Jaeden Gordon

Tag: football

  • Gold Helmets Breed Golden Opportunities

    Gold Helmets Breed Golden Opportunities

    Growing up in the City of Bridges, it is sad to say I have not attended that many Pitt Panther football games. I can count how many times I have been to them on one hand. But the game that I remember the most was the game versus Notre Dame in 2015.

    The Pittsburgh Panthers play in the Atlantic Coast Conference of the NCAA Division One FBS Level. Notre Dame is independent. But in this year, they both wore gold helmets. Both teams had a really good game when passing the ball, but the formula has proven that running the ball most of their games has given them victories.

    Source: Qadree Ollison | Pitt vs. Syracuse

    In 2015, The Pitt Panthers had a mediocre season like always, but nonetheless an 8-5 winning record with some of their matchups being rather difficult. They played a highly ranked #5 Notre Dame mid season where they lost 42-30.

    Qadree Ollison, was their rushing leader with 1121 yards in the season. He carried the football 204 times the entire season.

    In the game versus Notre Dame, Pitt had given opportunities to a few different stars like Jordan Whitehead and Tyler Boyd. Both had handoffs and tosses for big yardage and touchdowns. Ultimately it was not enough to stop Notre Dame’s momentum.

    More often times than not, Pitt has shown dominance on the ground, with James Conner returning a year later. In 2016, Pitt beat the #2 ranked Clemson Tigers, 43-42. The tigers went on to win the National Championship that year.

    Pittsburgh had three All-American Running backs with Ollison, Conner and Darrin HallJames Conner had 53 total touchdowns, with 50 of them being handed off. That’s a lot of running!

    Source: #RTDB | Notre Dame

    Notre Dame has a history of running the football. So much, that they have a hashtag called “#RTDB also known as “Run The Damn Ball.” The old fashioned way of the game is to run the football, and the numbers don’t lie.

    Statistics have shown that the Fighting Irish wins more games when they keep the ball on the ground. Passing the ball all game can lead to turnovers if your schemes are not effective.

    When they run the ball more than 30 times, they won 76 games out of 100. When they run for more than 200 yards, they win their games by a landslide. They passed the ball a lot in the game versus Pitt. But at the end, when Pitt needed a stop, Notre Dame ran the ball and won the game by two scores.

    Source: Jeremiyah Love | On3 Sports

    This season, Notre Dame did just that by using Jeremiyah Love to run the football, which helped them make another National Championship run in their program. Love was named the “Top Returning Running back in College Football for next season.”

    Notre Dame and Pitt caught my eye with the creativity installed in their infographics. Both programs want players who are hungry and want to get involved early on the field.

    The statistics not only show what the schemes can do, but highlights what the players can do as well. Players like Ollison, Conner, and Love all fit the bill for their teams offensive schemes.

    Source: Pitt vs. Notre Dame | WTAE News

    The two programs both used their similar school colors to show the pride they had in their teams. They also used bar charts to show their success against their opponents. I love the graphics of them showing action shots in the game as well.

    If I am a high school running back recruit, I may not be as worried about playing for the best school in the country, when I can go somewhere and be developed young and early into a great superstar.

  • Nick Juran: Adobe’s Athletic Young Protege

    Nick Juran: Adobe’s Athletic Young Protege

    Source: Adobe

    Adobe, founded in Mountain View, California, is one of the biggest innovators in our world today. A billion dollar industry in our country just so happens to be responsible for producing some of the highest level of digital tools for the creative market that companies, corporations, and others use today.

    Adobe communicates with their key publics via social media. Their strongest channels with the most followers and engagement are LinkedIn (5M) Instagram (1.9m), and X (972k). The effectiveness of their engagement on social platforms continues to help them earn billions of dollars.

    Source: Adobe CSR Report 2023 (Page 6)

    Adobe produced a total revenue of 19.4b dollars in 2024. 14.22 billion came from Digital Media while the other 4.89 billion came from Digital Experience.

    However, their company does has a low percentage in their Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion data with 29% of the leadership roles being held by women. 35% of all global employees are women, which is not many.

    Source: Adobe CSR Report 2023 (Page 14)

    Adobe’s core value belief is “Adobe for All.” Their core belief is that when people feel respected and included, they are more creative, innovative and successful. This belief is the foundation of our Adobe for All commitment, which encapsulates our work to advance diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) across our business and in our communities (Adobe, 14)

    Their mission is “to empower everyone, everywhere to imagine, create, and bring any digital experience to life. From creators and students to small businesses, global enterprises, and nonprofit organizations — customers choose Adobe products to ideate, collaborate, be more productive, drive business growth, and build remarkable experiences.”

