All-State Kicker Jadon Redding to Take Year Off Before Playing in College (As seen on Ultimaterecruit.com)

Jadon Redding (photo by InsideNoVA.com)

Jadon Redding’s kicking career is going to be on temporary hold, but the delay should hold a greater benefit for his football future.

The Colonial Forge kicker and punter, who was named to the RecruitNoVA.com’s 1st team after booting 15 field goals last season for the state semifinalist Eagles, announced on his Twitter account that he will be enrolling in junior college this fall and taking six credits while continuing to work out with the objective of kicking for a Division I school in 2019.

“It gives me a chance to solidify my grades,” said Redding, who had an offer with the University of Maryland, and has been classified as a top-25 high school kicker nationwide by two scouting services. He was noted by Kohl’s Professional Camps for his “great power in kickoffs and next level refinement in his field goal ability.”

Redding will enroll at Erie Community College in New York this fall, a move that will not interfere with his four years of NCAA eligibility.

“I want to work on my GPA (grade point average), and hopefully catch the eye of another Division I school,” said Redding, who at six feet and 185 pounds has a solid build for a collegiate bound kicker.

This spring, Redding is continuing to work out, but is also playing striker (forward) for the Eagles soccer team. “It’s keeping my legs conditioned, and I also get out and kick (footballs) every week,” he added, noting that his kicking schedule is determined by the number of practices and games the Colonial Forge soccer team has during a given week.

Redding was the premier kicker and punter in the state last year, earning first-team All-State honors. His signature skill is his ability to send kickoffs into the end zone and former Eagle coach Bill Brown told a reporter last November that he believed 95 percent of Redding’s kickoffs resulted in touchback’s. In 2016, he converted 12 field goals, three from over 40 yards, and he booted a 52-yarder against Mountain View last fall. At the 2017 National Scholarship camp, Redding averaged 67.5 yards per kickoff.