Jabre Lolley knows a thing or two about winning. The Shepherd Rams running back only lost two regular season games during his entire college career and played in the NCAA Division II playoffs in three of his four years.
One of those seasons included a run to the National Championship, but Lolley and the Rams came up short against North West Missouri State in that game. Still, 42 total wins in four years is an impressive accomplishment. Lolly said the road to the championship, something that had never been done before at Shepherd, is his greatest memory from playing with the Rams.
“First of all, it had never happened in school history,” Lolley said. “And just to be a sophomore, being able to help the team was big for me. Even though we didn’t win the National Championship game, it was still a great experience.”
Lolley played a big role in the Rams offense, rushing for 3,512 yards and 56 touchdowns during his time with the team. His senior season was his best yet as he rushed for 1,115 yards and 15 touchdowns.
Lolley said Shepherd was a great fit for him. In high school, Lolley played at St. Mark’s in Delaware and wanted to go to a college that was close to home. He didn’t have the grades to go to a Division I school, and Shepherd, located in West Virginia, reached out to him and his quarterback, Jeff Ziemba.
“I really chose Shepherd University because they showed interest in me and my quarterback,” Lolley said. “DI schools were out of the question as far as grades. And they showed a lot of interest so we just decided to go there together, and it ended up being the perfect fit for me.”
It has been a great ride at Shepherd, but now Lolley has his sights set on the NFL.
As he prepares for the NFL, Lolley is working to be in the best shape of his life. He is paying more attention to what he eats to shed off any extra weight off and working out at Titus Sports Academy in Newark, Delaware.
One reason Lolley believes he stands out from the rest is that he is more than just a runner. He is not just an every-down back, but can do a little bit of everything.
“I think a team should choose me based on my determination when I get the ball. Rarely does a guy ever bring me down by himself,” Lolley said. “Possibility to catch the ball and run aggressively, I think will make me stand apart from everybody else. I can block really good. I can run the ball pretty good. And I think they will be impressed by the way I can catch the ball in the air.”
He was definitely a threat as a pass-catcher at Shepherd. In his career, Lolley caught 57 passes out of the backfield, including six touchdowns. Lolley really did it all with the Rams.
Jabre Lolley Scouting Report
Lolley has great size at 6-foot, 220 pounds. While he isn’t the fastest running back out there, he uses his muscular frame to his advantage with some powerful runs. Adding more strength won’t be an issue for Lolley, who has shown some impressive, tough running.
Once he is handed the ball, he is patient enough to let his blockers open up some holes. His vision leads him to wide open areas of field to run. He can’t be arm tackled and looks to punish defenders by running them over or hitting them with a strong stiff arm. Lolley also has some decent cuts and spin moves to make defenders miss. When he gets to the open field he turns on the jets and gets up to a great speed for his size.
To go along with his power running, Lolley also has a knack for catching passes out of the backfield. He can beat man coverage and then catches pretty well. On plays where he is not thrown to, Lolley protects the quarterback well with good pass blocking. His ability to catch and block will enable him to stay on the field for third downs.
If teams need a power back, who can do more than just run with power, Lolley will be a name to look for.
For full interview with Lolley:
*Josh Burris interviewed Johnson, while Joe DiTullio provided the scouting report.
Featured image by Rick Kozlowski
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