Despite being one of the best players in his high school team, and a local star in the small town of Glennville, Georgia, Skiuuup was vastly disregarded by college scouts. He only had a single college offer, and that was from a Division II program, the Savannah State University Tigers. He thought of turning pro right then, because he needed the money to help his family and get them out of the poverty and misery they were living, but he still needed a couple seasons to ease in his body, because the growth spurt he had was big. He was 6'3", 250 pounds, and he had just finished high school. He needed to get used to his big frame. He wasn't as well built as he is now. He got the starting job right out of the gate. His prior experience as a wide receiver proved to be what he needed to shine in the collegiate level, but he knew it was not enough for the ISFL yet. He needed to work on his physique more. And the three years he spent playing for Savannah State were what made him the tight end he is today. He had the time necessary to move from the kids' leagues to the adult game. He also was the team captain after his freshman season, due to the resilience and the leadership he provided, something he had to learn, considering he grew up very poor.
New Orleans star cornerback Andrew Witten played his college ball at the University of Cincinnati. He started three seasons there and finished his career with the most interceptions in school history with 22. Witten is quite the underdog story. Attending a small high school in northern Kentucky, Witten was not a highly rated prospect going into college. He was an undersized corner without top end speed and did not receive any D1 scholarship offers. He did receive some offers from smaller schools but decided to walk on at the University of Cincinnati to stay close to family. Surviving on an academic scholarship his first season, he grew quite a bit in his freshman year to 6'3". His size allowed him to earn a spot on the Bearcats' football team his sophomore season. After a rash of injuries in the secondary Witten earned a starting role as a corner for Cincinnati, picking off four passes in eight games. Witten received a scholarship and decided to play two more seasons at the University of Cincinnati, becoming one of the best cornerbacks in the country and winning the award for best defensive player in the American Athletic Conference his senior year with 11 interceptions. From walk on to superstar, Witten's college experience is a wonderful success story that helped him be a high draft pick in the ISFL.
Written Option: Everyone starts somewhere, and for most players, the path to the pros picks up in earnest in college. Why did your player decide to go to the college they did (or not go at all)? Were they highly recruited, or did they walk on to the program? How long did it take your player to break into the starting roster of the college? If they played a different position in high school, what was the transition between positions like? Detail your player’s experiences, and be creative.
Lavelle Jr, of course the son of the Greatest defensive player of all time, as well as being the greatest kick and punt returner to ever grace the NSFL/ISFL universe. Lavelle Jr of course grew up in Yellowknife, of course his father played for the high touted Yellowknife Wraiths before he retired.
Lavelle Jr opted not to bother to play american football in college, knowing he would get into the ISFL just through the fact he is his fathers son. Instead he went and played for Aurora college in Yellowknife, opting only to play for their basketball team. Throughout the single season , Lavelle Jr. played in 26 total games averaging 13.8 points, 9.1 assists and 1.3 steals. Lavelle Jr. did not take questions or discuss his future beyond his one year in the NCAA basketball scene. After the collegiate year finished, Lavelle declared for the S16 Draft while also allowing his eligiblity to play as a late S14 DSFL player, for which he got picked up by the awful Kansas City Coyotes. He played out that shit fulled season before eventually finding his way to the Norfolk Seawolves in the S15 DSFL Draft before finding his way to the Austin Copperheads. So yeah that's pretty much what the story was with Lavelles untraditional NCAA career, 0 snaps played in the NCAA baby. Career longevity bruh
Felix Archstone's family has a history of attending the University of Florida, so ensuring that such a tradition was continued was a very important thing to him and the rest of the family. As someone who comes from a rather smart family, Felix was a bit of an odd man out as he is the only one in his family to pursue professional sports. But, he knew that the Gators would provide him an opportunity to not only make his family happy, but himself happy as well. Felix came from a rather small high school in regards to sports, which was Tampa Bay Tech. Their football team was nothing to write home about, but Felix stood out as the big man on the OLine who was able to pick up on everything the defense was throwing at him. Due to his family's legacy at UF, they were able to convince a scout to come out to at least check Felix out and see him in action. The chances of Felix getting a scholarship to UF was already rather high based on test results alone, and the position he played was one that usually needs more filling than anything else, so this ended up working out perfectly in regards to being able to fast track himself to the Florida Gators team via a sports scholarship. So, while he wasn't highly sought, he was given a chance to prove himself in the bigger leagues. The Gators offered him solid playing time and the chance to really learn the game at a more competitive level. Picking up on the mechanics and schemes was never a problem for Felix, but overwhelming strength and agility were something he always lacked. After two seasons of getting to play backup right tackle, Felix was finally given the nod to start and show himself. And the rest is history, as they say. Felix continues to play RT in the DSFL, and is already being prepped to continue playing RT in the ISFL. But no matter how far his career advances, he owes much to the Florida team that let him become the player he is today.