Carmel’s Jackson Lloyd – Monterey Herald

Carmel High’s Jackson Lloyd has verbally committed to attending Alabama next year. (Raul Ebio – Herald Correspondent)

CARMEL >> A few hours after committing to perennial national power Alabama to play football, Jackson Lloyd was back on the hardwood, joining his teammates for a summer league basketball game.

An escape from the pressure of an important decision? Maybe. Still, for the three-sport Carmel High, there’s nothing better than playing basketball with his friends.

“Growing up, basketball was my favorite sport,” Lloyd said. “Playing summer basketball with my teammates took my mind off this decision.”

A celebration of a milestone moment for the province’s most recruited athlete was short-lived. Lloyd sent a simple message on social media announcing his decision and then got back to work.

“That sums up Jackson,” Carmel baseball coach Mike Kelly said. “I remember during a training session he asked if he could take this call. He sits on a lawnmower, comes out and says I got an offer from Tennessee, and then gets back in the cages to hit. He went back to work.”

After playing an integral role on three national title teams and leading the Padres to a Central Coast Section basketball title, Lloyd was named The Herald’s Male Athlete of the Year.

Lloyd, 17, becomes only the fourth man from Carmel to earn the honor, joining Devin Pearson (2011, 2012), John Stivers (2017) and Kai Lee (2020).

A prominent figure on the football field as a 6-foot-4, 285-pound lineman, Lloyd was also the co-MVP in the Pacific Coast Athletic League’s Gabilan Division in basketball and a key cog in Carmel’s run to a baseball title.

Kelly became accustomed to seeing football recruiters and college coaches at his baseball games, wanting to see how athletic Lloyd was off the football field.

“Recruiters wanted to see him run the bases,” Kelly said. “He almost had an inside-the-park homer at Sollecito Park. He was thrown out at the plate while diving head first. You don’t see that athleticism in a kid his size.”

Whatever sport was in season had Lloyd’s full attention as he was both a double-double machine on the hardwood and a menacing presence as an offensive lineman in football.

“What’s different about baseball is you’re not doing something all the time,” Lloyd said. “When it’s time to hold on, you have to prepare for the moment. When you are pitching, you are of course in control of the game.”

For someone who often arrived four weeks late due to an extended basketball season, Lloyd did his best and showed glimpses of his potential if baseball had been his sport of choice.

“The sky would have been the limit if he had focused on baseball,” Kelly said. ‘He has so much power. His length and size, along with his release point, would have made him an impact pitcher at the next level.”

As it was, Lloyd posted a 2-0 record with a save in a limited role on the mound for Carmel, while hitting three home runs in the heart of the batting order.

“He treated baseball with a lot of respect,” said Kelly, who played football at Cal. “He would hang around after practice and take on extra work. He has intangibles that you can’t teach, but you can improve.”

Before enrolling at Carmel in 2021, Lloyd had never put on a football uniform and played flag football as a 305-pound quarterback and safety as a youth.

Once he put on the uniform and discovered a love of contact, Lloyd became a lineman with rare athletic skills who landed on the radar of college coaches by his sophomore season.

“After my freshman year, I started meeting some coaches,” Lloyd said. “Nothing serious. The summer (before) my junior year, I got an offer from UCLA. It just took off from there.”

Lloyd remembers a conversation he had with then-UCLA coach Chip Kelly, who is now the offensive coordinator at Ohio State.

Kelly emphasized the importance and benefits of playing multiple sports in high school in terms of gaining a mental edge from a competitive standpoint.

“Coach Kelly told me that if you play basketball and baseball, that’s another 30 or 40 games a year, instead of just 10 games.” Lloyd said. “It helps with the competitive spirit. Coaches loved the fact that I am a three-sport athlete.”

Where Lloyd feels he has made the biggest progress as a football player is in the weight room, which was foreign to him until after his freshman season.

“I didn’t start lifting weights until the summer of my sophomore year,” Lloyd said. “My friends got me involved.”

What happened was a body makeover, with Lloyd losing a whopping 35 pounds at one point while growing four inches to his current height.

“You see potential in people,” Carmel football coach Golden Anderson said. “It doesn’t always get off the ground. Many big people want to put pressure on opponents. He has worked hard on his technique. His aggression comes out. He has a lot of violence between the whistles.”

With a wingspan of a whopping 230cm, Lloyd’s footwork from playing basketball has made him explosive off the ball and pounding opponents in his path.

“I think football is one of the best team sports,” Lloyd said. “There is no sport like it. In no other team sport can you hit people and push guys around.”

Because the sport is still relatively new for Lloyd, his ceiling is through the roof. The steps he has made over the past three years have turned him into a four-star recruit with untapped potential.

“He hasn’t focused on just one sport,” Anderson said. ‘And he’s young. There is so much room for growth. Coaches love his makeup. They know he will compete. He wanted to be with the best.”

The desire to play multiple sports didn’t stop Lloyd from meeting the demands of gaining strength in the weight room or excelling at summer showcase camps for football recruiters.

His attitude has gotten teammates on board when it comes to extra work, even after a game.

“He’s very diligent in the weight room,” Anderson said. “Even if it’s after basketball or baseball practice, he takes it all very seriously. He knows it will help him prepare as an athlete. He is a calm leader.”

Two inches taller and 30 pounds lighter than his freshman season, Lloyd developed into one of the best basketball players in the county. He scored 15.8 points per game while pulling down nearly nine rebounds per night.

“What’s amazing about him is that a big man usually has good feet but bad movement,” Carmel basketball coach Kurt Grahl said. “It’s so rare to have both at this level. That’s what brings you to Alabama, albeit in a different sport.

Grahl has watched Lloyd become a more complete player, not only with his back to the basket, but also with a soft touch on the perimeter.

“Jackson will shoot the trail 3s,” Grahl said. “He was No. 2 for us in free throw percentage. He’s a two-way threat. He can bring in a smaller player or drop back and get shots on the perimeter.”

For someone who couldn’t dunk his freshman season, Lloyd has significantly improved his vertical jump, as evidenced by his two-handed jam during a recent summer league game.

There’s no doubt in Grahl’s mind that if Lloyd were two inches taller, he’d get his share of Division I basketball offers, too.

“Being 6-7 in football with his athleticism is great,” Grahl said. “But when you play a 6-11 guy in the post, it’s going to be hard to get to the next level. I’m sure if basketball was something he wanted to pursue, there would have been offers.”

Because there is a chance that Lloyd will graduate early and enroll at Alabama in January, he could play his final basketball games for Carmel in the summer.

“It’s going to feel weird if I miss basketball season and leave early,” Lloyd said. “One of the main reasons to come to campus early is because of their strength program. But that’s not on my mind right now. I’m still with Carmel.”

His focus is on the upcoming fall football season, where the Padres, after going 10-0 last year, were eliminated from the playoffs by eventual State Division 4A champion Soquel.

“Definitely, 100 percent, we all feel like we have something to prove,” Lloyd said. “There is still some unfinished business. You can see the effort during the summer. The focus is already there.”

Although Lloyd is not an emotional man, or someone who exploits himself on social media, there is a sense of excitement in his voice.

“I never focused on one sport,” Lloyd said. “I have only played tackle football for the past three years. I’m excited to see my game develop at the next level.”