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Utah 12-year-old puts up astonishing football stats, has NFL ambitions

Posted at 10:33 PM, Mar 26, 2014
and last updated 2014-03-27 00:33:24-04

WEST JORDAN, Utah -- Oakley Kopp is used to having a football in his hands.

"To be honest with you to teach him, we were doing hut huts when he was one year old," Jeremy Kopp, Oakley's father said. "He was always interested in football. He was always carrying a ball. He was always throwing a ball when he was a baby."

Oakley's stats on this season speak for themselves. He has 39 passing touchdowns and nine rushing touchdowns.

His rushing yards are just as impressive, with 1,400 yards on his shoes. His inspiration for being a triple threat quarterback comes from the pros.

"I take it from the NFL. Like, quarterback Alex Smith is one of my big inspirations," Oakley said.

Even Jeremy, Oakley's dad and little league coach, is surprised with his son's success.

"It was kind of a surprise for me," Jeremy said. "I'm just always proud of what he does and his successes, but it was a little surprising I would have to say of how successful he's been and how well he's doing."

But, for the 12 year old, it's not just all about football. He has goals off of the field.

"I want to skip junior year and go straight to high school and then get a college degree and play in the NFL," Oakley said.

"Most important is his education," Jeremy said. "He's a straight A student and works really hard at school."

When asked if he could choose and NFL team to play for, he stayed loyal to his team.

"Even though there better teams out there... I'd have to go with my favorite team, the Washington Redskins," he said.