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OGDEN — Sometimes, fairy tales can have disappointing endings.
Playing Division I football, and being a quarterback no less, is a dream that millions of young American men aspire to, and the opportunity to live the dream is truly once-in-a-lifetime.
After signing with a team, the dream continues on by winning games, winning conference championships, contending for a national title, and living the life of a star.
Sadly, dreams don’t always end the way we want. And Jordan Adamczyk’s dream of leading Weber State University to a resurgence has ended in a disappointing way, as he has chosen to leave the program to move on with his life.
In a press release from Weber State, Wildcats coach Jody Sears said, “Jordan has battled a series of knee injuries and he decided it was best for him to have surgery and finish his degree. We thank Jordan for his contributions to Weber State and wish him the best in his future.”
There is nothing but truth in that statement from Sears. Adamczyk has battled injuries since the week two matchup against the University of Utah, and was never able to get healthy after being battered by a physical Utes defense — a harsh reality.
By giving up his dream of being a winning Division I quarterback, Adamczyk is doing good for himself and for the Wildcats’ hopes of returning to respectability in football. First, Adamczyk can start preparing for a healthier life after football, and treat himself appropriately to recover from his injury. Second, his leaving opens up the playing opportunities for his successor, Austin Chipoletti, as Weber attempts to move on from a very dark period in the history of its football program.
Quite frankly, Adamczyk’s days were numbered once the season began. Did the injury take a chunk of those days away? Absolutely. However, was the freshman Chipoletti bound to push Adamczyk out eventually? Absolutely.
Adamczyk was an interesting person to interview and be around. Always kind and courteous, he seemed a friendly figure to nearly everyone he met. However, he also was a bit shy and introverted — two characteristics that aren’t bad but aren’t generally associated with quarterbacks for winning programs.
In contrast, Chipoletti, as a freshman, has appeared confident and willing in his dealings with teammates, coaches and the media, which indicates he fits the prototype more.
Also, the playbook seems to have more depth to it when Chipoletti plays, as he physically can tolerate a game-plan that keys on zone reads and quarterback draws.
For the last several weeks, the Weber State coaching staff has tried playing both quarterbacks, with underwhelming results. Again, it wasn’t that Adamczyk performed badly in his appearances; it’s just that Chipoletti appeared to be able to do more with the offense physically, and the Wildcats need more, not less.
Overall, if Weber State’s program is to climb out of the depths it is currently stuck in, it will be Chipoletti who leads them there, and the future needed to start sooner rather than later for a program that has had an abysmal recent past.
Again, I feel for Adamczyk, who has never had much stability in his time in purple. Different head coaches, different coordinators — the amount of drama he’s been through in order to chase his dream is astounding. Hopefully, the biggest drama he will have in his life now will be deciding on whether he will wear black shoes or brown shoes to class that day.
It’s been said that when one door closes, another one opens right after. And, as the door closes on the Jordan Adamczyk era at Weber State, Jody Sears and company hope the Austin Chipoletti door can fully open up and let the light at the end of the tunnel shine over the program.
