PROGRESS 2024: Where are they now?: North Murray grad Petty finds his way back to Berry
Mar. 31—Cade Petty originally signed with the football program at Berry College during his senior year at North Murray High School in 2021.
Two years and a position change later, Petty finally became part of the Vikings' team.
"I've enjoyed it a lot," Petty, who joined the roster at Berry for the 2023 season, two years after graduating high school, "I reached back out to the coach, and that's just how I got back in here."
Petty's journey came full circle when he landed back at Berry.
A two-way standout first for Murray County High and then as a senior at North Murray, Petty originally inked a national letter of intent to play for the NCAA Division III school at a ceremony during February, 2021.
Then, a Division I program came calling.
Tennessee-Chattanooga, a Division I Football Championship Subdivision team even closer to home in Chatsworth for Petty than Berry, offered Petty a spot on the team as a preferred walk-on — and a chance to live out a dream.
"That was a Division I school and that was always a dream of mine," Petty said. "I did a year there, and I just realized that I wasn't as happy and it wasn't all it was hyped up to be for me."
Petty, listed as a wide receiver at UTC, redshirted his lone year and didn't see any game action during the 2021 season. He left the team prior to the 2022 season and found himself back where he began: A Berry Viking.
"It has a lot more of a high school feel to it as far as the friendships you make on your team," Petty said. "I've enjoyed being back at Berry."
Petty went into the 2023 season still listed at wide receiver, but he made a big impact on special teams for a Berry squad that went 9-1.
Petty caught one pass for eight yards during his first season with Berry a year ago, but he had a presence on the punt block, kickoff coverage, kickoff return and punt return teams. He totaled seven tackles, but also had two return touchdowns.
Petty, showing flashes of what he used to do in Mountaineer black-and-gold, returned a kickoff 72 yards for a touchdown in an October game against Sewanee, then had a punt return for a score in November against Birmingham Southern.
Petty was named the team's internal Newcomer of the Year award for his first season with the Vikings.
After watching his performance on special teams, the Berry coaching staff decided to switch Petty to outside linebacker.
"Our coach had come up to me in the middle of the season and asked me about moving to safety when the year was over, but they ended up deciding that linebacker might be the best fit," Petty said.
So Petty, who had experience playing all over the field in high school, will make the switch to full-time linebacker for the 2024 season for the Vikings.
"There's not really that much of an adjustment for me, because I have always felt like I had a defensive mindset anyway," said Petty. "I'm joining a new position group, but it's all guys that I know and that I've been friends with."
The change has felt like a natural fit so far, Petty said, and he looks forward to continuing to hone his defensive instincts after working as a wide receiver at both of his collegiate stops.
He hopes the change will help grow his role as he enters his junior season for the Vikings.
"My goal for this year is to get on the field more on defense and not just on special teams," he said. "I also want to make it a goal to be named all-conference before I leave."
While playing at Berry, Petty is majoring in exercise science.
"I think I want to be a strength and conditioning coach either on the high school or the college level."
