4 years into his career, John Paddock finally gets his chance to be Ball State's quarterback
MUNCIE, Ind. — Finally, John Paddock has his opportunity.
After waiting in the shadows of 3-and-a-half-year starter Drew Plitt, who finished second on Ball State's all-time passing list in completions (777) and third in both yards (9,062) and touchdowns (68), Paddock will get his chance to run the Cardinals' offense in his fifth collegiate season.
He knows he's filling big shoes but his teammates, coaches and those close to him don't seem to have any doubt Paddock is ready for it.
Paddock, who's served as the team's backup quarterback for the past three seasons, enters this season with plenty of doubters. Among the 131 Football Bowl Subdivision teams, he's been ranked as the 128th-, 130th- and 131st-best projected starting quarterback by various publications entering the season. Ball State's preseason predictions haven't been much better, as many have selected the Cardinals to finish last in the MAC West Division.
Those outside of Muncie don't seem to have much faith in the redshirt junior quarterback or the Cardinals entering a season after graduating more than two dozen seniors who helped turn the program around. But Ball State has been doubted before. So has Paddock.
And for him, all that outside noise is just that, noise.
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“We’re just keeping our head to the grindstone and taking it one game at a time, that’s been our thing," Paddock said. "What we’ve been preaching is taking it one day at a time and I think everything will work itself out. Bottom line is I know what’s inside all these guys and a lot of people don’t.”
In the age of the transfer portal, Paddock's path to becoming a starter is rare by today's college football standards. But, somehow, he always seemed confident his opportunity at Ball State would come eventually.
Paddock is the latest in a football lineage that dates back more than a century. His namesake stems from former All-Americans and an NFL player with whom he still talks to get ready for games.
On Thursday, Sept. 1, Paddock will get his first opportunity to start in front of upwards of 100,000 fans at Tennessee's Neyland Stadium. In the crowd will be his family, those who helped guide him to this point and will be there every step of the way. On the sideline will be coaches who've put their faith in Paddock to lead the offense. On the field will be his teammates, none of whom have had any hesitation that Paddock is the right guy to lead Ball State football this season.
'A football family'
John Paddock seemed destined to play football.
His great grandfather, Bob Wright, grandfather, John Wright Sr. and uncle, John Wright II, are the only three-generation football family at the University of Illinois.
"Yes we are a football family," Wright Sr. said. "We're not the Mannings ... (but) it is quite a football family."
Wright Sr. was an All-American at the University of Illinois and was a second-round NFL draft pick in 1968. He went on to play for the Atlanta Falcons and Detroit Lions before sustaining a career-ending injury, a severed Achilles tendon, in his third season. Wright II was an Academic All-American at U of I. Wright Sr. said Paddock's great-great grandfather played at Western Illinois in the early 1900s.
No, they're not the Mannings (who is?) but not many can track their family's football history back a century like John Paddock's can.
From a young age, football was integral in his life. John Paddock's mother, Ashley Paddock, said his first word was "ball."
Football wasn't the only thing he was good at, though. John also excelled on the golf course. At first, he thought he'd be play golf in college. Wright Sr. said he was a natural athlete who seemed to excel at whatever he played.
But there was something about football. It started from the time he played flag and was carried through middle school. When he grew as a sophomore in high school, playing collegiately became a real possibility. In high school, he helped turn around Bloomfield Hill's football program.
"Football was a part of my upbringing just with knowing what my grandfather did, my dad, watching my own brother," Ashley Paddock said. "... (John) really loved football. That was within him pretty early on."
While some of the family talents seemed to have rub off on John, having his uncle and grandfather as resources has been instrumental in his rise. And not just because of their playing experience.
John said he talks to Wright Sr. almost every day. When John wanted to go home but didn't want to make the four-hour drive to Michigan, he'd just drive to his grandparents' house. Ashley Paddock said she and her brother had the same kind of relationship with their grandparents that John and his seven siblings now have.
"(It's been) a big influence," Ashley Paddock said. "When you have some key mentors in your life and also they’re family, it's really impactful. He’s really been looking up to them, knowing that obviously my dad has just been an amazing grandfather to all his grandchildren, he’s a leader and coach, so that’s been so influential. And my brother, too, just looking up to him and who he is as a person, who they are as people on and off the field."
Wright Sr. still lives near Champaign, Illinois, on 80 acres of land. There, he trains bird dogs, hunts and fishes. John would participate on his visits, even bringing over some of his teammates on occasion, Wright Sr. said.
