Written Option Wrote: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.
Fresno state isn't the closest California state university to Barstow, but is sure seemed like it was the local school given how many of my friends went there. I was a decent player in high school, but ended up getting ranked as a two-star recruit. Looking back on how I was then vs. what I know now, that's probably fair. I spent my freshman year playing safety and not on the D-line, so there was definitely a few things where I had the wrong instincts still. Fresno was one of the schools that offered me a full athletic scholarship and it sounded like it had both a good athletic and academic program from the people I knew who went there. So that, combined with it being close enough for my parents to visit but not close enough for them to hover, led to it being my decision.
In college I played in rotation my first year but only around half of the snaps. I missed one game my sophomore year after I broke my hands, but did play at DE the entire time. I think that helped me out a lot in terms of polishing my game and I think that reflected well with how I performed in the DSFL and then ISFL since I've been drafted. My performance statistically in college was definitely different - I had a lot more tackles and sacks but fewer TFLs - but I think a lot of that comes from just being one of the best players on the field in college while I'm good but not near the top in the pros. There's also more specialization now than college - I was athletic enough to drop into coverage at times in college, but given the quality of our LBs I've been much more focused on the line, penetration, and stopping the run.
Draft Steal (retired S35 CB) - Profile/Update | Wiki
Troen Egghands (retired S22 DE) - Profile | Update | Wiki