In college, John Stark VIII was the key-piece of Dartmouth's linebacker core, making two All-Ivy teams in the two years he started every game. Additionally, he earned Ivy League Player of the Year after a monstrous Junior season. Stark's success led to him being drafted in the second round after declaring for the DSFL Draft. However, it took Stark until his first ISFL season to get used to the speed of the professional game. In his lone DSFL season, Stark dropped from 105 tackles, 18 TFL's, and 8 sacks in 10 college games to 84 tackles, 5 TFL's, and 7 sacks in 14 DSFL games. Despite this drop in stats, Stark was still viewed as a top ISFL prospect and went fourth overall in his draft. This proved to be a good decision as he jumped to 99 tackles, 7 TFL's, and 10 sacks while starting all 16 games as Defensive Captain for the Orange County Otters, being nominated for Defensive Rookie of the Year as a first season call-up.
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