"It's a special thing for us, my wife and I, to have your grandson wanting to come over and spend time with you," Wright Sr. said.
There are lessons in all the time John and Wright Sr. spent together. Of course, football was always a big piece of their relationship. Wright Sr. is a coach, mentor and teacher. He was the CEO and former managing partner of the Wright Financial Group, Inc. He also has spoken to countless business professionals and professional athletes.
Six times Wright Sr. has spoke at the NFL National Rookie Symposium. For years, he would give pregame speeches to NFL players Charles "Peanut" Tillman of the Chicago Bears, David Diehl of the New York Giants and others. He spoke to the Ball State football team two weeks before its 2022 season.
Those conversations Wright Sr. had with professional football players are the same kind of conversations he continues to have with his grandson. Having that mentor helped John grow as a player and as a leader. Talking to them, it's easy to see why so many gravitate to Wright Sr. and, now, John.
"My grandpa is someone I talk to on a day-to-day basis," John said. "He’s been very influential in my life."
Waiting for an opportunity
John Paddock has been more than patient waiting for his opportunity.
This is his fifth season in a Ball State uniform. With him being the starter, the circumstances entering this year are different. But Paddock said he hasn't changed his preparation. While he's gotten accustomed to the grind of spring, summer and fall camp, he's always prepared like he was the starter.
But for his entire collegiate career, three of which were spent as a backup, Paddock had to wait and make the best of his limited opportunities.
He had two appearances last season against Penn State and Wyoming, going a combined 18-for-26 for 132 yards and an interception while leading Ball State on several scoring drives. Paddock didn't play at all in 2020. He played two possessions against Fordham in 2019, going 1-for-2, and one drive against Miami (Ohio) in 2018, going 5-for-6 for 43 yards.
Most players, especially in today's college football, would've left in an attempt to find a place where they could play more. Ball State, like every program, has seen its share of players enter the transfer portal over the years. But Paddock, even after he raised some eyebrows early in his career, stayed. Whenever the thought of transferring crossed his mind, it quickly left.
"I would lie to you if I said it didn’t cross my mind before, to be completely honest, but it was always a brief thought because I had such amazing relationships around here," Paddock said. "I love coach (Kevin) Lynch, I’ve loved guys from the other classes, guys that are going to be in my wedding some day, guys that are really dear friends of mine.
"The opportunity to be in this locker room, to be around those people on a day-to-day basis was much more attractive to me than trying to go elsewhere. And the grass isn’t always greener. ... I had faith in coach (Mike) Neu. I committed to him, he committed to me and I was confident that when my opportunity came I was gonna run with it. I think that’s what I’ve done so far.”
Coming out of high school, where Paddock was Bloomfield Hills' all-time winningest quarterback, a two-time honorable mention all-state selection and school record holder in passing yards (4,086) and touchdowns (26), Paddock would often hear the same thing during his recruitment.
"A constant was, 'we love the way you throw it, you're just too short to play here,'" said Paddock, who's listed at 5-foot-11, 196-pounds. "Right when I came to Ball State, that was never the conversation."
Despite putting up impressive numbers in high school, Paddock was often overlooked coming into college. But he saw what head coach Mike Neu and did with Drew Brees, who was considered an undersized quarterback in New Orleans and won a Super Bowl, and had faith that wouldn't be part of his narrative. Since Paddock arrived in college, more 6-foot-1, 6-foot or even shorter quarterbacks have become starters in the NFL — Kyler Murray, Baker Mayfield and others — helping evolve the stigma of the undersized quarterback. Paddock noted that Georgia's Stetson Bennett (5-11) and Alabama's Bryce Young (6-0) were the two QBs who played in the national title last season.
If he were a few inches taller, would Paddock's recruitment have been different? Maybe. Probably. But he's not worried about that right now. He's not worried about anything that's happened. Paddock is the starter now, and that's all he's focused on.
"It was a long time coming and definitely there were some hard days," Paddock said. "It’s here now, what’s in the past is in the past and I’m just trying to stay in the moment and enjoy the process like I would any other time. But I don’t feel that I earned anything more, deserve anything more. I want to earn this spot for this team every day."
Redshirt junior defensive lineman Jack Sape played with Paddock at Bloomfield Hills in high school. In Sape's eyes, he's the same leader and motivator he was bringing their high school football team to new heights.
