(S25) - PT 3 - Early Decisions

[Rusfan]

Joel Drake was not the most highly regarded prospect out of high school, nationally rated as a three star prospect he had offers from lower-rated teams, but none that offered a bright future at the professional level. He decided to take the longer route that promised a brighter future by walking on at Louisville. The obvious struggles with facing an upper class of competition showed themselves almost immediately, with Drake having to fight to even see the field on special teams. For his first 2 seasons he only defended on kickoffs and punt returns. His junior year was when things started to look up. With an injury to the starting free safety Joel Drake has his opportunity and he made the best of it. Primarily as a coverage safety though he struggled in the run game. His senior year was his starring moment, taking a permanent starting role following his performance the previous year. He took off right where he left off in his junior year, and became a captain of his team. Entering the DSFL he was at the highest point of his career at the time and it was all traceable back to his decision to walk on to that squad in Louisville, Kentucky.