Alabama Football’s John Metchie playing with heart
After a unique path to the University of Alabama football team, sophomore wide receiver, John Metchie, is creating a name for himself.
Alabama Football’s sophomore wide receiver John Metchie was born in Taiwan, lived in Ghana, but spent most of his life in Brampton, Canada. Canadians’ route to the American football scene wasn’t a popular one. Metchie knew if he was to make it big, he needed to leave everything he had ever known and move to America.
He made that decision prior to his first year of high school relocating to St. James High School in Maryland leaving all of his family behind. He played his last year of high school football in New Jersey at The Peddle School. After many stops along the way and being forced to grow up quickly, his dream was to one day make it to the NFL. He is also driven by a motivation to represent his home country to the football world.
As a freshman in high school, his story became even more complicated. During one of his games, he was hit in the chest and immediately knew something was wrong. His heart was beating too hard, and it was clear there was a big problem.
Because of the scary hit, doctors discovered Metchie had an enlarged heart causing abnormalities in his cardiac function. The condition left him on the bench the remainder of the season. He had to navigate the recovery process alone since he had left his entire family behind in Canada. Once again, Metchie was facing adversity.
Instead of letting the adversity sideline him forever, Metchie fought back. Despite being 14 with an incurable heart condition, Metchie decided not to give up football. He decided to push through.
He had to work twice as hard as his peers to condition and work to get his body back into proper shape. While his teammates were playing games, Metchie was constantly training and conditioning. He was hungry to return to the field.
When he did, he came out flying. He lit up the field for the remainder of his high school years. He put up huge numbers and quickly became the star.
His hard work gained national attention quickly, and he skyrocketed up the recruiting boards. He quickly earned a four-star ranking and the interest of 25 different Division I schools.
He decided to take his talents to Tuscaloosa, Alabama to join the Alabama Football team. He announced his commitment in true baller fashion with a video.
Since his arrival in Tuscaloosa, Metchie has made a name for himself. He played in all 13 games as a Freshman putting up only modest numbers behind Jaylen Waddle, Henry Ruggs III, Jerry Jeudy, and DeVonta Smith.
He is having a breakout season in his sophomore year with the Alabama Football team. He is now Mac Jones’ number two guy with Jaylen Waddle out for the year with an ankle injury. He is ranked sixth in the SEC in receiving yards with 720 yards and six touchdowns. He had his best game against Texas A&M with 181 yards and two touchdowns on only five receptions.
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John Metchie continues to overcome adversity and fight to prove himself. He plays with heart and is becoming a household name.