Fairfield, California native Daniel Wright got involved with the game of football at age six and ever since that time, football has been more than just a game for him.
“…I started playing because there was a lot of stuff going on with my family. Just looking at my family and where they were in their lives, I knew years from then I wouldn’t want to be in the same position so I started playing football as a stress reliever and also a way to just get out, free my mind and have fun,” Wright said.
Wright has had to go through a lot of adversity off the field. He lost his uncle at the age of 15, has had an estranged relationship with his father and was involved in a car accident a month ago that thankfully didn’t result in injury. Despite all of that, he remains level headed and motivated to do great things on the field for himself and his family.
“Football was a huge form of therapy because when I’m playing football in between those lines, it’s like I forget about everything else. I’m just worried about what’s happening on the field and what I can do to make people happy and make them smile. It’s been good because when I not playing football, I realize that some things are just harder to not think about. Playing football is extreme therapy,” he said.
He realized after his accident, that the gifts and talents that he possesses cannot be taken for granted.
“Because a lot of stuff has been going on and then just the talent that I have, in that car accident, the thing that I got out of it in walking away with no scratches is this, it is a talent that God has given me and He’s not going to take it away from me or let anything else take it away from me. At that moment, I just realized I’m going to take the talent and do some great things with it because I owe Him a thank you with this.”
Wright will be a senior at Vacaville High School in Vacaville, Ca, and his junior season was very impressive. The five-foot-nine, 190 pound running back recorded 1,259 rushing yards on 139 carries and saw the end zone 15 times. Those numbers are great but the one stat that sticks out is his yards per carry average, which was 9.1. He also had six 100 yard rushing games in 10 games played.
The scholarship offers haven’t exactly been rolling in for him but he said that he was relieved when his offers from Kentucky Christian University and Northern Colorado University, his first Division I offer, found him.
“It was relieving because going through a lot and then just being able to know that someone sees you and they were able to give you a chance, it was a pretty overwhelming but happy feeling at the same time. It makes me happy knowing that I can say that I have a free education that I can get through football,” he said.
He has high interest in Utah, UCLA and San Diego State. The University of California, Wright says would be an ideal situation for him in terms of football and family.
“Getting a scholarship from them would mean a lot because it’s like playing in my backyard. It’s not too far but not too close so I can get away. Also, I don’t want to be too far from home because in being a football player, I want to be able to help people in my community and those around me,” he said. “I’d like to stay because I don’t want to leave them all behind. Playing football in my backyard would be nice because I could never leave them and I’ll always be here for them so that would be good.”
He visited the University of California February 18, 2016 and his thoughts on the school are very high.
“What better way to make it then to make it out of a place you came from. It’s close to home. …Perfect. I love the program they have, [the] coaches care [about] a lot more than the football. [To them], it’s about education and your future. Not just about the time you have on the field,” Wright said.
He’s looking forward to talks progressing with the school when the season starts he said as well.
He plans to visit the University of California-Davis and Sacramento State who have shown a lot of interest in him as of late he says.
“UC Davis has shown the most love. When I went to there camp, there was nothing but positive energy and great coaches there to help,” Wright said.
Sacramento State and UC Davis’s camps are the only ones Daniel Wright has been to and will be the only ones he attends at this point in his recruiting process. He said both treated him very well and he looks forward to going back and visiting both schools soon.
As far as his last season as a Vacaville Bulldog is concerned, he wants to win a championship, not only for his exposure but his teammates’ exposure as well.
“It would mean a lot because growing up I’ve always said I wanted to walk around, wear a ring and just see what that feeling’s like. It would mean a lot to me because I’m overcoming a lot of things and it would not only be giving me more exposure on the field but my teammates and those guys that are kind of underrated, it would give them a chance to be looked at by [college scouts],” he said.
He’ll also miss the tradition associated with Vacaville High School and he has two messages: one for the younger players coming up in addition to a message for himself.
“…Leaving Vacaville, I want to leave the message to the youngsters that there are points in your life that you’ll have to overcome, people are going to doubt you. Keep your head in the books and school and put all your effort into everything you do on the field and you’re going to get rewarded one day.”
“You could take my possessions, you can unwrap my gifts but you can never take what’s inside and all my blessings from God,” Daniel Wright said.
More on Daniel Wright:
Daniel Wright Q&A: New Beginnings, Overcoming Injuries And Off Field Revelations
Daniel Wright Q&A: New Beginnings, Overcoming injuries and Off field Revelations
Daniel Wright: The Next Phase Has Begun As A Weber State Wildcat
Daniel Wright: The next phase has begun as a Weber State Wildcat
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