▼ Show Notes
“Godzilla”
Jeff Driskel is a quarterback in his sixth year in the NFL. His athletic career started on a baseball field in Jacksonville, Florida, and he continued to play when his dad’s Navy career moved the family to Japan. Jeff played in a 12-year-old league at age 10, and he earned the nickname “Godzilla” because of his size.
He thought the jerseys the football players wore in middle school were cool when his family returned to the U.S., so he decided to join the team. After an injury sidelined two quarterbacks, Jeff took over and has played quarterback at every level since.
Finding Faith During a Season of Injury
Jeff was a star player who won the Maxwell Football Club National High School Player of the Year Award his senior year at Hagerty High School in Oviedo, Florida. He was heavily recruited by Division I universities and accepted a scholarship to the University of Florida where he played for head coach Will Muschamp. During his sophomore season, as the starting quarterback, he broke his right fibula and missed the rest of the season.
During this period of adjusting to potentially never playing the sport again, the team chaplain for the Gators spent hours explaining the Gospel of Jesus Christ to Jeff and Jeff trusted Christ.
The team chaplain for the Gators spent hours explaining the Gospel of Jesus Christ to Jeff and Jeff trusted Christ.
He went on to Louisiana Tech to play his final year of football in college. He also completed his MBA there after having graduated from the University of Florida while recovering from his injury. At Louisiana Tech Jeff passed for an incredible 4,026 yards and scored 27 touchdowns during his only season there.
Drafted by Major League Baseball and the NFL
Jeff was drafted by the Boston Red Sox his senior year of high school but decided that he wanted to play football instead of baseball. After his final season of college football, he was drafted by the San Francisco 49ers of The National Football League.
Discipline and Goals
In our Relentless Truth interview, shared his work ethic, his values, his faith, his career, and his family. Jeff credits his family with his underlying discipline and his consistent focus on goals. He discusses his faith and his walk as a Christ follower along with the purpose he believes God has gifted him with as an NFL player.
Jeff Driskel explains his disciplined approach to every aspect of his life. He discusses the fact that he starts each day with Bible reading and a focus on his priorities for the day. He values the opportunity to play quarterback in the NFL, but he also understands the role he can play in the lives of young people. Jeff is one of the good guys who values his team and the opportunities he has been given.
After listening to this candid, thoughtful conversation I am confident you’ll be an instant Jeff Driskel fan.
Show Links & Sources
Image credit: Dave Adamson @aussiedave, Unsplash.com