:format(webp)/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_image/image/33299003/Abdallah_Jaffal_2.0.jpg)
When we first reached out to Western Michigan commit Abdallah Jaffal, we thought he might have been brushing us off initially when he asked to be interviewed at a later time.
Abdallah Jaffal
Dearborn, MI
Status: Verbally committed to Western Michigan
Commitment Date: March 30th, 2014
Height: 6'0"
Weight: 210 lbs.
Position(s): OLB, S
High School: Fordson H.S.
Well that assumption couldn't have been further from the truth as the Dearborn native was busy volunteering his time at a local park cleanup community service project -- all day on a Saturday nonetheless.
That alone tells you the type of high character person P.J. Fleck and the Broncos are getting in 6-foot-2, 210 lb. linebacker Abdallah Jaffal.
"We have a park around here called Rotunda Fields," Jaffal elaborated. "When I was growing up, it was used for Little League baseball."
"The park started getting dirty and messy and a lot of people wanted to close the park down. So we are out here with volunteers picking up trash, raking leaves, cleaning up, and trying to get the park back open. It's nice to give these kids an opportunity to do something at a young age."
Jaffal's humble disposition and humility also translates onto the football field, where he hopes to be able to make an equal impact.
"Throughout my life, my parents have supported me and devoted a lot of time. Getting to that next level would be the best way to pay them back," said Jaffal.
"It's one of the best feelings I've had in my entire life," he said when asked about getting his first and only scholarship offer from WMU.
"They were the only school that's given me the chance to play at the next level. I'm very thankful for the opportunity. Just the fact that they were the first school to give me the opportunity to play at the next level and the way they've treated me throughout the entire process, that's going to be hard to match."
In addition to Western Michigan, Jaffal has been hearing from Ball State, Central Michigan, Cincinnati, Eastern Michigan, Michigan State, Purdue, and Yale.
Jaffal told Hustle Belt he was impressed the most with the coaching staff and the new facilities.
"The things Fleck has been doing is amazing. He's transformed that entire program in a year. I like his enthusiasm... it's not just about football with him. That's something that really got me to want to go there. He wants you to get a degree, focus on school, and graduate."
"[WMU] had the number one recruiting class in MAC history. They're moving forward and I think that's something that really caught my eye and my attention."
Jaffal is projected to play at the outside linebacker position at Western Michigan, possibly even safety. He plans to attend the Sound Mind, Sound Body camp in Detroit on June 12-13.