BILLINGS — Jack Waddell is the type of person who doesn't speak often, but when he does, people listen.
The Rocky Mountain College football team wide receiver's head coach, Chris Stutzriem, has observed that what Waddell (a Livingston native) says gets the attention of those within the program, whether that's a wise-cracking joke or a stern statement.
"He's a great kid, he's fun to be around," Stutzriem said of Waddell. "He's kind of really quiet, but when he says something, it's usually pretty funny or pretty serious."
Consider it also an ironic metaphor for Waddell's career with the Battlin' Bears to date: mild-mannered, until he's at or near the forefront of conversation.
Following a breakout redshirt sophomore season in 2023, Waddell and the rest of his teammates on Rocky's spring football roster will strut their stuff for the first time in 2024 during Rocky's annual spring football game Saturday at Herb Klindt Field, scheduled to kick off at 2:30 p.m. The school's annual Bear Bash fundraising event will follow at 5 p.m. at the Fortin Center.
People are also reading…
Waddell — who played his final two high school seasons at Laurel, in which he led the Locomotives to a Class A state championship in 2020 — was sparingly used during his first two years at Rocky, redshirting in 2021 and only having five touches (four rushes, one catch) on offense in 2022, though he did have a long kickoff return for a touchdown in a game that season against Montana Western.
Fast-forward to his redshirt sophomore year in 2023, and Waddell suddenly emerged as one of the top options in the Bears' passing attack by catching 30 passes for 422 yards and two touchdowns, including a 92-yard house call in Rocky's season finale against Montana State-Northern that showcased his strong speed and agility.Â
Now that his talent's been heard loud and clear, what's next for Waddell, particularly as part of a talented Rocky wideout room that Stutzriem calls his "most experienced" position group?
The mellow and humble Waddell, clear in his words, said that the wideouts will strive to challenge each other and will make everyone as a whole better because of it.
"It's really just having the guys around you to push you, and it really brings out the best in you," Waddell said. "The receiver that I would switch off with, Nakeo (Thomas), him and I, we traded reps a bunch, but every time one of us made a good play, we were always there to congratulate each other and I think that dynamic specifically really pushed us to be greater.
"There was a lot of competition, but we just loved each other and so that brought the best out."
That competition helps a position group that should be one of Rocky's strongest next season, as well, with the Bears scheduled to open their 2024 regular season at future Frontier Conference foe Dickinson State (North Dakota) on Aug. 29.
Rocky's top three receivers from a year ago — Joseph Dwyer, DeNiro Killian Jr. and Waddell — are all currently on the spring roster and had a combined 132 receptions, 1,762 yards and 16 touchdowns between them in 2023. Who throws passes to that trio is the bigger question as Graedyn Buell, Trent Nobach and Luke Holcomb (all of whom started games at quarterback last season) are all back, though Stutzriem noted that Buell, a Wyoming native, is taking the bulk of the first-team reps in the spring as Nobach recovers from a hip injury.
Considering all of the changes under center that the receiver room went through, Rocky's ability to still finish fourth in the Frontier in receiving yards per game (261.3) in 2023 was that much more notable. With similar battles for playing time at quarterback as with the wideouts, Waddell hopes that everyone's level will be raised in return.
"Both rooms are highly competitive, and we like that aspect of it because it always keeps us at the top of our game," Waddell said. "Definitely thrown with all the QBs and they're all different, but you learn to get a certain dynamic with each one of them."
Waddell isn't just adjusting to different quarterbacks ahead of this upcoming season, however, but also adjusting to playing without his brother, John Waddell, for the first time in his college career, too. John, a Honorable Mention All-Frontier defensive back last season, has wrapped up his college career, leaving Jack to carry the family name on his back for 2024 and beyond at Rocky.
The younger sibling was thankful for his older brother's guidance and getting him up to speed on the grind of college football, remarking that it will be "a big dynamic change," but after the emergence Jack had last season, he's making his own noise now.
And Saturday's spring game, in a preview of what's to come later in the year, will be the stage he'll be heard.
"Coming in, he was like the only guy that I really knew (at Rocky), and so he brought me in and just showed me the ropes and introduced me to all of his friends that I've built super good connections with," Jack Waddell said of his brother. "While it lasted, it was awesome, and that was probably the most fun I've had here ... it's hard to see them go, but they've taught me so much and now it's kind of just focusing on this next year."
Spring game details
Per Stutzriem, Rocky's spring game will mainly feature situational plays and scenarios, noting that the Bears plan to be in "that 70- to 80-play range total" throughout the afternoon with first- and second-team units getting plenty of action.