(S25) - PT 3 - Early Decisions

[Jimi64]

DeSoto was a three star recruit coming out of high school. Although a LSU fan growing up, there was no guarantee of an abundance of playing time. In addition, he was still unsure if he would be pursuing football after college. A combination of a desire to stay at least somewhat close to home and the promise of an immediate starting position brought DeSoto to the University of Louisiana at Lafayette. The school was elated to land him as a prospect, as he had offers from somewhat more prestigious programs. Therefore, expectations were quite high. His college career, however, did not go as planned. His first season was extremely poor, even leading to him being benched and not playing through his sophomore season. It wasn’t until injuries to the linebacker corps his junior year that he was able to see the field again, but this time he made a major impression with both his play and leadership. His resurgence was so inspiring to his fellow players and coaches that he was named a defensive captain for the following season. Before his senior year, he was not expected to be drafted, but a stellar senior season (and a great year overall for the Ragin’ Cajuns) set him up as one of the higher linebacker prospects for the DSFL draft. DeSoto could have easily quit after he was benched, but his perseverance and faith in his own talents led him to what has been a successful career thus far.

[SchwarzNarr]

Born on Isle Royale, Melvin wasn’t like most other moose. Born on a tiny island even further away from the world, he didn’t know much about what went on around him. Sure, he may have seen boats and humans every now and then, but it wasn’t as though he was living in the big city. Life was a little different for this moose. He wasn’t as afraid of humans, and when the opportunity came to hit the mainland, he took it. It was there that he met his fated companion and best friend, Daria Guava-Fresca. She had decided that camping in the upper peninsula of Michigan was the best way to spend the off-season. After several cold seasons and new growth with Daria, it seemed only fair to venture south with her, and to fight as a Wolverine, whatever that meant.

While it wasn’t as though Melvin was out of place in Ann Arbor, he definitely didn’t belong, either. He spent more time in the arboretum and parks, instead of hanging out inside of Daria’s apartment, but every practice and every game day, you could find him there on the field. He was the unofficial mascot. It was rumored at one point that they were even going to change the team to the University of Michigan Moose (heaven forbid, could you imagine if Melvin had even more of an ego?).

While Daria was picked up by the Seawolves, Melvin had been watching her play and practice for many years. He didn’t mind missing out of being a regular moose, and instead enjoyed catching the ball in his antlers every season. That was when they knew they had grown in well, when he could catch the football without popping it or dropping it. So while Melvin didn’t traditionally go to college, and wasn’t expecting to play football, after murdering his owner, it seemed like the only possible move. He needed to pretend to be Daria Guava-Fresca on the field. Unfortunately for him, moose don’t kick so good. Fortunately for him, moose tackle real good.

[Faelax]

SHL PT Affiliate Claim

[Jonny2x]

Sam Torenson was always the biggest and strongest kid in his home town.  Except that his hometown was a very small city so it meant a lot less than he had become accustomed to.  Throughout his high school career football was more of a getaway than a way of life.  Sam grew up as a farmer’s son and he was always working.  He joined the football team simply as a distraction.  When he began to realize football could take him out of his hometown he began to really work at it.  His senior year rolled around and he was a bona fide state super star.  Though, due to his late arrival to the scene he was asked to walk on at most of the big schools.  He couldn’t put his parents through that kind of debt so he chose the biggest school that offered him a full scholarship and that school was the University of North Carolina.  When he arrived at his first freshman spring practice he immediately realized he was in for a rough season.  He was no longer the biggest or strongest.  This did not deter him and by his senior season of college football he had showed how smart of a move it was for North Carolina to bring him in, one thousand times over.

[run_CMC]

Ashley Owens didn't play football until high school, but he was able to adapt to the game (and thrive) quickly enough that he fielded offers from numerous schools in his region (Wisconsin). An all around player his whole career, he had lined up at every skill position throughout highschool and dominated the competition, so he was recruited as a general athlete. The most prominent teams to recruit him were the Wisconsin Badgers, the Western Michigan Broncos, and the Northwestern Wildcats; Owens ended up joining the Badgers as they offered the most substantial scholarship. At Wisconsin, Owens struggled at first. He couldn't run over people as a runningback as he did at the high school level, so he was at first nothing more than a decent receiver with a bit too little practice at the position and a bit too much at runningback. In his freshman year, he rarely saw the field. However, over the course of the year and the summer, he worked hard and transformed himself. Against the suggestions of some coaches, he committed himself to being a true dualthreat runningback, and he succeeded. His sophomore year in college, he confidently held the second string RB spot as a highly effective receiving back, and come junior year, he became a star, putting up huge numbers both on the ground and through the air.

