LEXINGTON — It didn’t take Lexington junior Joe Caudill long to feel right at home.
Even if it was a state away.
Caudill went on a Junior Day visit to Michigan State University and was rolled out the red carpet for as he was swept off his feet over the weekend. By the end of the week, Caudill was a Spartan. He announced on social media on Friday afternoon that he was 100% committed to joining the Michigan State Spartan football family.
BASKETBALL JOE: Double tights: Pair of Division I tight end recruits lead Lexington to OCC win over Wooster
“The people and the culture in that building,” Caudill said. “They have some great people over there and I believe in them and they believe in me so it was an easy decision. They made it feel like home when I went there for a visit. My parents loved it and that staff is phenomenal.”
Caudill, a high school quarterback/defensive end/linebacker/safety/you name it, he played it, will play tight end for the Spartans as he was being recruited as an athlete. During his junior season, Caudill earned Division III second team All-Northwest District and first team All-Ohio Cardinal Conference. He may have not taken many snaps at tight end during his high school career, but he has been committed to the position.
“I played a little bit my freshman year, but I go to all of my camps as a tight end,” Caudill said. “I am pretty used to it. My brother played it so I have been around it my entire life. They see the skillset of playing multiple positions and my frame fitting in the position very well.”
As a junior, Caudill stuffed the stat sheet running for 664 yards on 176 carries with 14 touchdowns. He completed 175-of-321 passes for 2,161 yards and 16 TDs piling up 2,825 all-purpose yards.
Defensively, he was a game-wrecker with 73 tackles, nine tackles for loss, one sack and a fumble recovery.
He led Lexington to a 7-6 overall record and a 4-2 mark in the Ohio Cardinal Conference where he had his team in position to potentially grab a piece of the league crown in Week 10. In the playoffs, Caudill was special leading his team to a 28-14 first-round upset win over Maumee before beating Rocky River 49-29 in the regional quarterfinals.
Caudill had a legacy-defining game accounting for all seven of the Minutemen’s touchdowns as he completed 14-of-19 passes for 191 yards and two touchdowns while running for 189 yards and five TDs on just 16 carries to put up 380 yards of total offense by himself.
“He is a great football player,” Lexington coach Andrew Saris said after the win over Rocky River. “Joe Caudill is a special part of our football team and everyone believes in him. He does a great job of building up his teammates.”
Caudill had some help navigating his recruiting journey. His older brother, Clay, was a part of Mansfield Senior’s 2019 Division III state runner-up team and went on to earn a roster spot at the University of Toledo before settling in at Ohio Dominican University playing tight end.
“I went with Clay on all of his visits and was exposed to how amazing of an opportunity this all is,” Caudill said. “We talk all the time about my recruiting journey and he just told me to go with my gut and find the best situation for me. It is all about being around the best people.”
Having a brother who played Division I football as a tight end has been invaluable for Caudill.
“I have worked with him a lot here in the field house just focusing on route-running and blocking along with the mental stuff,” Caudill said.
With his commitment in place, Caudill can enter his senior football season with no personal pressure. No need to do too much individually so he can land on a college radar. No need to focus on any thing personal and can just zero in on helping his team win football game.
“It is everything,” Caudill said. “That was my goal since my freshman year. I wanted to get committed to a place I wanted to go before my senior year and just be able to focus on Lexington.”
But most of all, he can be grateful for the opportunity to play Division I college football.
“I am honored really. It is a huge program and I have always dreamed of playing Big Ten football. I have watched the Big Ten my entire life so it is an amazing moment for me and my family. It means so much to be wanted by a program that believes in hard work and loyalty,” Caudill said. “That hits home to who I am. I feel like the things I believe in, they do, too.”
jfurr@gannett.com
740-244-9934
X: @JakeFurr11
This article originally appeared on Mansfield News Journal: Lexington’s Caudill verbally commits to Michigan State Football
