In a stroke of luck, one of the most productive high school running backs required no elaborate recruiting pitch to choose Air Force.

In fact, it was Jordan Triplett who desperately wanted the Falcons to notice him.

Before Triplett rushed for an astounding 9,028 rushing yards at Frederica Academy in Saint Simons Island, Ga. – a total that is tops in Georgia High School history and included 3,172 as a senior – he lived in Falcon’s Meridian Ranch neighborhood and attended Falcon Middle School. There, about a 20-mile drive from Falcon Stadium, he attended Air Force football and hockey games and developed an affection for the academy.

When he finished among the nation’s rushing leaders in his first year of high school, college football became a realistic goal.

“We were talking about colleges and I was like, ‘Dad, I really want to go to the Air Force Academy,” said Triplett, whose father is retired from the Army and whose brother is a 2nd Lt. in the Army currently stationed in Kansas. “Ever since then we were just trying to get on their board.

“As I got older and continued to produce, they reached out. It was surreal. It was a great moment.”

Jordan Triplett, an Air Force signee, hoists a trophy earned by becoming Georgia’s all-time leading rusher.

COURTESY OF JORDAN TRIPLETT

Triplett found his way onto loads of recruiting boards as the yards piled up, numbers he credits to the play of the offensive line and to his vision on the field, which he considers his best attribute.

Florida and South Carolina came in with offers. Army and Navy did, too. In all, he had more than a dozen options to consider.

The difference, in addition to Air Force’s lead out of the chute from his background, was the staff that coach Troy Calhoun has built. A staff that hasn’t seen any movement this offseason.

“When you talk to that coaching staff you can tell that they want to be there,” Triplett said. They’re not there for other reasons. They’ve all graduated there and they’ve all come back to the academy. That says a lot.

“Coming back home and that coaching staff really made me want to come there.”

Triplett, who signed Air Force’s non-binding version of a national letter of intent Wednesday, will come directly to the academy (as opposed to through the prep school) and has already received his appointment. He will study biology on a pre-med track, hoping to serve as an orthopedic surgeon in the Air Force.

Triplett will be targeted as a fullback (also called a “superback”), the position that Brad Roberts played when he led the nation in rushing yards in 2022 and that Emmanuel Michel manned this past year when he ran for more than 200 yards in an MVP performance in the Armed Forces Bowl.

Around 35 others signed Wednesday, according to reporting from The Gazette. Air Force cannot release information on its recruiting classes.

The new signees, combined with about 50 from December, include 15 three-star recruits. That’s one fewer than San Diego State and four fewer than the average of Boise State, Colorado State and Fresno State – though traditional recruiting measurement have become outdated in the age of the growing transfer portal. But, again, the Air Force numbers might not be complete as the full class isn’t made public.

Some other highlights among those signing Wednesday include Daxen Hall, an Arizona native who piled up 3,237 all-purpose yards this season with 36 touchdowns.

Linebacker Jack Alley made 132 tackles this season, including 84 solo and 15 for loss.

Sage Dawson intends to play baseball and football at Air Force, and Junique Thomas, like Triplett, intends to become a surgeon.

“I loved everything about it, from the football side and the career side,” three-star receiver Astin Hange of Honolulu told a KHON News in Hawaii. “My character is what’s going to stay with me forever, and that’s something I want to build upon.”

AIR FORCE FOOTBALL CLASS OF 2024 SIGNEES

Jack Alley 6-2, 225, LB, Farragut, Tenn.

Jackson Altwies 6-4, 235, DL, Portage, Mich. (Northern)

Jaylen Archibald 6-0, 185, DB, Frisco, Texas

John Betts III 6-3, 214, LB, Atlanta (Westlake)

Jeremy Blute 6-3, 230 OL ,Warner Robbins, Ga., (Houston County)

Jonah Bowman 6-2, 225, LB, Prosper, Texas (Rock Hill)

Reign Broadway* 6-2, 185, WR, Mansfield, Texas (Lake Ridge)

Jack Brumbelow  6-4, 225   TE  Suwanee, Ga. (North Gwinnett)

Ethan Brumgard 5-11, 190, K, Schertz, Texas

Lamont Burton 6-2, 190, LB, Phenix City, Ala. (Glenwood School)

Nolan Byers 6-1, 310, OL, Covington, La. (Hannan)

Eli Campbell 6-3, 280, OL, Princeton, W.Va.

Dyelon Caradine    6-2, 165   ATH   Malvern, Ark.

Harry Caskey* 6-4, 220, OLB, Ogallala, Neb.

Caleb Chamberlin 6-2, 190, DB, Jupiter, Fla. (Palm Beach Gardens)

DeSean Davis 6-5, 220, DE, Dallas (HSAA)

Jalen Davis* 6-5, 220, DE,, Dallas (HSAA)

Jonah Dawson* 5-10, 175, WR, Rancho Cucamonga, Calif.

Sage Dawson 6-0, 160, QB, Danville, Ky. (Boyle County)

Kaden Dees 6-4, 230, DE, Cedar Park, Texas (Vista Ridge)

Chase Dexter 6-0, 180, DB, Plant City, Fla.

Tommy Diamond    6-3, 210    OLB    Geneva, Ill.

Ethan Dodson 6-4, 280, OL, Fort Wayne, Ind. (Snider)

William Duncan 6-2, 225, P, Katy, Texas (Tompkins)

Omari Elias 5-9, 185, RB ,Wichita, Kan. (Kapaun Mt. Carmel)

Jordan Elie-Stuart 6-1, 185, DB, Houston (Houston Christian)

Luke Faccone 6-1, 190, P, Puyallup, Wash.

