Freshman recruiting looks at more than just football

Lopaka O'Connor | Freshman Press Reporter

The huddle breaks. Freshman quarterback Johnny Davidson trudges off the field with the rest of the Washington University football team. Everyone’s sweaty. It’s been a long day of practice, and it’s as humid as a swamp.

Davidson is one of 33 freshman players on the 108-man football roster. First year players like Davidson fit a certain archetype: gifted, both in the classroom and on the gridiron. To find players matching that description, Wash. U. scours the country, from New York to Hawaii, on the lookout for talent who are willing to buy into the Division III mindset.

The Washington University Bears football team practices on Francis Field during the preseason. Players arrived early in order to train for the upcoming season.Kayla Steinberg | Student Life

The Washington University Bears football team practices on Francis Field during the preseason. Players arrived early in order to train for the upcoming season.

According to the NCAA’s website, Division III strives to create an environment where “student-athletes compete not because they expect a financial reward, but because they are driven to excel.” As a result, a Division III school—like Wash. U.—is barred from offering sports scholarships. That means hopeful athletes gain entry on academic merit rather than because of physical skill. With that added wrinkle, head coach Larry Kindbom and the rest of the Bears coaching staff must scout for true student-athletes.

This year’s incoming freshmen epitomize that doubly demanding standard of excellence.

Take Davidson for example.

Fighting and winning is its own kind of high, but fighting and coming up just short is anything but. That’s the feeling Davidson, Barrington High School’s starting quarterback, was grappling with when he left the field after Barrington’s narrow 59-56 loss to Marist High School. Both teams hail from suburban Chicago and squared off against each other in the second round of the Illinois High School Association Class 8A playoffs.

It wasn’t a fairytale ending to the football season, but it proved Davidson’s grit. With a minute left, Davidson was able to sneak the ball across the goal line, securing Barrington a four-point lead, but Marist followed up with a last second touchdown for the win. Barrington finished the season 9-2, thanks in part to Davidson’s leadership.

“We made a couple runs here and there,” Davidson said, reflecting on his final high school season. “[I] wish it would end differently, but that is what it is. I’m hoping to build off of that here at Wash. U.”

 Wash. U. already had its eye on the star quarterback before season’s end.

 “Late in the season, I got recruited by Wash. U. [and] came to the school here on a visit,” Davidson said.

 Davidson knew he was a fit almost immediately. “Academics are great; people are great. It’s really nice over here. I kind of fell in love. And once I got accepted, I knew I was going here.” After he got in, Davidson committed on the spot.

 Davidson is one of the lucky few athletes to gain admission to Wash. U., and Kindbom recognizes how competitive the process can be.

“We know they’re good,” Kindbom said. “We know they’re bright. We know there’s 30,000 applicants that are fighting for a few [open spots].”

Usually, players with potential—both academic and athletic—are flagged their sophomore year of high school. In many cases, that initial contact is a made through an existing relationship.

 “I’ve got a mutual friend that knows coach Kindbom,” Davidson said. “So, he actually called me up. We talked back and forth and stuff like that. And it just kept growing off of that, through emails, phone calls, stuff like that.”

Dedication to their sport aside, the Bears are up against a tough season and a season with history behind it.

 Last year, the Bears opened strong with a win against Carnegie Mellon University. Carnegie Mellon went on to finish its season fourth in their conference with a 6-2 record. As far as Kindbom is concerned, though, past performance is no guarantee of future outcome.

“I just have never built off the past. I’ve always said this is where we are, let’s go,” he said. For now, he’s busy getting his team ready for kickoff.

 Already in the thick of preseason training, Wash. U.’s new freshmen will try to find their place on the field before they go head-to-head once again with Carnegie Mellon on Saturday, Sept. 3, in Pittsburgh.

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