ALBANY, Ga. (WALB) - This week’s Valdosta State Scholar Athlete comes from right here in the Good Life City.

Jayden Corbett is a two-sport athlete out of Dougherty Comprehensive. While Corbett was always a Trojan, he wasn’t always a Dougherty Trojan. Jayden started his high school experience at Lee County High School, but after transferring for his last two years, he says he finally found home.

“Like, this is my family. This team is my family. I love this. The fun-wise, the Fridays, the people, the pep rallies, everything. I love Dougherty,” said Corbett.

On the gridiron, Corbett is a receiver and a long snapper. On the track, he runs the 4x1, the 100, the 200 and the 4x2. Last year, Corbett’s relay team advanced all the way to state, finishing eighth in the 4x1 race. While he loves both sports, Corbett says football is where his heart is.

“Football...I played football since I was like 5. Everyone counted on me. If I didn’t get this tackle, or I gotta catch this catch, they count on me to do something. Track... It’s a one-person sport, so if you lose a race and another, it doesn’t count for the whole team; it’s your performance. In football, it’s a team performance, that’s what I really love,” said Corbett.

As a senior, Corbett has dreams of attending a big college like the University of Tennessee, Ole Miss or Coastal Carolina. Getting to run track or play football at the next level would be an added bonus. Academically, he wants to study education or veterinary sciences, so he’s already getting ahead by taking classes at the 4C Academy and Albany State.

“At 4C, I went for teaching — to be a math teacher and a coach because I definitely want to have a team to lead to a championship. For ASU, I’m taking general psychology to get in touch with health and mind for veterinary stuff,” continued Corbett.

It’s not easy to balance two varsity sports, upper-level courses and transferring schools, but Corbett gets the job done.

He credits his grandma for pushing him to accomplish his goals, his uncle for holding him accountable and his football coach, Coach Joyner for inspiring him to be great.

“Jayden is a kid that you can set your watch by him. He gonna be here every day. He works hard every day. He is going to do whatever you need him to do,” Uyl Joyner, Dougherty’s head football coach said. “He is one of the smaller kids on the team. He’s out here being our long snapper. He plays receiver. He does a lot for us. I am so glad he won this because he really deserves this. He works hard in track, in football and especially in the classroom.”

Congratulations Jayden Corbett!

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