BRANTFORD Nebraska had David Knevel as soon he saw the big cookie.
?It was amazing. I showed up and in my hotel room was this big chocolate chip cookie with the words ?Welcome to Nebraska? written on it,? Knevel, 18, said. ?It was the size of a small pizza. It was the best cookie that I ever had. I took it home and it was still good.?
On Tuesday, the 6-foot-8, 305-pound offensive tackle with an incredible reach of 34.5 inches announced at a news conference at Brantford?s Pauline Johnson Collegiate and Vocational School that he had selected the University of Nebraska for the next stage of his life.
The cookie played a small part in his decision. But the big reason why Knevel, one of the most highly recruited Canadian high school footballers ever, chose to play for the NCAA Big Ten powerhouse was that he believed the school gave him the best chance to succeed as a person, as well as a player.
?It came down to Nebraska, West Virginia and Alabama,? said Knevel, whose twin brother, Michael, plays quarterback. Michael will attend the Atlanta Sports Academy prep school this spring to improve his scholarship chances.
Some 30 colleges contacted him. He received full scholarship offers from 12 Division 1 schools.
It?s rare for a Canadian, especially one, who played his entire high school football in Canada, to be so highly recruited by some of the biggest American college football powers. In fact, Knevel only started playing football four years ago when hockey equipment became too expensive for his growing body.
Other scholarship offers came from Baylor, Missouri, Purdue, Toledo, Vanderbilt, Virginia, Wisconsin, Washington State and the University of Nevada, Las Vegas.
Knevel will start school in Lincoln on Jan. 5. If he doesn?t make the Cornhuskers next fall as a freshman, he?s prepared to be redshirted (practise but not play for his first year) and come back ?with a bam? the following season.
?I?m going to embrace it,? Knevel said. ?Unless I play a significant role, I?ll probably red shirt. They have three returning senior tackles, so I think my time will be after they leave.?
Knevel thanked his coaches for playing a big role in his life and career as well as his teachers. He also had special praise for his parents, and his three brothers, who supported him. His parents travelled with him to numerous colleges and football camps on his journey of discovery over the past two years.
?Of course, I?d like to thank my mother (Michelle) for all the home-cooked meals. I didn?t get this size without them,? Knevel said, showing a sense of humour during his articulate address during the packed news conference at his school that was attended by teammates, coaches, family and political figures, including Brantford Mayor Chris Friel and Brant MPP David Levac.
?When I went to all the camps, kids would tell me how cool it was that my parents came with me, and then I realized just how cool it was that either one or both took time to come with me. These are the types of people I have been blessed to be around. I wanted to go to a program that would continue the values that my family started. I wanted to go to a school that would develop me as a total person in character, academics and athletics.?
Last July, Knevel helped Team Canada to a 23-17 win over Team U.S.A. in the IFAF Under-19 tournament in Austin, Texas.
Ken Chisholm, his high school coach at Pauline Johnson CVS, told two poignant stories that demonstrated the kind of person Knevel is.
When he was 14, he went to a clinic at the University of Western Ontario and wound up in the wrong session, battling 18- and 19-year-old players. But, even after he discovered his error, he didn?t want Chisholm to tell the coach.
?The contact was incredibly ferocious and he had his bucket handed to him by some big kids. I told him to tell the coach that he was in the wrong group,? Chisholm said. ?He said, ?Coach, I?m OK,? and he went back to the same group and held his ground. That competitiveness has carried David to where he is now.?
Several months ago, Chisholm went to the school to do some work on a Saturday and discovered Knevel behind the school with a player from another high school.
?For about three hours, he taught that young man everything he knew, trying to help him be an awesome football player, and he?s now trying out for Team Ontario, thanks to David,? Chisholm said. ?The athletes that we see who swagger and don?t really care about others isn?t the David that we know.?
Toronto Star
Dave Brubeck Duck Dynasty New Orleans Pelicans frankie muniz today show powerball katt williams
No comments:
Post a Comment
Note: Only a member of this blog may post a comment.