    Adobe exercises their mission statement, by providing college students internship opportunities all around the world to grow and develop their networking and creative abilities.

    One of Adobe’s major strengths is document management, which allows users to engage in documents with software such as “Adobe Cloud.” Another strength is creative software, which is what students and professionals use to creative digital content.

    Adobe’s biggest competitors are companies such as “Google, IBM, Canva, Oracle and more.” These companies are also billion dollar companies that offer similar services. Universities and Corporations invests tons of money into them just like they do with Adobe.

    Examples of this are Photoshop, AI, Illustrator and Final Cut Pro. But despite all the inventions and creativity Adobe has brought into this world, there has been some controversy surrounding the company due to subscription fees, AI, and their use of user content.

    Despite the controversy in 2024, Adobe has done some work to show the value of their employers, company, and hometown communities. According to their Corporate Social Responsibility report (CSR), over half of their Board of Directors (58%) are from diverse backgrounds.

    Source: Adobe Corporate Social Responsibility Report 2023

    40 million students from grades K to 12 have access to Adobe Express, which provides digital learning and student safety.

    Adobe is also responsible for reaching 33 million dollars in employee donations and grants. They established the “Hometown Commitment,” a holistic to support 11 hometown communities surrounding the main headquarters.(Adobe, 6)

    Source:Nick Juran | LinkedIn

    Nick Juran, former graduate from The University of Washington, is in the Senior Business Development sector of Digital Media at Adobe. In 2023, Juran graduated from The Michael G. Foster School of Business.

    His current title allows individuals to focus on identifying and creating new opportunities, engaging with high-valued prospects, and collaborating with account executives to progress opportunities through the sales cycle.

    Source: Nick Juran | Sports Illustrated | Washington Huskies

    At UW, he organized a micro-internship opportunity for student-athletes called “Sales Academy,” an elite program to help emerging sales professionals practice the core values that Adobe’s company lives on. Juran, was a Student-Athlete for the Washington Huskies Football Team where he shared the playing field with some incredible talent, helping him thrive as a student-athlete.

    “Sales is a great position for Athletes to get into because you get to compete and earn your pay.”

    Nick learned of the opportunity that had been created at Clemson University and decided he wanted to set up shop in Seattle. After all, he is a bay area native. He attended Saint Francis in Mountain View, which is where Adobe was founded. If anyone would be able to do this, it would have to be him.

    Source: Nick Juran | NIL Opendorse

    In 2019, Nick came to Washington to play as a defensive back, where he earned Special Teams scout squad MVP. Two seasons later, he switched to receiver and saw action in five games his final two years. In 2022, he earned Scout team MVP for a second time.

    Source: Nick Juran

    Day-to-day tasks for Nick consists of finding and closing deals with Adobe’s biggest partners such as Nike, Amazon, and more.

    His gift of being a natural-born leader and great public speaker has prepared him for the challenges of this world.

    Source: Nick Juran

  • A Day with Aaron Donald

    A Day with Aaron Donald

    If you recognize the man above, then you know he’s probably a first ballot NFL Hall of Fame inductee in the very near future. Aaron Donald played defensive tackle for the Los Angeles Rams starting in 2014 and retiring in 2023. He is a one-time Super Bowl champion, and a ten-time NFL Pro Bowl nominee. He is one of only two defensive players to make the NFL Pro Bowl every season of his career with ten appearances!

    Before the Rams, he was a “one man wrecking crew” for the University of Pittsburgh. As a Pitt Panther, he won multiple awards for being a “one man wrecking crew.”He was named the most decorated defensive player of the 2013 college season and as one of the most decorated players in Pitt history.

    Source: Aaron Donald Player Profile

    In 2022, I was ready to start coaching a high school 7v7 football team. Instead, I received a phone call from my trainer to assist and mentor a youth skills and development camp for Aaron Donald, a former NFL Defensive Tackle for the Los Angeles Rams. That is how I connected with him beyond our normal workouts.

    I volunteered as a player’s coach for “AD99 Solutions,” a nonprofit in Pittsburgh founded by AD. Their mission is to change the trajectory of under-resourced youth by providing education and resources in supportive and safe environments. This is how they empower the youth.

    Source: AD99 Solutions

    Pittsburgh is known as the “City of Bridges.” Playing to the city’s nickname, AD99 Solutions aims to be the bridge, connecting underserved youth and communities to the resources and opportunities they lack. They display their mission above by doing one of the many things they do annually, hosting the “Living in the Pocket Skills Camp.”

