I am now a Richmond Spider Football alumni. It is surreal to say now. I began this journey signing on the dotted line with a tarantula sitting less than a yard away from me. The Yarbrough's are always for thinking outside of the box so signing day was no different. We bought a tarantula as a prop, not realizing we would have to take care of it after the fact. That day changed the course of my life. Homewood High had gotten me this far, now I needed Richmond to further myself as a player and a person. After four years of living here in Richmond I've grown up, got better at football and met meaningful people who have impacted my life.
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Before we talk about Richmond, you'll need to understand one thing about me: Football is my passion...Football has always been my passion.
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My first love was Alabama football. My family was deeply entrenched in southern football culture, especially the Crimson Tide. I grew up hearing stories of my brother, Win, taking his shirt off during the SEC championship game when it was 30 degrees. He was excited that the Crimson Tide had taken the lead. Unfortunately, when I became a fan, Alabama was in between the Gene Stallings Era and the Nick Saban dominance fans enjoy today. Basically, they were terrible and I took Alabama losses to heart. From age four until I was eleven years old, I would cry… hard... if Alabama lost. I would get so upset that I would run to the old Magnavox TV downstairs and replay the game on my Playstation 2. Only this time Alabama won by at least one hundred points. I would have both controllers going, making sure every Alabama play was a touchdown and every play of their opponents was a safety. This was just the beginning of my obsession with football.
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I begged my mother to play football from a young age. She made me play fall league baseball. The baseball fields overlooked where the football teams would practice. I would watch kids my age play football and longed to do the same. She finally let me play in first grade when I was six years old. It was tough, as I remember. I told my mom "Football hurts" after the first practice. I then realized you had to be tough to be successful in football, especially at my position. Coach Blade, who taught me how to (you guessed it) be aggressive, was my D-Line coach. I was playing with older kids because I was so large. He understood that I needed to play with "an edge" if I was going to compete with these older guys. My first gameday rolled around and I was excited. I got the start at nose tackle. My first play I broke through, pushed the center aside, sacked the quarterback and fell on the fumble that I jarred loose.
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Sold.
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I was in love. Football has consumed my life since then and I don't see that stopping soon.
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John Yarbrough conducts interview on signing with Richmond out of high school.
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Now back to Richmond. As a freshman, I found people here who loved to compete as much as I did. Micah Keels, Kolby Williams, Tyler Wilkins and I would duke it out on the basketball court my first summer here. Those same guys would push me to be great on the field and in the weight room. Richmond gave me a plethora of people who would make adjusting to life here a little easier. As a freshman, I valued my weekly Monday night dinners with Tyler Cole. We'd try something new every week. It was good to get away from campus, especially for a homesick freshman. I never thought going into college how much I would need support from people outside of my family. Richmond gave me that support in the form of people.Â
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I am not going to say football came easy because it did not. When football would get tough, I'd remember and realize my childhood enthusiasm for the sport. For most of my career, the struggle was worth it. Two games stick out to me when looking back on my career. One was the JMU game that was on College Gameday. Everything went right. We came out strong on offense, recovered a surprise onside kick and our defense got a stop at the end of the game to seal the win. The other game that stood out to me was when the Spiders defeated Virginia. This was the first time I got meaningful playing time. The first touchdown I was in on, Tyler Wilkins scored on a screen. The feeling I got picking him up off the ground was similar to that I got on my first play of peewee ball.
Leaving this place is going to be hard. My final season was not what anyone expected but I am still extremely proud of my group. The O-Line was supposed to be the biggest question mark of the offense be we have given up the third least sacks in the conference. In addition, this group has taught me how to be resilient. Our 'next man up" mentality was put to the test this season. We had three guys have season ending injuries. I have played at least one snap at every position this year. That is something I never expected to do. To whom much is given, much is expected, and Richmond has given me a bunch. I can't wait to see what the future has in store for me with this great sport. Whatever I end up doing, I know it will be because of what Richmond has done for me!
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John Yarbrough
Senior, Captain, Offensive Line
Once a 🕷, Always a 🕷
