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Topics - K-Mack

#1
Post them here.

Away we go.
#2
General football / Help prospective players find schools
September 06, 2012, 06:07:37 PM
A catch all thread where I'll refer all the players who ask for advice over the course of the year, and the collective wisdom, which is much greater than mine alone, can point them in the right direction.

If you've got experience, maybe start with some general comments. I'll post a particular excerpt from a recent ATN, with an individual's e-mail, to get us started.
#3
General football / Official D-III Twitter roll call
July 15, 2011, 04:12:15 PM
All,
In the wake of seeing how widespread we are (#whyD3, 40,000 followers for D3hoops), it's about time for us to unite on Twitter. I'm not exactly sure what I want this thread to be, except for a place we can maintain a running list of people we'd like to be able to tweet back and forth with about D3 issues. Think of it as the D-III phone book.

So if you're D3-related and have a Twitter account you would like publically acknowledged (i.e. if your coach tells you don't tweet, or if you use Twitter mostly for asinine inside jokes with your friends, maybe don't list yourself here), add yourself to this thread. From time to time I (@D3Keith) will update this original post with the new adds to be a reference point for anyone who wants/needs to contact someone. If you want off the list, also let me know. Open to suggestions as to how to maintain it.

Here's the starter list (remember it's unfinished, no offense if I forgot you):

DIVISION III WRITERS & BLOGGERS:
@D3football (official D3football.com account)
@D3hoops (Pat Coleman/basketball account)
@D3Keith (Around the Nation columnist, ex-R-MC player)
@D3MidAtlantic (Ryan Tipps, columnist)
@D3Jason (Jason Bowen, columnist)
@D3fbEast (Adam Samrov)
@adamturer (Kickoff writer, ex-W&L DB)
@Hunsicker (Kickoff writer, ex-Moravian T)
@clydehughes
@catdomealumni (Official Linfield fan site)
@oletdclub (St. Olaf)

PLAYERS & EX-PLAYERS (probably should add years):
@pierregarcon85 (Mount Union WR 05-07?)
@CShorts10 (ex-UMU receiver, now with NFL's Jaguars)
@Tom_Linnemann (St. John's QB in 2000 Stagg Bowl)
@FritzWaldvogel4 (St. Thomas WR-KR)
@JimRobertsonQB (RPI QB)
@tylerhasty (Guilford WR)
@ZHickman (Linfield LB?)
@lemargriffin9 (Willamette FL)
@kevinniehus (Thomas More QB '98ish)

@RThon15 (Alfred WR)
@bdainas (Huntingdon defense?)
@HUdef45 (Hamline LB)
@pointer_qubie7 (Jared Beckwith, UWSP)

COACHES & TEAM PERSONNEL
@ErikRaeburn (Wabash head coach)
@MarkSpeckman (Willamette head coach)
@jeffthomas4 (Puget Sound head coach)
@CoachDiG (SUNY-Maritime assistant)

ALUMNI & FERVENT FANS:
@wallywabash99
@rboerger (Trinity TX)
@bdmoss88 (huntingdon)
@durch16  (Mount Union)
@pioneerrunner (Carroll?)
fulbakdad
@Lexie_Hoerl (Wabash faculty)

OFFICIAL ATHLETIC DEPARTMENT ACCOUNTS
(not going to add these yet as there are about 200 of them, but if you list below I will update)

@purpleraiders (Mount Union)
@UWWAthletics (

UPDATES TO COME
#4
General football / Official 2010 PLAYOFFS reaction thread
November 14, 2010, 03:33:38 PM
Brackets just revealed on ESPNnews. View the 32-team field here.

They skimmed through those more quickly than I've ever seen, so if you need some time to process it, that's what we're here for.

Instant reactions & analysis via the Daily Dose here.

On Twitter, use hashtag #d3fb32 on tweets about the selection process and playoffs. We also have a blog post on the Daily Dose open for comments.

If you prefer to react here on Post Patterns, the floor's yours.
#5
General football / 2009 Playoff Bracket & Reactions
November 15, 2009, 03:14:27 PM
If you're not able to watch on ESPNews, we're posting the bracket at the very moment we're allowed by the NCAA and ESPN. Give us your snap reactions below, or on the Daily Dose. Follow @D3football and @D3Keith for analysis, and we'll have a podcast, team-by-team capsules and Around the Nation's annual Surprises and Disappointments playoff predictions column later in the week.

