Blue & Gold Illustrated: America's Foremost Authority on Notre Dame Football
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52 MARCH 2019 BLUE & GOLD ILLUSTRATED 2019 FOOTBALL RECRUITING ISSUE BY COREY BODDEN Among the freshmen joining the Notre Dame football program, the most accomplished of them is Royal Center (Ind.) Pioneer linebacker Jack Kiser. The 6-1, 205-pounder ended his high school career with two state ti- tles, and as the No. 2 all-time leading scorer (920 points) and the No. 4 all- time rusher (7,364 yards) in Indiana history. To top it off, Kiser became the first Class 1A player ever to be awarded Indiana Mr. Football for the entire state. He also was tabbed as Mr. Foot- ball Quarterback after totaling 3,292 yards of total offense and 62 touch- downs. In addition, he racked up 159 tackles and seven interceptions on the other side of the ball. Despite the high school produc- tion and accolades, there are some questions when it comes to his poten- tial success on the next level. Much of that stems from Kiser playing at the smallest classification in Indiana and coming from a town of just more than 800 people. Pioneer rolled through opponents during Kiser 's four years, posting a record of 56-2. In his senior cam- paign, Pioneer was 15-0 with 11 vic- tories by shutout, and outscored its opponents 936-39, capped by a 60-0 win over North Vermillion in the state final. Doubt, though, has been a motivat- ing factor for Kiser during much of his high school career. "Any player at a small school gets people saying that you won't get re- cruited because you're in the back- woods and would need to move to a bigger school," Kiser said. "For me, I took it upon myself to challenge that and show everyone you can come from a small school and do these things that people say can't be done. You don't have to move to the big cit- ies, and you can be part of a program that you want to be a part of and still accomplish great things. "I've always played with a chip on my shoulder because of that. Whether I really notice that or not on the field, I don't think about it and I just go out and play. When I'm train- ing in the weight room and during practice, I definitely have that chip on my shoulder knowing not many people are going to take me seriously being from a small school. I have to get better each day and show people what I have." Kiser, however, likes to keep his at- tention on those who believe in him, especially proving the Notre Dame staff was right in its assessment of offering him a full-ride scholarship. "You have to focus on your sup- porters," he said. "The whole town is supporting me, so I need to think of them and not focus on the naysayers and the doubters. "Obviously, coach Clark Lea, coach Brian Kelly and the Notre Dame pro- gram believe in me. I'm going to go in there and give them everything I've got." The skepticism he endured dur- ing his high school career because of being a small-school player crept in even when he was named a finalist for Mr. Football. "Going in, there was a lot of doubt," Kiser said. "People have al- ways said that it's a big-school award and an Indianapolis-area award. There's been a ton of great players in 1A that haven't received that rec- ognition. I was definitely prepared not be named it because there are a lot of great players in Indiana this year, too. Jack Kiser Plays With A Chip On His Shoulder Kiser became the first Class 1A player ever to earn Indiana Mr. Football honors after leading Royal Center (Ind.) Pioneer to its second straight state championship. PHOTO BY ANGELA DRISKELL "For me, I took it upon myself to challenge that and show everyone you can come from a small school and do these things that people say can't be done. … I've always played with a chip on my shoulder because of that." KISER