Grady Forsythe 6-4, 210, TE, Conifer

Brody Fortunati 6-3, 190, QB, Vacaville, Calif.

Alex Foster 6-1, 185, DB, Austin, Texas (Vandegrift)

Jack Franklin 6-4, 210, DE, Phoenix (Pinnacle)

Corbin Glass 6-3, 285, OL, Plano, Texas (East)

Jax Gates 6-2, 180, DB, Lincoln, Neb. (Norris)

Luke Granzow 6-0, 200, LS, Hobart, Ind.

Terrence Guillory II 5-8, 155, WR, Houston (North Shore)

Rylan Hale 6-2, 211, LB, Yulee, Fla.

Daxen Hall 5-8, 175, RB, Gilbert, Ariz. (Higley)

Astin Hange* 5-9, 170, WR, Honolulu (Punahou)

Laird Hanson-Felter 6-4, 245, DE, Prosper, Texas

Clayton Hart 6-1, 180, WR, Laneville, Texas (Carlisle)

Jake Helms 6-0, 200, LS, Austin, Texas (Westlake)

Josh Hendricks 6-0, 175, ATH, Owasso, Okla.

Grayson Hodges 5-11, 205, LB, Kennesaw, Ga. (North Cobb)

Nate Hoss 6-6, 245, DE, Laguna Hills, Calif.

Raymond Howard 6-3, 300, OL, Marrero, La. (Archbishop Shaw)

Tremaine Hughes Jr. 5-9, 190, ATH, Tallahassee, Fla. (John Paul II Catholic)

Connor Irons 6-6, 245, DE, Fullerton, Calif. (Sunny Hills)

Joshua Janda 6-5, 240, DL, Orchard Lake, Mich. (St. Mary’s)

Tyrese Johnson 6-4, 265, DE, Arvada (Ralston Valley)

Mitchell Jones 6-3, 290, OL, Fullerton, Calif. (El Dorado)

Wyatt Joyce 5-9, n/a, K, Lewisburg (Marshall County)

Jake Kepler 6-4, 225, DE, Springfield, Ill. (Sacred Heart Griffin)

Brady Kerperin 6-2, 210, LB, Jefferson City, Mo. (Blair Oaks)

Jackson King 6-3, 190, QB, Wichita, Kan. (Bishop Carroll)

Jamison Klein* 6-3, 230, DL, Oconomowoc, Wis.

Gage LaDue 6-1, 215, RB, Maryville, Tenn.

Matt Long* 5-11, 185, WR, Folsom, Calif. (Vista del Lago)

Justin Ludovico 6-0, 185, P, Rancho Cucamonga, Calif. (Etiwanda)

Jayden Malbranche 6-2, 170, CB, Fort Myers, Fla. (Evangelical Christian)

Sean Marella 6-3, 260, OL, Huntington Beach, Calif.

Jack Matranga* 6-2, 230, LB, Mission Viejo, Calif.

Cameron Matthews 6-0, 295, DL, Sharpsburg, Ga. (Trinity Christian)

Noah McNair* 5-11, 185, WR, Sunnyside, Wash.

Evan Medders 6-0, 200, QB, Waxhaw, N.C. (Marvin Ridge)

Antonio Menard 6-3, 215, DE, Lakeville, Minn. (North)

Anthony Miller 6-5, 290, OL, Uniontown, Ohio (Lake)

Max Miranda 6-0, 205, K, Keller, Texas (Central)

Brodie Mitchell 6-3, 210, LB, Portland, Texas (Gregory-Portland)

Richard Munoz Jr.* 5-10, 185, ATH, La Puente, Calif. (Bishop Amat)

Brandon Nazworth* 6-4, 265, DL, Folsom, Calif. (Vista del Lago)

Porter Nix   6-4, 260   OL   Mesquite, Texas (Dallas Christian)

Ryan Perry 6-3, 210, DE, Hampton, Ga.

Willie Powell Jr. 6-0, 200, LB, Harper Woods, Mich.

Sam Rhoades V 6-4, 230, DE, Tulsa, Okla. (Bishop Kelley)

Caden Romo 6-4, 240, OL, Wimberley, Texas

Benjamin Rosa 6-4, 265, OL, Prosper, Texas (Rock Hill)

Christian Sabsook 5-11, 165, ATH, Corpus Christi, Texas (Veterans Memorial)

Mikhail Seiken 6-0, 175, ATH, Silver Spring, Md. (Montgomery Blair)

Brody Smith  6-5, 285   OL  Jefferson City, Mo.

Clayton Sobecki 6-1, 170, ATH, Southlake, Texas

Isaac Stafford   6-4, 240   DL   Willis, Texas

Tanner Stokes* 6-2, 280, OL, Snoqualmie, Wash. (Mount Si)

Liam Szarka 6-2, 190, QB, Aurora (Grandview)

Johnique Thomas 6-2, 280, OL, Manor, Texas

Kole Tompkins     6-4, 215    TE   Midlothian, Texas

Jordan Triplett* 5-10, 205, RB, Saint Simons Island, Ga. (Frederica Academy)

Jabez Tuaoa* 6-1, 230, LB, Kent, Wash. (Kentwood)

Tomsen Vickery 6-5, 215, DE, Dripping Springs, Texas

Bennett Williams 6-4, 275, DL, Princeton, Ill.

Nkongolo Wa-Kalonji* 6-4, 195, ATH, Aurora (Grandview)

Travis Wood 5-10, 210, RB, Rancho Santa Margarita, Calif. (Tesoro)

Will Zielinski 6-5, 290  OL  Clarksville, Tenn.

*-Three-star recruit

Jordan Triplett