(224 words)

[Tylar]

Timmy Dimbi decided to go the college route because both of his parents are teachers and a quality education was both his parents and Timmy's priority growing up. If Timmy was to play football growing up, his grades and school work had to be up to par, at minimum B's. Dimbi always wanted to go to school and grew up watching the Notre Dame Fighting Irish on television with his dad on NBC. Timmy's choice to go to Notre Dame was easy once he was recruited. Timmy was a 3 star prospect who many were not sure would start or play in year one, which he did not really play.In his freshman season Dimbi played in a few games but only started three because of injuries to many starters. Dimbi spent most of his freshman season hitting the books as he prided himself as an academic overachiever. Dimbi finished his freshman year on the dean's list and at the top of most of his classes. His sophmore season, Dimbi won the starting position as a defensive tackle and never went back. Dimbi managed to keep up his school work and his spot on the team. Overall Timmy Dimbi was able to juggle both a strong academic and football career while at Notre Dame which he is very proud of.

Code:

219 Words

[ZootTX]

Zee Rechs grew up in a football family, in a football town in rural East Texas. As a result, it was no surprise that he played football in high school, and not only that he was good at it, making the All State football team his senior year. Zee was also a member of the baseball and powerlifting teams, setting several state powerlifting records. Despite doing well in high school, Zee was not highly recruited in football, and even failed to get a powerlifting scholarship. He had decided to go to the local community college and work on the family cattle farm, quitting football for good until his Dad convinced him to try and walk on at his alma mater, Texas A&M. Zee’s first year of college was unspectacular, and he was a backup player until the starting tight end was injured late in the season. Zee’s first college season was only mildly successful, and he thought that he might become the backup again the next season when the previous starter was healthy again. Fortunately, Zee had an amazing training camp and remained the starter that year, and for the rest of his college career. Zee excelled in college, athletically and academically, and was a highly regarded prospect upon his graduation.

212 words

[Crodyman]

Wasrabi Gleel decided on Dartmouth College, not because they have a particularly good football program, but because the campus is a short 20 minute drive from his hometown. This allowed him to remain close to his family and friends. His coaches didn’t know what to expect from the local product, but they certainly didn’t anticipate him racking up an eye-opening 13 sacks as a true freshman. However, his coaches weren’t interested in handing over the keys to the middle linebacker position to such an inexperienced player, and so Gleel was used a bit more creatively along the D-line, taking snaps at DE and even DT during his first season. Because of his size and power, Gleel was an effective DE at the college level. By the time Gleel was a junior, however, he had claimed the MLB spot and excelled in the position. Eventually Gleel was able to get his big college moment in a game against Ivy League rival Harvard, where he sack-stripped the QB, scooped the ball up, and returned it for his first defensive touchdown as a college athlete.

While Gleel aims to play MLB at the DSFL and ISFL level, the flexibility along the defensive line he practiced at Dartmouth will likely bode well for him in his professional career. Will we ever see Gleel line-up as Defensive End? Only time will tell.

227 words

[ConnorM123]

Xmus last season college poster (Schedule)

[Kotasa]

Rich Triplet was a monster in High School playing both sides of the ball at running back and linebacker in his early days before switching to safety due to big plays slipping through the Eagles defense. Putting up mind blowing stats at both defensive positions and as a running back Rich Triplet was highly sought after by colleges around the nation. Mainly the Big 10 schools as he was from the area, Rich was mainly interested in the Ohio State University until November eleventh came. Rich’s birthday was a fun time and like most eighteen-year-old kids, Rich was an idiot. Rich was caught and charged with possession of marijuana and paraphernalia, while Rich didn’t consider it a big deal the schools athletic departments did and questioned his dedication to the sport. Pulling his sponsorships Rich was at a crossroads. He wanted to play and knew he could at a high level so he decided to enroll at Minnesota State University Mankato and play until scouts would notice his talent. Coming in Rich had a hard time at safety but had the ball skills and size that coaches looked for in a cornerback. While the transition started tough for Rich, he came on strong in his second year and was the leader in the conference in turnovers forced and in pass deflections. While he was never able to win it all he did all he could at the corner position to lock down receivers and make a play anytime the ball came his way.

Code:

253 words