    The one day camp has a $75 fee that includes workouts and football fundamentals throughout the camp. Post camp, the public is welcomed to pictures and chatting with the future Hall of Famer himself Many other current and former college and pro players were also in attendance.

    I coached the first half of the camp by properly instructing how to condition for the game of football. Leading the youth through ladder, cone, and basic coverage drills taught them how much more preparation the game requires than simply just going out there and playing games. The second half were friendly fun games amongst the different age groups.

    Overall, the camp was a success with over 100 campers in attendance. But Aaron’s nonprofit is much more than sports. It helps the youth focus in other ways to be dominant off the field.

    Prep Forward is a year round program responsible for training black athletes ages 13-18. It provides them resources to reach Post-secondary success through educationally valuable opportunities. Shawn Solomon Jr., current running back for the Duquesne Dukes, graduated from the Prep Forward Program.

    “My experience as a prep forward student has been nothing but amazing.” Solomon, attended Brashear High School, a member of the Pittsburgh Public Schools. Brashear, being a part of the “City League” school system, lacked financial support provide athletes top notch recruitment by Power Four colleges for sports, because of the lack of resources they have compared to WPIAL schools.

    Aaron, like me, was also born in Pittsburgh. He is currently back and forth in Pittsburgh and Los Angeles, connecting with friends, family and serving the communities affected by the wildfires.

    In Pittsburgh, AD99 Solutions hosts year round programs like “Prep Forward” and “Community Engagement” to help our youth grow and thrive. Their non-profit really emphasizes three major ways to support by volunteering, mentoring and donating. I had the privilege of doing two of the three in the camp alone, and would love the opportunity to serving the community with him again.

    Source: Living In The Pocket Skills Camp Recap

  • Why Pursuit, Willie Parker?

    Why Pursuit, Willie Parker?

    If you were old enough in 2006 to understand football and how it is played, then you probably know your local college team. If you knew that much, then you have likely watched a professional team and knew how they got their name. For me, it was the National Football League’s “Pittsburgh Steelers.”

    In 2006, I was turning six, playing full-pad tackle football in the Rust Belt and narrating football games in front of the TV like I worked for ESPN. I’m from Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, where we pride ourselves on steel and of course, football.

    Steelers Willie Parker runs for a touchdown during Super Bowl XL between the Pittsburgh Steelers and Seattle Seahawks at Ford Field in Detroit, Michigan on February 5, 2006. (Photo by Mike Ehrmann/NFLPhotoLibrary) Source:SuperBowl Images

    In February, I joined my family in the living room for a Super Bowl party. There, was where I witnessed history. I watched number 39 take a handoff and run 75 yards to a score against the Seahawks. This happens to also be the longest run in Super Bowl history. I asked myself! Who is this guy? I play the same position? Who is he?

    That’s Willie Parker, also known as Fast Willie! Yes, the two-time SuperBowl Champion. Yes, the two-time Pro Bowler. Yes, the current record holder for the longest run in Super Bowl history. Before the NFL, there was Willie, a man from Clinton, NC who ended up playing running back for the North Carolina Tar Heels. After his career with the Tar Heels from 2000 to 2003, he went undrafted as a free agent.

    Source: Jim Hawkins / Inside Carolina

    The Steelers have been very good at identifying talent regardless of where prospects rank on the draft boards. They showed just that by signing Willie in 2004. From then, he went on to play six seasons and having an amazing career before officially retiring in 2012.

    In 2021, I returned home to my alma mater, Central Valley to give back to the community that raised me. I coached The Homeboys Football Camp, a free camp that aims to impact the youth positively, by not only teaching football and athletic skill, but also mentorship and development. I have attended this camp since 2006 and have not missed.

    Source: Homeboys Football Camp

    This is where I met the man I watched on TV at five years old. It was amazing to see a role model who played my position at the highest level. But it was a blessing to to coach his son Jace in the camp. Coaching was the hard part, meeting him was easy because of my personality and drive to befriend people.

    There’s no catch, I simply wanted a friendship. What other way can that happen other than getting to know who you are? Willie was no different from anyone else. He is a very special individual to me, but no different from the purpose or principle. An extremely humble and hard working man.

    Four years later, we are still in contact. Willie has founded a non-profit that aims to help underprivileged kids in their communities. I give him a hard time about Oregon’s recent matchup with the Tar Heels, where we claimed the victory. But overall, I am proud to know Willie beyond who he was as an athlete.

    Source: https://www.facebook.com/share/1A6eGgvHkr/?mibextid=wwXIfr