Ole Miss recruit Kaden Irving excels at football, baseball
GAUTIER, Miss. (BVM) 鈥� Kaden Irving has been participating in athletics since he could walk. Now his exploits on the athletic fields are taking him to places he鈥檇 never thought he鈥檇 end up.
Growing up, Irving was always surrounded by athletes. And thanks to his family, he quickly fell in love with everything having to do with sports.
鈥淢y family was always very athletic,鈥� Irving said. 鈥淚t wasn鈥檛 really forced; I was really born into it.鈥�
Irving鈥檚 first sport that he fell in love with was basketball. It was a sport his father and uncle had excelled at. But reality quickly set in for him.
鈥淚鈥檓 6-foot-2, and nobody鈥檚 making it to the NBA who is that tall unless they can shoot like can,鈥� Irving said.
He quickly found two new sports he wanted to try: football and baseball. From the jump, Irving excelled at both sports.听
鈥淜aden was always a little bit more advanced than the other kids,鈥� Gautier head football coach Mark High said. 鈥淗is ability to be a leader and to be someone that kids can look up to, he鈥檚 always excelled at that, even at a very young age.鈥�
As a freshman, he threw for nearly 1,400 yards and 11 touchdown passes. On the diamond, he had 12 hits in 30 plate appearances, according to. But he only played in eight games. Nonetheless, Irving proved he had what it takes to succeed athletically.
With his early success, the opportunity to continue his athletic career also presented itself. Irving received an offer from Ole Miss to play baseball. During his freshman year, he gave Ole Miss that commitment, which has stayed strong heading into his senior year.
I am excited to announce that I will be furthering my academic and athletic career at the University of Mississippi!! I would like to thank God, Family, and all of the coaches that have helped me along the way! Hotty Toddy馃挋鉂わ笍
— Kaden Irving (@kaden_irving)
鈥淚 had always been a fan of Ole Miss since I was a kid,鈥� Irving said. 鈥淎nd is one of the best coaches anyone could ever have. He鈥檚 getting these players to come, and they鈥檙e staying 3-4 years, and for the most part, he鈥檚 sending them to the league. And then you can鈥檛 go wrong with the jerseys.鈥澨�
Undoubtedly, Irving is one of the best athletes in Mississippi. He proved that this past year, winning Class 5A Player of the Year.
Such a blessing !
— Kaden Irving (@kaden_irving)
This past season also marked new career highs for Irving. He threw for 3,687 passing yards (4,211 total), 39 TDS and a QB rating of 109.3.听
鈥淜aden is one of the most natural quarterbacks I鈥檝e seen in a long time,鈥� High said. 鈥淗is ability to throw the ball from any arm slot is what colleges come in and talk about, and his ability to make plays when they aren’t there. When the game is on the line, he wants the ball and wants to take control of the game.鈥�
Not only can he man the quarterback position, but he can play linebacker too.
At heart, I feel like I鈥檓 more of a linebacker,鈥� Irving said. 鈥淚鈥檓 probably the only quarterback that you鈥檒l see that loves contact. That鈥檚 what I live for.鈥�
Irving also has proved to be a great leader on the football field.
鈥淗e’s always bringing others up,鈥� High said. 鈥淗e鈥榮 always trying to get everybody to maximize their[potential…He鈥檚 a better person than he is an athlete.鈥�
With maxing others’ potential, Irving has done a great job of maxing his potential on the baseball field too. He once again set new career highs for the Gators on the diamond. With a .481 batting average, an OPS of 1.643 and eight home runs.
#6 on the year was an absolute 馃挘 @PBR_Mississippi
— Kaden Irving (@kaden_irving)
He can also take to the mound if called upon.
However, the question remains: will he pursue his baseball dreams or will he try to play both sports he loves so much?
鈥淭here鈥檚 something about football that keeps me hooked on it,鈥� Irving said.听 I鈥檝e just been praying on it, just trying to see where God leads me. I really want to play both for as long as I can.鈥�
Irving still has one more left at Gautier where he will get to play both sports. But there are some tough decisions to be made in the future. For now, he鈥檚 focused on making the most of his last year with the Gators.
鈥淚 definitely want to make a statement [this year],鈥� Irving said.听
Whether it鈥檚 baseball or football, Irving has a bright future ahead of him. And he鈥檒l put it all on the line no matter who or what he鈥檚 playing for.听
鈥淚鈥檓 a gamer, and I鈥檓 going to compete,鈥� Irving said. 鈥淚t won’t matter if you have God out there trying to strike me out or tackling me鈥鈥檓 a guy who鈥檚 always performed on the big stage and with a ton of pressure.鈥�
鈥淓verybody is going to be gunning for him,鈥� High said. 鈥淚t鈥檚 been that way for him [for a while]. Everyone knows what kind of quarterback he is.鈥�
