He nearly quit football years ago. Now he’s a top talent headed to play in the Pac-12
Before Graham Faloona became one of the top linebackers in the state, he was another sophomore trying to make it on the Southlake Carroll varsity team in 2017.
It was August and fall camp had started, but Faloona contemplated if this was the right sport for him.
“I remember my sophomore year and how tough it was on your first year of varsity. He wasn’t loving it,” said former Carroll linebacker Jacob Doddridge, who was a senior. “It can be difficult for a 15-year-old, especially if they haven’t done it before.”
Faloona was about to quit, but Doddridge and several team captains weren’t going to let that happen.
“I talked to him after practice and he wasn’t sure if football was him,” said Doddridge, who is now at Rice. “He’s always been one of the fastest guys and best athletes. He’s so natural so it was kind of surprising.”
Falling in love with football again
Carroll’s family mentality helped Faloona through adversity.
“I lost my love for football and was focusing on other things,” said Faloona, now a senior. “Lost my vision, but my teammates and coaches helped me through it. There’s no looking back now and I’m just in love with it.”
The message his teammates gave him, which he still abides by today: Play for the guy next to you.
“Everyone loves each other and that really helped me find my passion for the game again,” he said.
After a week, Faloona decided to stick with it. He went on to record 80 tackles, seven for loss and two sacks that season as the Dragons went 10-4 and reached the state quarterfinals.
“We all told him that was normal to feel stressed out. He wasn’t alone. Everyone’s been there, but so many people cared about him,” Doddridge said. “We wanted him to know we all loved him. It was awesome to see that passion come back. He plays hungry.”
Faloona went on to make 119 tackles last season.
Carroll went 13-1 with a trip to the state quarterfinals for the second straight year.
Then the colleges started to call. He received his first offer in April from Utah State and picked up 10 total.
Committed to the Utes
Faloona announced his commitment to Utah on June 27, just two days before Carroll finished as state runner-up at the 7-on-7 tournament in College Station.
“I think he started to enjoy the game again and being around his buddies,” Carroll coach Riley Dodge said. “We did some recruiting to keep him in the program and he had a great junior year and even better spring.”
“I had talked to a lot of schools for awhile, but Utah was one of the first to reach out,” Faloona added. “I kept in touch and as soon as I went out to the school, I feel in love with the campus, program and people.”
He also received offers from Wyoming, Tulsa, Texas State, Sam Houston State, Navy, New Mexico State, Air Force and Incarnate Word.
“He’s very athletic and loves contact. He’s a savvy kid and great leader and just fun to be around. So happy for him to get this opportunity at a place like Utah, which is a top 10, top 15 program in the nation,” Dodge said. “He’s been through adversity, but stuck with it. He trust the process and now he has a full-ride scholarship. His school is paid for. It’s an awesome story.”
“I wanted to go into my senior season committed. I wanted to have a home and not to stress about it,” Faloona added. “Utah is the perfect place for me.”
This story was originally published July 29, 2019 at 8:00 AM.