Enjoy.

http://www.d3boards.com/playoffs/footballbracket2009.pdf
#6
As explained in this week's ATN:

Readers: With a column in Division III players and coaches in the NFL scheduled for next week, it's finally time for us to assemble the official ATN Division III alumni list.

Here's how I'd like to divide it up. Alumni who played in Division III or just went to a Divisioin III school (alumni don't have to be graduates, but generally have to have completed one year). And then let's further subdivide the first list by if they're famous for the after-D3 accomplishments in football or in another field. An example:

PLAYED/COACHED AT A CURRENT DIVISION III SCHOOL
K.C. Keeler, Rowan coach (won 2003 Division I-AA championship at Delaware)
Josh McDaniels, John Carroll wide receiver, '95 to '99 (Denver Broncos head coach)
---
Ronald Reagan, Eureka guard, '28 to 32 (President)

ATTENDED A CURRENT D3 BUT DIDN'T PLAY:
Jim Belushi, UW-Whitewater, '68 (actor, Saturday Night Live)
World B. Free, Guilford, '72 (NBA star)
Barack Obama, Occidental, '79 to '81 (President)

Include the years they attended/played/coached, and their position if you know them. Keep the accomplishments brief enough to fit on the same line.

Without using the quote function, copy the list each time you add to it so the full list is always on the most current post. Use your best judgment as to who qualifies as "famous." The man who invented e-mail (RPI) maybe isn't, but ought to be. My alma mater's famous alumni include a U.S. representative and the founder of Dollar Tree. I wouldn't add them.

Those who attended schools which are now Division III before the NCAA divided in 1973, or before the school joined, qualify. An example is former Detroit Lions coach Rod Marinelli, who is not a Division III alum, but played football at Cal Lutheran from 1969-72, when it was NAIA. Free is another example, having led Guilford to the 1972 NAIA basketball championship.
#7
General football / The 2009 Year-in-Review thread
September 29, 2009, 01:20:23 PM
This is the home for week-to-week occurrences that we know we'll want to come back and take a look at when the ATN year-in-review is compiled.

Week 4 had a 3-0 win involving DePauw and an 8-5 Coast guard/Westfield State game (least bang for the buck). TCNJ scoring 67 is the most bang I've seen so far.

There were some incredible finishes in September, maybe too many to list, but it can't hurt to try. Wheaton scored on the last play to beat Bethel 29-26, right? Pretty sure the Coast Guard/USMMA rivalry game went to overtime.

What are the ones I'm forgetting?
#8
General football / Kickoff '09: What people are saying
August 25, 2009, 10:05:35 PM
Hey,
created a quick topic for comments about this year's Kickoff. If you bought it, you know comments are enabled "inside the walls," so to speak, so questions and comments can go on each element.

But if you are unsure whether it's worth the investment, here's what readers around D3boards are saying:

From the SCAC board:
Quote from: TigerDad on August 25, 2009, 12:34:47 PM
Just logged in to the brand-spanking new "2009 Kickoff" and took a quick look.  This will require some serious study tonight, but I would like to encourage all you SCAC fans to pony up the $10 (or less) to get your own access.

Trinity fans will be interested to read the stories on of Robby Long at DPU, Hal Mumme at McMurry (TU's first opponent) and that TU is picked as a 'maybe' under playoff teams beyond the top 25.  Some say that the opening schedule of four games on the road will determine TU's season outlook ... I would agree with that assessment. 

Now I'm looking forward to the 2009 edition of the Trinity Tigers!   11 days and counting ...

Quote from: Tacttm1 on August 25, 2009, 10:07:14 AM
*** Just ordered the d3football "Kickoff" ...seems like a solid 10 dollars well spent and it goes to support the boards.  I challenge other SCAC fans to do the same.  (kinda like a pledge-a-thon with out the great acts!!!) ;)

Quote from: D3_DPUFan on August 25, 2009, 02:59:55 PM
QuoteJust logged in to the brand-spanking new "2009 Kickoff" and took a quick look.  This will require some serious study tonight, but I would like to encourage all you SCAC fans to pony up the $10 (or less) to get your own access.

