Florida QB Trey Hedden locked in with Southern Conference power Furman
Written by Ryan Wright
Twitter: @RyanWrightRNG
TAMPA, Fla. – Returning to his alma mater, one can see what head coach Clay Hendrix is building at Furman. Outside of the 2020 season, the Paladines have found success with Hendrix in Greenville (SC), especially coming off a 10-3 campaign. One of the players believing in the future of the Paladins’ program is 2024 quarterback Trey Hedden III.
Hedden (6-3, 215) proved himself as a field general for Tampa Catholic (Fla.) last season tossing for 1,896 yards with 27 touchdowns. The Paladins got him on June 14, and that connection is growing stronger.
Hedden spoke about his passion for Furman’s program.
“I truly believe in the coaching staff there, the family environment that they have, and I think they will put me in the best situation to succeed not only for the next four years, but also for my next 40 years,” Hedden explained.
The scheme under offensive coordinator/QB coach Justin Roper is a fit for Hedden.
“When talking to coaching to coach Roper, the offensive coordinator at Furman, it is very evident that no matter the play, there is always another option to beat the defense,” Hedden shared. “He is never stumped. There is always a way to beat the defense. In other words, he is always putting me as the quarterback in a good situation to succeed regardless of the play call or situation that we are in.”
After committing in June, Hedden is on the recruiting trail for the Paladins.
“I was there a few weeks ago trying to recruit other guys, in June is when I committed,” Hedden said. “I visited, went home, and called them the next day to commit. I went home to spend time with my family to make sure I was making the right decision.”
Hedden continued detailing his pitch to other prospects, “When most people think of Furman, they do not know much about it, or they think it is a small school. What I tell them, you have to look at all the boxes. The size of a school is just one of the boxes that a recruit may check during his process. For me, Furman checked the most boxes during my recruiting process; that’s what it came down to.”
Return visits to Furman this fall are lining up for Hedden.
“I will be up for one or two game-day visits, I’m just not sure when yet because of our season,” Hedden stated. “I’m trying to prioritize winning a state championship.”
Locked in, when Hedden takes his official to Furman in December, date yet to be set, he’s going up there with the future in mind.
“I’m going up there to recruit other guys,” Hedden shared. “If there are guys not committed, get them committed. The goal is to continue to build the strongest recruiting class in Furman’s history.”
When Hedden suits up for the Paladins, he already has his mindset and goals formulated.
“When I go up there, it will be important to leave my pride at the door, put my head down and grind so I can get my opportunity to play early,” Hedden said. “They have a six-year quarterback graduating; he will be done after this year. There will be an open quarterback competition; I have to put my head down and grind.”