Kayce Medlock
	Height	5-11
	Weight	192
	40-yard Dash	4.4 (laser-timed)
	Bench Press	325
	Squat	460 ("that was during the season — I wasn't

District 9-3A Offensive MVP
ESPN: ***
247sports: ***
rivals: ***
scout: **
MaxPreps: No. 195 player in Texas

Last Year Statistics

181 carries
1,906 rushing yards (10.5 per carry)
27 rushing touchdowns
57 tackles
1 interception
2 forced fumble
3 fumble recoveries

Strengths as a Player

The easiest thing to notice about Kayce Medlock is his speed, and with good reason. The 9-3A Offensive MVP is a pure sprinter, boasting a laser-timed 4.4 in the 40-yard dash and a highlight reel full of long touchdowns leaving helpless defenders behind him. But he is much tougher than many would assume for a guy, able and willing to run between the tackles, and dole out brutal punishment on defense. Visible in any of his sports is Medlock’s fierce competitiveness, including his reluctance to leave the field or court or track.

Interviews

Arp head coach Dale Irwin on Kayce Medlock:

We moved him (from Wildcat quarterback to running back) in the middle of last year. We changed our offense, because we had to. I’ve done this multiple times, and he was OK with it. We needed to do it, because we had to figure out a way to get the ball in his hands as often as possible.

The thing about Kayce is that he’s so much stronger than you think. We play physical football, and we preach “3.5 yards per play.” He’s so fast that some people think he won’t run inside, but that’s not true. He will … and if he pops out the other side, he’s gone. I’m telling you, the SMU coaches are going to have to watch him in the weight room. He’s a weight freak. If you ever see him with his shirt off, he’s about 200 pounds and he’s rock-solid — there isn’t an ounce of fat on this guy. He works so hard in the weight room that I could see him getting to 230 or 240 pounds. God has just blessed him with a perfect body to play football.

He’s a huge part of our offense, obviously, but he was just as important on our defense, where he played kind of a Bandit/Rover position. We find the 11 dirtiest, nastiest players we can, guys who are going to knock the hell out of you, and he’s one of those guys. Anyone who looks at him like he’s just a “little guy” is making a big mistake.

He never came off the field, because we couldn’t afford to take him off the field. With a guy that talented, I told him “if your heart’s beating and you have a pulse, don’t even look at me” to come out of the game … and he never did.

Some kids are fast as hell, but then when they put pads on, they slow down. Sometimes, they slow down a lot. With Kayce, he loses no speed whatsoever, so when he’s running against a guy who might be able to stay with him on the track, a lot of times he’s running right past those guys.

We’ve got a lot of kids who go on to play in college. I tell our kids that I’m not going to make their decision. I’ll help them and give them advice, but it’s their choice — always. I’ll tell you what: SMU has a tremendous staff. He likes those coaches, and he trusts them, and that’s big with players these days. A lot of them sign with the coaches as much as they do with the school.

After he committed, a lot of schools stayed after him, and a lot of new schools tried to get in on him. When they saw what he did as a senior, schools were lining up, but he was already committed to SMU, so I called a bunch of them and said to leave him alone.

Kayce Medlock on why he chose SMU:

I texted Coach (Claude) Mathis (immediately after returning home from taking an official visit to SMU), just thanking him for giving me the opportunity and for believing in me. SMU was the first school to offer me, and when Coach Mathis called me to tell me that, that really touched me. Then, when I visited the campus, the coaches all acted like I belonged there. They were always in touch with me, and when I got to the campus, they brought me in as one of theirs. They really made it feel like home. Plus, I was born in Dallas, and I have family in Dallas.

(Former SMU wide receiver Blake Warren) is my cousin. When SMU started recruiting me, I talked to him. He said it’s a great school, and he just gave me the facts, told me what it was like when he went there. He also told me that whatever choice I made, he’s behind me.

I really like (player host) Braeden (West). He’s a great guy, and he just told me to make sure I stay on top of my stuff, and listen to the coaches, because they’re right, they have done it before. They know what we need to do, and he told me to be disciplined and be ready. If I do that, nobody can stop my dream. I’m just going to come in and bust my tail.