Ohio State commit Jaelen Gill, a five-star running back from Westerville South, has agreed to give Eleven Warriors exclusive access into his senior season with the Wildcats.
He'll join us every Friday with a notebook entry sharing everything from his thoughts on his play to who he's recruiting on behalf of the Buckeyes.
Gill's second entry comes just hours before Westerville South's first home game against Gahanna Lincoln. He suffered a season-ending ankle injury when these teams last met.
Gameday started with Football Friday Nite Breakfast at the school at 5:30 a.m. with the local news. Our team wanted to be there, but coach wanted us to stay home and sleep. As much as we wanted to be there, it was a smart decision by coach.
The day flew by and suddenly we were boarding the bus. The team was quiet, everyone listening to their own music with earbuds or headphones. This was business.
We did a lot of talking during warm ups, team lifting, etc. I felt calm. When my mom asked me after the game if I had been nervous, I said, "There's no need to be, when you know what's about to happen." That's exactly how I felt.
Our first snap was fumbled by the quarterback, the second fumbled by the wide receiver. I still wasn't worried.
We punted, they muffed and we recovered it. After a couple of plays, I caught a post route on the 1-yard line. The next play we got backed up to the 8-yard line. I took a jet sweep and followed the blocking for a touchdown.
I was back!
They couldn't run or pass against us. Our defense was shutting them down! Slowly, we got our confidence back and were able to dominate.
There was a 90-minute delay at the half because of a lighting issue. We kept our heads and came back and closed out at 50-14.
I finished with 138 rushing yards, three rushing touchdowns, 62 receiving yards, one one receiving touchdown and one interception in three quarters. I sat the 4th. We were so happy and we played so well!
I also received my first unsportsmanlike conduct for a, "Shhhh," I aimed at their sideline. With the trash talking they've thrown at us the last year, it was worth it!
Being a recruit is a weird experience. Especially now that I've committed to Ohio State. I have a lot of people that support me and I'm grateful for them. But for everyone of them, there are just as many rooting against me, wanting to see me fail.
On the good days, I may have someone randomly approach me to congratulate me or wish me well. I'll sometimes have someone shout an "O-H" at me.
On the other side, I get DMs or people will @ me on social media to tell me they think I'm overrated or that they can't wait to play against me and shut me down.
People love to compare me to other local kids and say, "So-and-so is better."
When I was 11 or 12 years old and it first started, my parents told me, "It says a lot about your talent that you are the measuring stick. Who do we compare you to?" The answer was no one.
As a freshman, people were trying to get to me by telling me that this junior or senior was better than me. Again, my parents said, "I'd be more concerned if I were them and being compared to a freshman."
I've learned to let it roll off of me and fuel my fire — it will only get worse in college. I'm working on the whole thicker skin thing!
There's a quote by Walter Payton that my parents always say to me. "When you're good at something, you'll tell everyone. When you're great at something, they'll tell you."
It's already Week 2.
Let's get it Cats!
