Texas high school RB forgoing senior season to stay healthy for Oklahoma State football

One of Central Texas’ top running backs is foregoing his senior season to stay healthy and enroll early for his college career.

DJ Dugar, a three-star running back, transferred from Glenn to Weiss this year and was poised to be part of one of the the Austin area’s most talented teams. Weiss was ranked No. 4 in our preseason area countdown and Dugar was named one of the Statesman’s 10 best running backs headed into the season.

But the Oklahoma State football commit has chosen not to play this season, saying an injury to his teammate and longtime friend, Weiss quarterback Jax Brown, inspired his decision. Brown tore his ACL in a late-August scrimmage.

Glenn runner DJ Dugar (7) eludes Hendrickson tacklers during district play Sept. 22, 2023, at The Pfield.

RELATED: Why Weiss football will unexpectedly be without star Jax Brown and DJ Dugar in 2024

“I took (Brown’s injury) as a sign from God to sit out my senior year,” Dugar told the Statesman. “It’s a gut feeling.”

Dugar burst upon the local scene last year when he rushed for 1,510 yards and 18 touchdowns at Glenn. He averaged 7.6 yards per carry and made the the All-District 8-5A DI.

Other talented high school players have made a similar decision in recent years. Texas football running back Jaydon Blue sat out his senior year at Klein Cain High School. Texas quarterback Quinn Ewers elected to forego his senior season at Southlake Carroll, too. (Ewers’ story went to Ohio State at the beginning of the academic year in August 2021.)

In one of the most interesting decisions, Austin Simmons, a four-star quarterback from Moore Haven (Fla.) High, skipped his junior and senior years of high school to join the Ole Miss football team.

Dugar said it’s “killing me” to sit out the year and watch his friends play Friday night football this fall. But after weighing the pros and cons of…

Source link : https://sports.yahoo.com/texas-high-school-rb-forgoing-000314295.html

Author : Austin American-Statesman

Publish date : 2024-09-14 00:03:14

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