Jadarian Price looks every bit the No. 5 overall running back in the class of 2022. Period.
Before we even dive into how Price, who committed to Notre Dame on Feb. 21, fared in his senior season opener, let's marvel at his physique. I asked Denison (Texas) High School head coach Brent Whitson for Price's measurables and he replied with this: "He's tall enough, he's big enough, he's fast enough." Yeah, no kidding:
That's the look of a four-star running back who ran 22 times for 259 yards and a touchdown according to the local newspaper reporter. I had him down for 21 carries, 255 yards and the score, but who's counting? Denison's first drive was not indicative of what was to come from Price. He had one carry for six yards. Denison scored on a 65-yard touchdown pass on third and long to salvage the drive and go ahead 7-0. It turned out to be the score that enabled Price to get going, too.
Price told me after the game Denison's game plan was to come out throwing because Denison's coaches expected rival Sherman (Texas) High to stack the box against Price. That was the case; Price had to bounce his first carry to the outside for six hard-fought yards. As soon as Denison quarterback Caleb Heavner (what a name for a QB, am I right?) showed he could evade pressure and toss the ball downfield, Sherman loosened up in the box. And Price went to work.
Price had carries of two, seven, six, 20, three and four yards on Denison's second touchdown drive, which resulted in another touchdown pass. He brought his rushing totals to seven carries for 48 yards through two drives. He only had one carry for three yards on Denison's third drive, which ended in a three-and-out. Third down was an incomplete screen pass intended for Price. Price was not the primary option on the play; Heaver didn't have anything and tried a dump off to Price. Sherman was all over it.
Price broke free for a 41-yard run down the left sideline on Denison's fourth drive. By my count, he broke at least five tackles on the play. The run was a simple counter to the left side of the line. He's the type of running back who turns 5-yard runs into 40-yard runs. Shortly after his long run, Heaver lost a fumble. But the only reason Heavner had room to try to run is because Price got Sherman's hefty defensive tackle out of the way.
Look at this piece of pass blocking:
Price had carries of nine, seven and 27 yards on Denison's next possession. The 27-yarder got his team in-goal. He went to the sideline for a breather, and Denison punched it in to take a 20-7 lead. Price was looking at a nice half of roughly 135 rushing yards with his team up two scores. But that wasn't enough. With Denison trying to bleed out the clock and get to halftime, Price took another counter to the left. It was the same play as the 41-yarder he had earlier in the game. Only this time he bounced out to the right and ran all the way to the end zone for a 70-yard touchdown. I don't even think he was touched. Bye-bye. The score put him over 200 yards at halftime. His team was up 27-7.
Enjoy the screen recording straight off the camcorder. 🤣
Trying to defend its home turf in a rivalry game dubbed "The Battle of the Ax" (Yes, the two sides play for an actual ax) Sherman buckled down a bit in the second half. Price carried twice for three yards on Denison's first drive of the second half. He carried once for four yards on the next. Sherman pulled to within 27-13, meanwhile. Then Price had the drive that effectively ended things. He has carries of 12, two, 19 and 10 yards on a field goal drive that put Denison ahead 30-13 with 4:59 to play.
This run was called back for a holding penalty, but it shows just how hard Price is to get to the ground:
Price did not enter the game after the five-minute mark. His work was finished, and what good work it was. He scored the 40th touchdown of his career. He went over 3,500 career rushing yards. He got to watch his backup score on a 60-yard touchdown run to make the final score 37-13. He won the Ax for the fourth time in his career; nope, he never lost to his arch rival. The Denison players put him on their shoulders in front of the student section while he held the Ax high in the air. What a moment that must've been for the senior playing in his final Battle of the Ax.
If there was one knock on Price, it might have been that he had zero involvement in the game as a pass catcher. By my count, the only pass intended for him was the broken play on third down in the first half. Most of the blame there does not fall on Price's shoulders, though. Denison did not game plan one bit for including him in the passing game. According to MaxPreps, he had 28 receptions for 219 yards and a touchdown last season. Those numbers will do, but he's going to have to become a reliable receiver at the next level. It does not appear Denison is giving him enough looks in that department.
We'll finish how we started, though. The physical tools are there. He looks the part. He's a bruising tailback when he needs to be, and he's got breakaway speed. He's the special kind of player who can combine both attributes on a single play, too. Notre Dame has a an excellent commit in Price. From my short conversation with him after the game, it appears they have an awesome young man headed to South Bend in the near future too. From a Denison assistant coach: "JD is a great football player but an even better young man." If his personality is better than he can play football, then whoa. He's going places in life in whatever he sets his mind to.
It's also awesome when a high school student section realizes what they have in a player. The Denison students chanted "J-D! J-D! J-D!" and "Feed the beast! Feed the beast!" all night. Enjoy him while you've got him, Yellowjackets. He's on his way to the land of the Irish soon, and those who bleed blue and gold are certainly going to appreciate y'all sending him along.
