For many high school football players, playing for a major Division I college team and making it to the National Football League is the ultimate dream.
However, those odds are awfully small.
According to a study done by the NCAA in 2013, of the more than 1 million high school players in the United States, only 6.5 percent of them become NCAA athletes. Only 1.6 percent of that already small group moves on to the NFL.
In other words, no matter how wishful the thinking is of any given high school athlete, it is always good to have a backup plan.
Jason Arrington, a 6-foot, 237-pound defensive end at MacArthur, has just that.
The senior’s desire to make it to the league is just as great as any teenage hopeful, but he said he isn’t going rely on only one possible future.
“What a lot of people don’t know about me is my love for business,” Arrington said. “I want to major in business management, so when it comes to college, I already have a plan as far as what I want to do.”
Arrington said his interest in business stems from his family’s involvement in that career field.
One of his uncles owns three gyms in the Dallas area, and Arrington, enamored with what business aspects were entailed in such investments, began asking questions.
“He was giving me a rundown on how all that stuff works and how payroll works,” Arrington said. “Seeing how successful he looked — he walked around with a successful look — so I was like, ‘Yeah, I want to do that.’ From then on, I just stuck with it.”
Outside of some in-house lessons from his parents, though, Arrington hasn’t had much practice working in business because of his busy school and football schedule.
However, he plans to change that once he becomes a college student. He isn’t sure where he wants to pursue his degree, but whichever school offers him the best football scholarship will most likely be the leading candidate.
“At this point, it’s really whatever school will take me — preferably Division I,” Arrington said. “But some of us have to take the Division II route.”
If he has his way, Arrington will end up at Louisiana State University, a popular destination among SEC schools.
“I looked at their majors, and that’s one of the first ones that popped up,” Arrington said. “They have a lot of people who were successful in that area that have come out of that school. That was a huge bonus in terms of wanting to go to that school.”
Although it might seem like a big move for Arrington, he is quite familiar with the area.
For short period during his childhood, Arrington lived in New Orleans. However, his family moved to Dallas after Hurricane Katrina.
After about six years, Arrington’s father was stationed in Fort Riley, Kan., and he was moved to Fort Sill a few years later just before Arrington’s freshman year.
Although Arrington had lived in several places before Lawton, his transition to life as a MacArthur Highlander wasn’t a smooth one at first.
Arrington often clashed with coach Brett Manning and the coaching staff, so much, in fact, he almost had his membership on the football team stripped.
“He had a lot of growing up and maturing to do,” Manning said. “He and I have had our struggles, and there was a time I didn’t think he was going to make it. He had a couple of ultimatums handed out, but the last two years, he’s really grown up.”
Arrington has come a long way since those days, though.
The last ultimatum he got from Manning was during his sophomore year, and at this year’s senior retreat, Arrington had a chance to reflect on how much he’s changed as a person.
“I cried about it because I was just looking at where I came from and how I heard the words ‘You’re done with the team — you’re not playing here anymore,’” Arrington said. “That was the first time I had heard that, and my dad came up here and talked to (Manning), and he gave me another chance. From there on, I knew I couldn’t do that anymore.”
Around that time, Arrington was playing for a travel team, and he was awarded the MVP after a game against a Puerto Rican team.
Not wanting his son’s potential to go to waste, Arrington’s father met with Manning and asked for Arrington to get a second chance. Luckily for him, Manning was willing to do so.
“My dad sent (Manning) a picture of me holding the MVP,” Arrington said. “The caption said, ‘This is what he’s capable of.’ So when I got back, (Manning) said he knew what I was capable of, and he wanted to start over. From there, I just grew.”
Manning hasn’t regretted the decision to bring Arrington back.
“He’s been someone we can count on and someone who’s been solid for us,” Manning said.
Needless to say, Arrington has a newfound appreciation for Manning and the rest of the coaches.
He acknowledges that without the second chance granted to him, he wouldn’t be in the position he is now. For that, he is forever grateful.
“It’s all love now,” Arrington said. “I look at them like fathers now.”
Since his attitude change and reconciliation with Manning, Arrington said he’s gained significant knowledge not only about football, but also life.
“I realized that not everything is going to be given to me, not matter where I go,” Arrington said. “You might establish yourself to where you think everything should be given to you, but you have to work for it in the beginning. That’s one thing I did learn, and I’m glad high school taught me that.
“I can take that wherever I go, and it’ll help me along the way.”