(S25) - PT 3 - Early Decisions

[Goat_Whisperer]

Blago Kokot went to Arizona University. There were no bidding wars or competition to get Kokot as he was almost an unknown talent at that point. The decision to study in Arizona was made based on two factors, 1) the family lived somewhat close and 2) Arizona let Blago in, so that was all it took. Early on Kokot did not get to play that much, the other kickers were simply better, which was expected as Kokot did not have as extensive background in the sport as some of the other kids, but Kokot had the potential and hunger to make it into ISFL.

Took over a year before Kokot got to play, it was not because of Kokot did not improve or show that he could play at the College level, the main reason was how the coach of the football team wanted that every player also does well in their studies, that caused the most problems for Kokot, but just like with football Kokot managed to improve his grades and as a result he eventually was the number one kicker in Arizona.

It was not an easy road from Croatia to Arizona, but still showed a tremendous level of dedication from Blago and most importantly from his family as they were willing to move thousands of miles from home to get a better life. That move directly made it possible for Kokot to play football and study in college.