CINCINNATI—A football star in the Queen City is getting noticed, not just in Ohio, but across the country.
What You Need To Know
- Donte Ferrell is a junior wide receiver at Woodward
- Ferrell has over 1300 receiving yards, the most in the nation
- The junior says he hopes his story of hard work inspires other young people
- Ferrell hopes to play in college, and eventually, the NFL
Donte Ferrell is just a junior on the Woodward football team. But looking at his stats- you couldn’t tell. And Ferrell says he doesn’t even look at the stat line.
“Just stay humble,” Ferrell said. “Don’t get in your head. Don’t over-hype, you got to perform every game.”
Ferrell (center) listens to coaches during a practice (Spectrum News/Katie Kapusta)
But he might want to take a peek- he’s leading the nation in reception yards, with over 1,300 yards so far this season. Ferrell said he was aware of at least that stat.
“I never thought I’d lead the nation in receiving yards at all,” he said. “Not last year, not even this year. It’s just hard work.”
Ferrell said it’s more than catching passes and scoring touchdowns. He says it’s about making the right impression- especially being at a school like Woodward, which he says doesn’t always have the best reputation.
“We all growing,” he said. “We all changing the culture around Woodward. We’re just showing a good example around the school.”
Head Coach Jeremy Pflug said seeing a young player like Ferrell set an example like this for the Woodward community is extra special.
“I think it’s good for our community,” Pflug said. “Good for our city just to see that if you put in the hard work, put in the time and effort, it’s achievable. I think a lot of our kids here didn’t think even college was possible.”
And now, nearing the end of the season- with one more year of high school left, Ferrell has big dreams for college and beyond.
Ferrell wears number three (Spectrum News/Katie Kapusta)
“NFL, that’s all I’m worried about,” Ferrell said. “The NFL, helping my family out.”
Ferrell is being recruited by several schools, including the University of Cincinnati, Boston College, and Miami University.
