we get,” said Coach Hodum. “But just for fun we lined him up at tailback a few times — he was unbelievable from the tailback position — and we put him out in the slot and threw to him. He only caught one pass the whole year, but we threw it to him and he broke it 53-yards for a touchdown.”

Washington is the type of kid that is just as special off the field as he is on the field. He’s attended Trinity Academy since the first grade so Coach Hodum knows him quite well.

“He’s a great kid and great leader,” Coach Hodum said. “He has been very humble throughout this whole experience. He got off the phone with Nick Saban today and I’m trying to get eveything out of him, but I barely got out of him that he (Saban) offered him a scholarship. He is just a humble kid that is not going to say a whole lot.”

During Washington’s freshman season, Trinity Christian Academy made it to the quarterfinals and during his sophomore season they won the region. But last season, Trinity moved up to division 2A where depth and a tougher schedule were issues at times. Being a private school Trinity is forced to play in a division against public schools with considerably larger enrollment. Despite those challenges, Trinity finished last season with a 5-5 record, including a convincing victory over the eventual 1A state champion Union City.

“We beat them 31-21,” said Hodum. “Jabriel had 272 yards passing against them and over 100 yards rushing in that game.”

It’s surprising that one player can have such an impact. With Washington on the roster, even scheduling can be challenging. Last season, Trinity was forced to play one of the toughest schedules in the state. Some suggest that could be a direct result of teams not wanting to face the talented athlete.

According to his coach, Washington plans to attend Junior Day at Tennessee on February 27th.

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