Jeffrey (Blake) Faulkner '19 Recruiting Profile

Soccer was a hobby of mine when I was young. At 12, I attended a summer camp at FC Dallas and it has grown into a great passion ever since. From that point on I knew I wanted to play at high levels of this sport. Soccer has taught me great work ethic and leadership skills that has helped me excel in school and other activities. It has given me the chance to compete and at the same time develop lifelong relationships with different coaches, teammates and competitors.

         “Practice makes perfect” is a philosophy that I live by. When I began this sport, hustle and effort were the only skills I had. It has been years of work and effort that have developed me into the player and student I have become. I can always get better, whether that be the first touch in soccer or that trig problem in math. I will never be satisfied and I always find something that I can work and improve upon. This is what separates me from many other athletes. I’ll put in all the extra work I need to so that the team can succeed.

         There are always challenges in life. It may be in a class room or an injury in the game. My freshman year of high school I had a traumatic OCD fracture which sidelined me for 4 months. During this time I couldn’t walk, so outside of therapy it was pullups and pushups to keep my body and mind strong. I rehabbed hard to get back to the level I was at before. The silver lining in this experience was being exposed to orthopedic surgeons and physical therapists. This peaked my interest in healthcare and is where I decided to work on and academic course to become an orthopedic surgeon. I know that it will be a long, hard road to reach that goal. Just like my goal of playing soccer in college, I’m committed and no one will out work me to get there.