Adrian Peterson Jr., incoming Ridge Point freshman phenom, son of NFL star Adrian Peterson: ‘I believe in the journey’

MISSOURI CITY – The dynamic speed and skills of the son, an emerging star athlete, hearken back to the trademark moves of his legendary father.

Watching 14-year-old Adrian Peterson Jr., excel as a versatile football player and record-setting track and field sprinter, is reminiscent of his father: retired NFL Most Valuable player and Hall of Fame candidate Adrian Peterson, one of the greatest running backs in pro football history.

Peterson Jr. is already paving his own unique pathway as a precocious and humble Billy Baines Middle School student-athlete with rare speed and emerging moves.

His next stop: Ridge Point High School as a freshman next fall. He is already earning football scholarship offers from Baylor and Missouri State and shapes up as a future blue-chip recruit with the fast track that he’s establishing.

“I train hard, I’ve always worked hard, I got that from my dad,” Peterson Jr. told KPRC 2. “The work ethic I’ve put in, everything that I’ve done overall my whole life, I’ve always known what to do, just pushing through. I feel like that’s mindset towards a sport I love. That’s really helped me a lot throughout this journey.

“I’ve just stayed and strong and believed in God. The best advice my dad has ever gave me is just to stay focused. Don’t let any distraction throw you off track and just stay focused on the goal, work hard every day to get better. Just work super hard.”

A 6-foot-1, 170-pound wide receiver, running back and defensive back, Peterson Jr. is impressive in all facets of football. His routes are pinpoint and explosive. His acceleration is unique. His ability to track the football is uncommon. He’s an elusive touchdown machine with great vision for the end zone.

Of course, it helps to have incredible bloodlines.

Adrian Peterson ranks fifth all-time in NFL history with 14,918 rushing yards. Only Emmitt Smith, Walter Payton, Frank Gore and Barry Sanders rushed for more yards than Peterson.

Yes, Peterson Jr. studies old videos of his famous dad’s football exploits.

“i definitely like to see how he moves,” Peterson Jr. said. “He just ran so aggressive and just ran over defenders all the time. I really look at it and just try to make it into my own game and just play like how he plays.

“I definitely just take away like the way he plays, his mindset towards the game. I really just want to be able to use everything that I’ve learned from him and learned by myself and just put it all together to be the best possible player I can be.”

Now, Adrian Peterson Jr. is up next and making his own way as an young athlete with vast potential.

“He’s really good when it comes to running his routes,” Peterson said. “I was full-speed, so I always tell him and I’m not the receiver, but the people he works with in training to come to that position and be fast and be aggressive.”

Oklahoma, his father’s alma mater, Texas, Texas A&M, LSU and several other top programs are all expected to pursue Peterson Jr. Of course, there’s plenty of time for these pivotal decisions. After all, Peterson Jr is in the Class of 2030.

“I told him, ‘Man, I wasn’t getting scholarship offers in eighth grade and I didn’t get my first one until my sophomore year,’” said Peterson, who played at Palestine High School where he was the U.S. Army National Player of the Year and rushed for 2,960 yards and and 32 touchdowns as a senior and chose Oklahoma over Texas, Texas A&M, UCLA, Arkansas and Miami. “I told him, ‘You’ve got a lot of time ahead, so just enjoy the process and embrace it. God has blessed you, but just continue to remember you’ve got a lot of work ahead of you. So, continue to improve and enjoy it all.’”

When it comes to recruiting, the family will have a process for handling the attention and processing all of the information and suitors.

Yes, the Sooners will have a great shot at landing Peterson Jr.

“Yes sir, Oklahoma is definitely one of my favorite colleges,” Peterson Jr. said. “For sure.”

Is his father pushing for the Sooners?

“Not really,” Peterson Jr. said. “He doesn’t really care. It’s mostly about where I want to go and where I feel like the coaching staff is the best and who I have a relationship with the most. Things can change from now until then anyway.”

First, Peterson had to choose a high school football program.

He isn’t going far. He’ll be in Missouri City.

