Jacobs fullback Caden DuMelle eyes big junior season

Jacobs’ Caden DuMelle flashed big-play ability as a runner and pass catcher early into his sophomore season.

With opposing defenses unable to slow him down, DuMelle was moved from one of three running backs in the Golden Eagles’ offensive system to the team’s starting fullback.

That decision paid off in a big way.

DuMelle really took off as the team’s bruiser in the backfield and led Jacobs with 1,277 rushing yards in his first full season. And no other Fox Valley Conference player ran for more yards than DuMelle through the end of the regular season.

No longer under the radar, the 5-foot-11, 205-pound DuMelle is ready to build on his breakout sophomore campaign.

“At the beginning of the season, I got into a couple of games, but when the coaches let me get the rock, I guess that’s when I balled out,” DuMelle said. “My coaches and my teammates just trusted me, and my O-line was great.

“When I broke the school [single-game rushing] record, it was crazy. I felt like it really showed what I can do and what’s to come since I have two more years left.”

Jacobs coach Brian Zimmerman said a play-action catch in which DuMelle refused to go down during a Week 3 loss to Huntley showed him the star potential of the blossoming fullback.

DuMelle had the game of a lifetime and dazzled with a school-record 301 yards on 31 carries in Week 7, scoring four touchdowns in a 41-14 win against Crystal Lake Central.

That sensational performance vaulted him to the top the Northwest Herald area leaderboard in rushing yards, a spot he would not give up until the playoffs. Only Cary-Grove fullback Logan Abrams (1,590 yards) and Huntley running back Haiden Janke (1,369) finished with more rushing yards.

“This year is a new me. .. What they saw last year is nothing like what they’re going to see this year.”

—  Caden DuMelle, Jacobs junior fullback

Zimmerman said DuMelle reminds him a lot of former running back Ben Ludlum, who led the area in rushing in 2021 with 1,732 yards. DuMelle also reminds him of 2022 grad Nasir Canty with his big body and refusal to go down. That combination of speed and power makes him tough to stop.

“He has an uncanny ability to find little grooves and just not go down,” Zimmerman said. “He is shifty enough holding onto the ball, and he can run people over. He was 180 [pounds] last year, he’s 205 this year, so we’re hoping that having more beef on him will help get those extra yards.

“We’re excited for all our running backs. We really like what we have. We’re not super flashy obviously. We’re going to try and get 8, 9 minute drives, similar to what Prairie Ridge and Cary-Grove does. I think with his ability level and the other backs we have back, we have a lot to be excited about.”

Although DuMelle will get a lot of the work, Zimmerman is excited about his entire running back group, which also includes seniors T.O. Boddie and Matthew Scardina and junior Michael Cannady.

Boddie and DuMelle have known each other almost their entire football-playing careers. Boddie finished his junior season with 696 yards on 92 carries, a 7.6 average, with six touchdowns. DuMelle, meanwhile, averaged just over 8 yards a carry.

Boddie played running back last season for the first time since Pop Warner, when he first met DuMelle. Those two figure to get a lot of action this year.

“It’s going to be something special,” Boddie said. “We’ve been best friends since Pop Warner, and I think we’ve got something good going. I think we can move Caden anywhere and he’ll do his job. I trust him. I feel like Caden is the power back, and he also loves to block. He loves to clear out that lane, that’s what he specializes in.

“With my speed and agility and his blocking, I feel like I can make a cut, get off to the corner and just go from there.”

DuMelle said he has started to get looks from a number of schools, including Iowa, Miami (Ohio) and NIU, but that is not his focus right now. He thinks an FVC championship is possible with the players the Eagles have back. Jacobs was fourth in the FVC last season with a 6-3 record, losing to Prairie Ridge, Huntley and Cary-Grove.

Last year was special, but DuMelle is aiming even higher in 2024. Jacobs hosts Prairie Ridge, the defending FVC champ, in Week 1.

“This year is a new me,” DuMelle said. “I just have to stay consistent with what I do. I’ve been putting in a lot of work in the offseason, just developing new moves and everything. What they saw last year is nothing like what they’re going to see this year.”