Scholastic recognition is nothing new to The Nest, but a former Redhawk brought a new honor to campus on Friday when 2011 graduate Jay Ajayi took the field at the Ford Center as part of the 2025 class being inducted into the FISD Athletic Hall of Honor.
“I had got the call from my old head coach, Coach Z, he had called me out of the blue and just basically gave me the great news,” Ayaji said. “I was excited, obviously, to come get honored here in front of my family and friends. Exciting day for me. I don’t know when I was acting up and just running around [in high school] if it was gonna go this far. But yeah, I’m just grateful for the journey, and obviously, again, to be a Hall of Honor [and] for everything I did is really incredible.”
The Hall of Honor was introduced in 2023, in which a panel every year elects past athletic greats to be recognized by the district with Ajayi chosen for his notable statistics and contribution to the Redhawks football team, his district wins in track, and his career after high school including a Super Bowl championship with the Philadelphia Eagles.
“It is a tremendous honor for the campus,” athletic coordinator Matt Swinnea said. “This is only the second class in the Hall of Honor, and to be nominated so early, with such a storied FISD athletic legacy, speaks volumes of Jay’s significant impact. During his time here, Redhawk football was simultaneously in its infancy and its heyday.”
During his time at The Nest, Redhawks football had two consecutive playoff appearances with district records of 7-6 and 12-0, with Ajayi setting records yet to be broken.
“He was one of the top five rushers in the state of Texas,” former coach Brandon Gonzalez said. “He had over 2000 yards, however, he played very few full football games. Most of the time he would play the first half, and then we would go to a backup running back, because we would be up 35 or 40 points. So he only had that many yards rushing, only basically playing half the games. But he was on pace to tie the state record for touchdowns too.”
Walking out of high school, Ajayi was a three star recruit who ended up at Boise State for three years before being drafted by the Miami Dolphins. Ajayi spent three years with the Dolphins before being traded to the Philadelphia Eagles where he would help the Eagles win the Super Bowl in 2018.
Gonzalez can’t say he saw Ajayi winning a Super Bowl, but he does know the London born son of Nigerian parents had some the talent to play beyond high school.
“Man, it’s hard to say that you can see somebody going to the NFL when they’re in high school,” Gonzalez said. “But you know, as he went through his recruitment process, a lot of schools came on him late and I just wondered why it took so long. You could definitely tell he was special. I mean, whenever we played other teams there, there was nobody that was on his level.”
It’s something the Frisco ISD Hall of Honor recognizes, and in January Ajayi will be inducted, along with the other members of the Class of 2025, at a luncheon along with a celebration on campus.
And even though it’s been more than a dozen years since Ajayi wore the red and black of the Redhawks, he hasn’t forgotten his former team.
“I know they haven’t been winning a lot, man,” Ajayi said. “So hey, guys, look we need at least one win, stack the wins, win the day first. Win the day first, and then go win the game after that, but good luck to the Redhawks always.”
This story was originally published on Wingspan on September 17, 2024.