The valedictorian at Denton Guyer High School and a running back on the Wildcats' football team, Kaedric Cobbs isn’t about to let the coronavirus derail his dreams.
“We're stuck inside, yes, but that's not going to stop me from staying in shape and getting ready to go play college football,” he said.
The all-state selection for the Wildcats is headed to the University of Texas at San Antonio to play football, but at an early age, his parents stressed that his success shouldn't only come on the gridiron.
“I was like, 'OK, it's on me to manage my time properly where I can still be successful in football, but where I can also go be a valedictorian,'" Cobbs said.
Cobbs' father said he couldn’t be prouder, not only of the way his son capped off his high school career but by the way he leads his life every day.
“Beyond being valedictorian, besides being an all-state football player, it's the godly man that he is," Cobbs' father, Bels, said. "And I know that's really not what people maybe want to hear, but I'm telling you, at the end of the day, that's what's going to get him further than the scholarships, further than his education is his belief and his relationship with Christ.”
And then, there’s his relationship with Kelly Clarkson?
Sports Connection
Connecting you to your favorite North Texas sports teams as well as sports news around the globe.
Cobbs was one of three students across the country to sit in with the talk-show star and read his entire graduation speech.
It was a cool moment that an 18-year-old had to commemorate, even if it led to some ridicule from his classmates.
"The camera caught me taking a selfie," Cobbs said. "They (my friends) were like, 'Why were you taking a selfie?' and I was like, 'Well, I'm on a show with Kelly Clarkson. Why wouldn't I take a selfie?'"
Plenty of selfies are sure to be snapped at Denton Guyer’s graduation as well. Because of COVID-19 concerns, the ceremony on Friday will take place at Texas Motor Speedway, and Cobbs said he's cool with that.
“That's something cool that's like a fun fact," he said. "That I'll be able to hold over my older friends that are already in college like, 'Yeah, you may have graduated at North Texas, but I got to graduate at Texas Motor Speedway.”