Agree wholeheartedly...at $10 it's a bargain. Pat and his team have done another great job...a real service to all who play, coach or are simply interested in DIII football!

From the NAC board:

Quote from: old 40 on August 25, 2009, 03:14:42 PM
If you have not purchased your Kickoff 2009 then I would recommend you do so. It is very, very good. Purchasing this will give you insight on all the D3 teams and all the conference teams, plus it supports the D3 website. Great Job Pat and Keith. The best work you have done. Great Job.

Very good synopsis on each team in the conference. Sounds like WLU and BU can be very dangerous this year.

From the LL board:
Quote from: dlippiel on August 25, 2009, 05:20:05 PM
Kickoff looks GREAT by the way. What else could be better pre-season reading for D3 football. dippiel is very appreciative of all the hard work and preparation that goes into making the kickoff so great. The U gets ranked 74th and RPI gets the nod at 70th in the rankings. Very interesting to dlippiel that U is ranked that low, let alone behind RPI who does not even have an established QB. Yet dlippiel feels this may be the theme of the U's season, underated and something to prove. Honestly to dlippiel with the U's lack of recruiting info available and the recent struggles he would most likely not give the U much love until they earned it. dlippiel just feels, he knows he is saying it again, that U will sneak up this year and have one of those memorible U years. To dlippiel anything short of NCAA birth is disappointing.

More to come.

Also feel free to chime in with comments, complaints, kudos or suggestions for next year right here. We ARE listening.
#9
General football / The 2008 Playoffs Thread
November 18, 2008, 10:24:00 PM
Looks to me like we need a dedicated home for our thoughts on the 32 teams who are in the show.

I'll start you all off with a question:
Alma maters and personal allegiances aside, if you could go to one of the 16 games this week, which one would you go to?

I asked myself that same question with a D3 corporate card in hand, looking for a game that would be competitive (sorry alma mater) and would offer me a chance to see two teams I would be eager to see.

Ruling out a flight to Oregon or Texas on a 1-day weekend, I narrowed my choices down to three games where I thought I couldn't determine the winner. Toss-ups if you will:

Lycoming at Hobart
Wabash at Case Western Reserve
Franklin at Otterbein

I chose the latter, because of the opportunity to see two top-notch quarterbacks and offenses, and to gauge whether those teams are capable of pushing North Central for a final four spot.

Lots of other great games too ... Wheaton at Trine could be good. Wesley at Muhlenberg, I've just seen both those teams at least twice in the past two years.

Anyway, your thoughts?
#10
General football / The 2008 Year-in-Review thread
September 09, 2008, 03:05:59 AM
Yes, you read that right.

In an attempt to alleviate some of the trouble we go through at the end of the year to recall items worthy of making the ATN year in review, I thought it wise to give myself and all D3 readers a chance to jot down things as they happen this year. In theory, if we all make note of the things we see each week that are likely to be memorable enough at the end of the year to make the YIR, then a bunch of the research for the project would be in the bag and I can get the first installment out before the Stagg Bowl.

It's an open thread to anyone who sees, hears or reads about anything peculiar or amazing which is likely to be memorable. I'll start it off by recopying part of the Team of the Week post off the front page. These two things strike me as YIR type stuff.

QuoteChris Baldwin turned out to be a quick study in his return to the defensive side of the ball for Johns Hopkins. The senior, who spent 2007 as a running back, scored three touchdowns as a defensive back for the Blue Jays, returning interceptions 28 and 45 yards for scores and bringing back a fumble 32 yards for a touchdown in a 34-3 win against St. Lawrence.

Scott Haneberg kept Menlo in the game against UW-Stout, blocking two field goals, including one with 20 seconds left in the fourth quarter. UW-Stout won 13-10 in overtime.

Anyone else notice anything interesting in Week 1?
#11
General football / 2007 Playoff Field
November 11, 2007, 12:23:20 PM
Although the discussion will also be going on all week on our blog, The Daily Dose, the bracket this year was different enough that we know you'll all want to react in any way you can. We've got more Texas vs. Texas, but Redlands is going to St. John's, Ithaca to Mount Union and Widener to Case Western Reserve. Wow. How about Capital at Whitewater for a first-round game ... or the omission of Whitworth aka Pool B No. 4?