"Same guy, (he's) just a competitor," Sape said. "He comes from a family of football, you know, that football lineage. Grandpa played in the NFL, his mom probably knows more about football than I do, at least the offensive side. But, you know, it’s a football family. He's competitive and just a great dude all-around.”
Playing on the other side of the ball, Sape hasn't been the only one singing Padodck's praise this offseason.
Head coach Mike Neu made it no mystery who was going to take over the quarterback position in the spring. Senior wide receiver Jayshon Jackson said Paddock was the one pushing people in the weight room in the offseason. Offensive coordinator/quarterbacks coach Kevin Lynch commended his daily presence. The list goes on.
"He's a very mature guy. He's very intense and football's really important to him, Ball State's really important to him and his teammates are really important to him," Lynch said. "... He's an elite passer, he really is. If you just came out to practice and you didn't know a thing about him, I think people watch and go, 'Wow, look at that guy spin the ball.'"
Paddock's energy has been contagious throughout fall camp. His throwing ability has been on full display. Six days before Ball State's season opener against Tennessee, in practice, he threw a pass through multiple defenders to hit Jackson, who hauled in a one-handed catch in the back of the end zone. Paddock ran over with an intense look in his eyes as he head-butted Jackson in celebration.
When he makes a mistake, which hasn't been common during fall camp, Paddock's just as intense. From across the field you can hear him yelling when he misses a throw he knows he should've made. He's not afraid to point out what he wants out of his receivers, either.
"He’s been great in terms of his leadership role and he does a great job just working hard with every position group on the offensive side of the ball to try to build a great relationship with everyone," Neu said. "I love the way he attacks going about practice and love the way he attacks the meeting room.”
There's something to be said about a guy who's already gone through a full collegiate career, who's waited patiently and is finally earning his shot. Perhaps that's why Ball State is so confident in its new signal caller.
"Most guys would’ve left because he could have gotten an opportunity to play somewhere and quickly, but he stuck it out for his love and passion for Ball State and now he’s got his opportunity to play a couple years," Lynch said. "That, more than anything, without him even knowing, has such respect in our building and with his teammates. You feel like you have a three-year starter coming back, which is awesome.”
What John Paddock, Ball State's offense can achieve in 2022
Looking at the offense, which includes veteran receivers, a relatively young, but experienced offensive line, a solid backfield and two big-bodied tight ends, Paddock couldn't help but smile when asked about the prospects of this season.
"It gets me really excited," Paddock said. "... I don't think people realize — the big thing was 'oh, we lost so much,' — well, we really didn't lose that much."
That's been the same sentiment for every position group throughout fall camp. Paddock isn't the only one who's waited for his shot this season. He just happens to play the most important position on the field.
Coming into this season, Ball State seems confident it won't miss a beat offensively. Production dipped last year compared to 2020, but there are still plenty of weapons.
Jackson and 6-foot-3 senior Yo'Heinz Tyler return at receiver. Amir Abdur-Rahman, a 6-3 Vanderbilt transfer, adds to the receiving corps. In the backfield, sophomore Carson Steele and redshirt senior Will Jones come back with some up-and-coming running backs eager to earn bigger roles.
The offensive line, while young, returns plenty of experience after an injury-plagued 2021 season. The Cardinals have a pair of young tight ends in 6-foot-6 redshirt freshman Brady Hunt and 6-foot-7 freshman Tanner Koziol, adding a dimension Ball State's offense hasn't seen in Neu's tenure.
Now, it's Paddock's job to facilitate the offense. Everyone who knows him has no doubt he'll do just that.
"Good teams are driven and led by their coaching staffs," John Wright Sr. said. "Great teams are driven and led by their players."
No one knows what Ball State will be able to achieve with Paddock under center. There's not a lot of faith outside the program. Inside, it appears there's no one the Cardinals would rather have leading their offense.
"He’s demanding the best out of people, out of our teammates and he’s not going to ask anyone to do anything he won’t do," Jack Sape said. "It’s good to have a leader that’s, you know, speaking up but also showing that he loves this team and he’s going to do it with us and he’s going to bust his a-- to bring back a MAC championship.”
Robby General covers Ball State and East Central Indiana high school sports for The Star Press. Contact him via email at rgeneral@gannett.com or on Twitter @rgeneraljr.
This article originally appeared on Muncie Star Press: John Paddock's journey to becoming Ball State's starting quarterback
