Jack Alley ready for Air Force

By Mark Nagi

It was a tough season overall for the Farragut Admirals, as they finished the regular season a win shy of the playoffs.

One of the real bright spots for the Ads was senior linebacker Jack Alley, who finished with 132 tackles, 84 of the solo variety, with 15 tackles for loss.

Those numbers proved that Alley can in fact play at the next level. Come June, Alley will head west, to continue his academic and athletic career at Air Force Academy.

“They had been on my radar for a while,” Alley said of the Falcons. “I always thought it would be a great place to play and get my education, so when they contacted me and offered me, I knew that it was the right place. Education was a big thing… the next big thing was the coaching staff. I fell in love with them and their ways of coaching and on the military side I always wanted to serve my country, so it felt like the right fit.”

Alley was a three-time all-district standout and twice an all-star selection. He stands second all-time in tackles in Farragut football history.  He had opportunities to consider.

“I was extremely interested in the University of Charlotte before any of the academies reached out to me,” said Alley. “I decided to hold off and ended up recruited by all three service academies, and I knew Air Force was for me.”

With the Falcons, the opportunity will be there for Alley soon to make his mark.

“They recruited me for middle linebacker, and they expect me to get on the field pretty early,” said Alley. “They have two seniors right now that graduated.  I’ll have to make it on special teams first and get my name in there, but I expect to get some playing time my sophomore year if I can prove during my freshman year that I am ready for this level.”

Times are changing in college football, and that is the case for Air Force as well.  While they currently play in the underrated Mountain West Conference, it’s possible that within the next couple of years the Falcons are part of a reborn Pac-12 Conference, which would mean Alley plays Power 5 competition more often.

Even if that doesn’t happen, Alley is excited about his future.

“From the football aspect the stadium is awesome,” said Alley. “They are putting millions into redoing the stadium and it looks amazing. I always liked their jerseys too.”

One of the neat and unique things he will get to be a part of is competing for the Commander-in-Chief’s Trophy. The CIC Trophy is awarded to each season’s winner among Army, Navy, and Air Force. The Falcons hold the all-time lead with 21 trophy wins.

“I can already feel the pressure and tension watching it on TV,” said Alley. “I can only imagine how it feels playing in those games.”

Alley plans on majoring in Business Management. He could eventually get his master’s degree at another school, but fully intends to play his four years of college football at the Air Force Academy, and then fulfill his military commitment.

He will head to Air Force in June, start with a 40-day boot camp, then straight into school and practice.

We wish him the best of luck.