Jarrell "An Animal" For Eagles' Defense

Backed up to his own goal line with 10 of his teammates, football player Todd Jarrell refused to let the any member of the Thundering Herd cross into the end zone.

He made one stop.

Then another.

By the time Jarrell and his teammates’ day was over, the defensive unit had withstood eight goal-to-go attempts .

“Our defense is definitely (making a name for itself),” Jarrell said. “From weeks previous, we held teams to minimum points and minimum points and (Saturday) we showed that we won’t fall, we stand strong.”

While the Eagles’ defense as a whole is making a name for itself, so is Jarrell for his work at the linebacker position.

“Todd is a very big part of the defense in my opinion,” said fellow linebacker Josh Cornelius. “He’s the captain of the defense, makes all the calls, and is always reading well. He doesn’t get a lot of publicity, but I think he should, because he is an excellent linebacker. It’s good knowing he has my back all the time.”

Jarrell brings both leadership by voice and by action when he steps on the field. His name was constantly being called for tackles in Saturday’s 28-0 win over Woodbury, and he was a huge reason the Eagles were able to notch those goal-line stands with the game still scoreless.

To understand just how valuable Jarrell has been to the team, take the words of senior standout Jamil Pollard.

“Todd Jarrell’s an animal,” said Pollard. “He gets a lot of crap from the coaches during the week, but he has some think skin and he doesn’t care. He will go all out no matter what. Todd is starting to be a hero in my book.”

Although Jarrell may hear it from the coaching staff from time to time, there is no shortage of praise coming his way. Following Saturday’s victory, head coach Clyde Folsom said Jarrell is one of the most intense and well-prepared players on the team.

“Todd’s been steadily getting better each and every week,” said Folsom. “He’s a true student of the game. He works hard in the film room, picking up tendencies, and he deserves the success because he works so hard.”

About the only blemish on Jarrell’s afternoon is that he got credited with a pass breakup instead of an interception on a ball thrown right into his hands. After scoring a touchdown on an interception return last year, Jarrell had another pick-6 all but guaranteed until the ball dropped from his hands.

The play happened in the fourth quarter with the game already in hand, so he was able to brush off the missed opportunity–and deservingly so. This season, mistakes have been few and far between for the linebacker.

“I had (an interception return) the previous game and I just thought, ‘six points, six points,’” Jarrell said of the opportunity. “When I catch one in practice, I run all the way to the end zone. It doesn’t matter if I'm all the way at the other two (yard line), finishing for me is one of the things I like to do.”