Fairhope’s Creel commits to Jacksonville State, spread offense inventor Rodriguez

Pirate dual-threat quarterback set to join conference champion Gamecocks in transition to FBS

By Cole McNanna
Sports Editor
cole@gulfcoastmedia.com
Posted 12/8/22

Fairhope dual-threat quarterback Caden Creel announced his commitment to the Jacksonville State Gamecocks football program Thursday morning, Dec. 8.

It was his fourth college offer overall and the …

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Fairhope’s Creel commits to Jacksonville State, spread offense inventor Rodriguez

Pirate dual-threat quarterback set to join conference champion Gamecocks in transition to FBS

Posted

Fairhope dual-threat quarterback Caden Creel announced his commitment to the Jacksonville State Gamecocks football program Thursday morning, Dec. 8.

It was his fourth college offer overall and the third in just over a week in November.

Creel received his first offer from Faulkner June 21 before the first postseason offer came from Pearl River on Nov. 8. He earned a preferred walk-on offer from Troy Nov. 13 before being offered by Jacksonville State Nov. 17.

Last Friday, Creel made an official visit to campus and then announced his decision less than a week later.

The Pirate signal-caller finished his senior season with 3,008 total yards – between 1,822 passing yards and 1,186 rushing yards – and 23 touchdowns and was named to the AHSAA North-South All-Star Game.

Dubbed "more athletic" than former Fairhope and current Duke dual-threat quarterback Riley Leonard, the 6', 200-pound Creel helped the Pirates to a sixth straight postseason berth with 380 points scored on the season. That served as the most points Fairhope scored since the 2014 squad that went 11-1 with 468 points.

Jacksonville State finished its season 9-2 overall, and won the ASUN Conference with a 5-0 mark, having scored nearly 400 points for an average of 36.2 points per game.

It was the first season under head coach Rich Rodriguez – who spent 16 seasons as a head coach at the FBS (Football Bowl Subdivision) level between West Virginia, Michigan and Arizona – and was the Gamecocks’ last season in the FCS (Football Championship Subdivision) before joining Conference USA next school year.

Considered one of the creators of the spread offense, Rodriguez plugged Daphne alum Pat White into the Mountaineers’ unit at West Virginia and qualified for two appearances in the Bowl Championship Series, the 2005 Sugar Bowl and 2007 Fiesta Bowl, and White won back-to-back Big East Conference Offensive Player of the Year honors.

At Michigan, it was Denard Robinson who filled a dual-threat role and set the single-season Division I FBS record for rushing yards as a quarterback in 2010 and became the first quarterback in college football history to both run and throw for at least 1,500 yards.

Rodriguez’s quarterbacks coach at both stops is his current offensive coordinator and quarterbacks coach, Rod Smith, who was integral in Creel’s offer. Smith played for Rodriguez at Glenville State then joined him on staffs at West Virginia (2007), Michigan (2008-2010) and Arizona (2012-2017).