Posted by bambi2godzilla on 1/31/2008, 1:35 pm
63.249.102.18
Rejection a reality of scholarship game
Joe Davidson
Sacramento Bee
January 31, 2008
Deonte Williams thought he was about to encounter something out of this world upon landing in Arizona and taking the scenic drive to Flagstaff.
There it was on the side of the road: the Skydome.
The landmark on the pine-laden campus of Northern Arizona is the second-largest clear-span timber dome in the world.
"I thought it was a big UFO, and once I saw the inside of it, I said, 'This is where I'll be,' " said Williams, the Pleasant Grove High School senior tailback who earned Bee Offensive Player of the Year honors this past fall.
Williams gave a verbal commitment to play for the Lumberjacks in the Big Sky Conference and said he'll stick to his word Wednesday when he signs his national letter of intent.
He is fortunate not to be on the other end of the spectrum. He could be Hunter Pahl, The Bee's Defensive Player of the Year from Del Oro, who is a fit of nerves and frustration. And there's anger, too. The linebacker has no scholarship offers. The one he received from Sacramento State is no longer there, Pahl said, for reasons he is not quite sure.
"Sac State offered me (a scholarship) last summer, then pulled it awhile ago – took it away – and it kind of screwed me over," said Pahl, considered the heart and soul of his playoff team. "I don't know. You don't offer someone something and tell them how great you are and then pull it. I was really upset. I'm frustrated with the whole recruiting process."
Williams and Hunter are an interesting contrast. A year ago, it was Williams who wondered if he had any chance to earn a scholarship. He was a reserve running back at Valley, and backups simply don't generate any interest in the highly competitive world of college football recruiting. Williams transferred to Pleasant Grove, became a starter – and a star – and his stock soared. Coupled with good grades in the classroom and toughness between the tackles on handoffs on the football field, Williams became a commodity. He had interest from Sac State, Idaho State, UNLV and Nevada, taking trips to Sac State and Idaho State.
But he was sold on Northern Arizona.
"I know he feels good about it and we're happy for him because it can be tough in recruiting if you don't have a big junior year," Pleasant Grove coach Joe Cattolico said. "The way the process works now where recruiters start to find guys as juniors, it makes it tougher. But then he had such a great year that he was able to catch up."
Pahl, by all accounts, had a superb junior season, and is a solid student. The Hornets were impressed enough to offer him a scholarship before his senior season. Then Pahl was even better as a senior, piling up tackles for a Del Oro team that was ranked No. 1 by The Bee for much of the season.
But according to Pahl, the Hornets backed out of the full ride, instead offering a chance to "gray shirt," and telling him to first attend a community college.
The Hornets can't discuss Pahl per NCAA rules that prohibit schools from discussing recruits before letter-of-intent day.
"I said no," Pahl said. "They've called a couple of times since, but I think they know I'm done with them."
But he's not done trying. Pahl said he sent out highlight film to "20 places." He said he has received "walk-on" offers from UC Davis, San Jose State and Fresno State, but respectfully declined, saying, "I can play on scholarship."
He will make a visit next week to the University of San Diego, a strong Division I-AA program that offers academic grants but not athletic scholarships. He also has his Del Oro coach, Casey Taylor, in his corner. Taylor continues to push Pahl's name and game to colleges.
"He can play, no question about it," Taylor said, declining to comment otherwise about Sac State.
Pahl has also heard the vibes that at 5-foot-11 and 205 pounds, he's not big enough to play linebacker in college.
"The whole thing is frustrating," Pahl said. "I'm a fiery guy. I keep on working out. It's all kind of offending. I know what I can do, but if you're not 6-2 and 220, you don't have a chance any more. But film doesn't lie. It's how you play on the field. You learn that patience is a virtue. If they want me, they want me."
Wednesday, Williams will be at the Elk Grove Unified School District office to sign his name on the dotted line. Pahl will be at Del Oro, watching nearby as three of his teammates sign letters of intent – lineman Jason Heath with UNLV, tight end Ryan Otten with San Jose State and lineman Jack Reynoso with Nevada. He'll be there in a show of support, with mixed emotions, wondering what if.
"Of course I'll be happy for them," Pahl said. "We've all been best friends since we've been little kids. I'll play somewhere, too."
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