“I’ll be going to Ridge Point for high school,” Peterson Jr. said. “Just all the good coaches, I know they really make me a better player. I know they really care about academics over there, so it’s gonna really help me overall. I know a lot of the coaches, we’ve talked about it, and just the way they developed the players was really big in my decision.

“I’m really just super happy that my work is all paying off. I work super hard. Just to know that the colleges believe in me, all the coaches, I’m just super happy that they believe in me and think I can make it to the next level.”

In track and field, Peterson Jr. broke the Baines school record with a 10.7 time in the 100 meters and the school record in the 200 meters with 22.07 clocking. And he was part of a 100-meter relay team that broke the district record with a cumulative time of 43.82 seconds for gold medals in all three events.

“I take track really serious,” Peterson Jr. said. “That’s why I’ve been running with it. It just really helps you with everything and it translates to football, so I’m definitely going to be doing track in high school. That’s definitely the route I’m going to take.

“I definitely like football more, but I also like track because of the benefits that come with it. Even though I like football, I still take track just as serious because of what comes with it. And I’m good at it, so that’s why I take it so serious.”

Adrian Peterson Jr. can now beat his famous father in a race.

“It’s actually really cool knowing because I remember when I was younger I used to think about beating my dad in a race and I can now, so it’s actually really cool,” Peterson Jr. said. “I’ve trained super hard to get to where I am. I just believe in the journey and I believe in God.”

Peterson Jr. also has a perfect report card with a 4.0 grade point average.

Academics are constantly stressed as taking precedence over sports by his parents: Adrian and Ashley Peterson.

“I’m really happy that he’s been watching us and looking at the work ethic of myself and his father and taking that and running with it,” said Ashley Peterson, a successful realtor. “I know he’s learned so much and I just feel like he’ll be 10 times better than either one of us ever were.

“I appreciate that he’s paying attention and really picking up on the nuggets along the way. I’m just so happy to see who he’s grown into and I’m happy to see that everything that we’re trying to put into him is paying off and it’s sticking.”

Studying and homework comes first in the Peterson household.

“I really take grades serious now that I understand the importance of grades and sports and how that really contributes to the colleges looking at you,” Peterson Jr. said. “The coaches want to know they have a student-athlete, so I take it serious.”

Peterson was an NFL Offensive Rookie of the Year, an NFL Offensive Player of the Year, a four-time first-team All-Pro and three-time second-team All-Pro, a seven-time Pro Bowl selection and three-time NFL rushing champion. He is eligible for a first-ballot induction into the Pro Football Hall of Fame next year.

Peterson Jr. has been playing a lot of wide receiver, though, in addition to running the football out of the backfield.

“I like wide receiver a lot because I like to run routes, get open and I like catching the ball,” Peterson Jr. said. “I also like running back because you don’t really have to so much depend on a quarterback. You can really just make your own plays. You don’t have to worry about getting the route, getting the ball. You just get the ball and you just go.

“Defensive-wise, I like defensive back. I work on it a lot. I feel like if you are a wide receiver and you also play defensive back, it really helps a lot with both positions. Playing both, you get an understanding of both positions so you know what to do.”

Peterson Jr. loves watching Vikings wide receiver Justin Jefferson and Los Angeles Rams wide receiver Davante Adams and Cincinnati Bengals wide receiver Ja’Marr Chase.

“I watch them and I see what they do and then I come out here and practice as well,” Peterson Jr. said. “A lot of what I do is look at film from different NFL players. I look at Justin Jefferson’s routes, Davante Adams’ releases are really good.”

Peterson has several hobbies he enjoys when he’s not playing sports or doing his homework.

There are game nights with the family. He loves to go fishing and ride his scooter.

He has a green thumb in the family garden, growing everything from tomatoes, lettuce, cucumbers and watermelons. And the seeds that he’s planting and their growth runs akin to the way he’s sprouting into an accomplished young athlete, and the deep football roots of his father.

“I know how to do it,” Peterson Jr. said. “I get it from my mom.”

Aaron Wilson is a Texans and NFL reporter for KPRC 2 and click2houston.com