Ole Miss recruit Kaden Irving excels at football, baseball
GAUTIER, Miss. (BVM) — Kaden Irving has been participating in athletics since he could walk. Now his exploits on the athletic fields are taking him to places he’d never thought he’d end up.
Growing up, Irving was always surrounded by athletes. And thanks to his family, he quickly fell in love with everything having to do with sports.
“My family was always very athletic,” Irving said. “It wasn’t really forced; I was really born into it.”
Irving’s first sport that he fell in love with was basketball. It was a sport his father and uncle had excelled at. But reality quickly set in for him.
“I’m 6-foot-2, and nobody’s making it to the NBA who is that tall unless they can shoot like Steph Curry can,” Irving said.
He quickly found two new sports he wanted to try: football and baseball. From the jump, Irving excelled at both sports.
“Kaden was always a little bit more advanced than the other kids,” Gautier head football coach Mark High said. “His ability to be a leader and to be someone that kids can look up to, he’s always excelled at that, even at a very young age.”
As a freshman, he threw for nearly 1,400 yards and 11 touchdown passes. On the diamond, he had 12 hits in 30 plate appearances, according to MaxPreps. But he only played in eight games. Nonetheless, Irving proved he had what it takes to succeed athletically.
With his early success, the opportunity to continue his athletic career also presented itself. Irving received an offer from Ole Miss to play baseball. During his freshman year, he gave Ole Miss that commitment, which has stayed strong heading into his senior year.
I am excited to announce that I will be furthering my academic and athletic career at the University of Mississippi!! @OleMissBSB I would like to thank God, Family, and all of the coaches that have helped me along the way! @SBGsox Hotty Toddy💙❤️ pic.twitter.com/PtZHZgPlBc
— Kaden Irving (@kaden_irving) January 19, 2020
“I had always been a fan of Ole Miss since I was a kid,” Irving said. “And Coach Bianco is one of the best coaches anyone could ever have. He’s getting these players to come, and they’re staying 3-4 years, and for the most part, he’s sending them to the league. And then you can’t go wrong with the jerseys.”
Undoubtedly, Irving is one of the best athletes in Mississippi. He proved that this past year, winning Class 5A Player of the Year.
Such a blessing ! @COACHMARCHIGH @wyattdalton4 pic.twitter.com/LOgP3E5b5m
— Kaden Irving (@kaden_irving) December 13, 2021
This past season also marked new career highs for Irving. He threw for 3,687 passing yards (4,211 total), 39 TDS and a QB rating of 109.3.
“Kaden is one of the most natural quarterbacks I’ve seen in a long time,” High said. “His ability to throw the ball from any arm slot is what colleges come in and talk about, and his ability to make plays when they aren’t there. When the game is on the line, he wants the ball and wants to take control of the game.”
Not only can he man the quarterback position, but he can play linebacker too.
At heart, I feel like I’m more of a linebacker,” Irving said. “I’m probably the only quarterback that you’ll see that loves contact. That’s what I live for.”
Irving also has proved to be a great leader on the football field.
“He’s always bringing others up,” High said. “He‘s always trying to get everybody to maximize their[potential…He’s a better person than he is an athlete.”
With maxing others’ potential, Irving has done a great job of maxing his potential on the baseball field too. He once again set new career highs for the Gators on the diamond. With a .481 batting average, an OPS of 1.643 and eight home runs.
#6 on the year was an absolute 💣 @SBGsox @heislerheat @COACHMARCHIGH @15Lafferty @MClementBSB @PBR_Mississippi @PG_DeepSouth pic.twitter.com/jyTzLw7INh
— Kaden Irving (@kaden_irving) March 22, 2022
He can also take to the mound if called upon.
However, the question remains: will he pursue his baseball dreams or will he try to play both sports he loves so much?
“There’s something about football that keeps me hooked on it,” Irving said. I’ve just been praying on it, just trying to see where God leads me. I really want to play both for as long as I can.”
Irving still has one more left at Gautier where he will get to play both sports. But there are some tough decisions to be made in the future. For now, he’s focused on making the most of his last year with the Gators.
“I definitely want to make a statement [this year],” Irving said.
Whether it’s baseball or football, Irving has a bright future ahead of him. And he’ll put it all on the line no matter who or what he’s playing for.
“I’m a gamer, and I’m going to compete,” Irving said. “It won’t matter if you have God out there trying to strike me out or tackling me…I’m a guy who’s always performed on the big stage and with a ton of pressure.”
“Everybody is going to be gunning for him,” High said. “It’s been that way for him [for a while]. Everyone knows what kind of quarterback he is.”