The bracket is here. Pat and Gordon's Saturday night predictions are here. Let us know what you think.
#12
General football / 2007 Year in Review thread
November 04, 2007, 02:05:52 PM
As always, I'll be taking suggestions for the annual year in review column. This year, I'll try a thread. If we can keep things brief and on topic, this could be a great help in assisting me with the goal of getting the first installment out by the Stagg Bowl.

Part of the reason for asking while the season is still going is to get the suggestions while they're fresh in your minds. I'll take whatever you have, suggestions for things you'd like to know but don't want to do the research on, odd occurrences, broken records and (real or imagined) superlatives.

Anything that you see or have seen along the way that seems memorable.

Here are a couple from yesterday's Daily Dose that are good starters:
Quote#  Pat Coleman Says:
November 3rd, 2007 at 2:28 pm

Albright 21-7 at the half. Widener called timeout twice on Albright's field goal attempt to end the second quarter and blocked both attempts.

Quote# Pat Coleman Says:
November 3rd, 2007 at 2:30 pm

Susquehanna scored on the last play of the game at WPI, went for the two-point conversion and got it to win the game 8-7.

Other stuff:
Trinity vs. Millsaps is a pretty good candidate for play of the year.
Mount Union's 52-point quarter
UMHB's two backs combining for 523 yards or whatever
Miss. Coll.'s 4th quarter against Millsaps
2 vs. 3 not living up to billing
QBs going over 10,000 career yards ... etc.

I'm not guaranteeing public credit or promising that I'll use anything, especially if you post a list of 40 neat things about School X Football, but I do appreciate most of the suggestions, and drawing from the collective knowledge about D3 football always, always makes for a more comprehensive, more interesting column.
#13
Lifted from a Saturday Live thread on the Dose, but perhaps a discussion we should continue, or at least make sure it isn't buried/lost:

  39. dcfbguy1 Says:      October 7th, 2007 at 2:45 pm e
      Thanks guys, sounds good... Looks like the Statesmen are looking more at a ECAC bowl bid and will only get in the playoffs if they are lucky... Division 3 is ever expanding... With 230+ schools, do you think more teams should be let in the playoffs or is it fine as is? I see many good teams stuck in tough conferences not getting in this year... The OAC, Empire 8 and NJAC are all very deep conferences...

  40. Ralph Turner Says:  October 7th, 2007 at 4:30 pm e
dcfbguy1,

      I think there are several points implicit in your previous post.

      The NCAA is now funding one playoff spot for every 6.5 participating schools up to bracket limits such as 32 in football and 64 in hoops. The net ratio of schools to playoff bids in D-III football now is ~ 230 schools for 32 bids or 1:7.19. If the NCAA funded one bid for each 6.5 schools, we would have a 35-team playoff. This 35-team bracket moves the playoffs to 6 weeks, something no one is espousing. In that 35-team bracket we would roughly see 22 Pool A bids to the AQ conferences, 4 Pool B bids to the at-large and 9 Pool C bids. Hobart would have a better chance at the Pool C bid, about which you speak.

      Part of the debate on the D-III/D-IV split is philosophical in nature. If the D-IV's want to take their football and play elsewhere, well they are of sufficient legislative competency to move those initiatives thru the NCAA. They say that D-III is getting too big. They have highlighted philosophical differences about red-shirting and off-season activities as a reason to split D-III.

      If those ~110 schools want to move to D-IV, and play in a 16-team/4-week football championship, then that leaves some room for the remaining 120-130 football schools to have a longer playoff that might invite 18-20 schools.

      The D-III/D-IV issue will be coming to a vote in the next 1-2 years. We can watch that.

  41. Pat Coleman Says:      October 7th, 2007 at 5:29 pm e
      Yes, unfortunately, we're never going to get more than 32 football teams in. We were lucky to get it expanded up from 16, as there were many schools that resisted adding another weekend to the bracket.

  42. RunFerrum Says:      October 11th, 2007 at 2:12 pm e

      I have a few questions,
      1: Has any at-large team ever won it all?
      2: Has any team seeded in the bottom half, ever won it all?

      The reason I say this - is that if only the the teams slotted in the top half win it all and only teams that earned their bids win it all then what is the real purpose of expansion? Making teams feel good about themselves?

  43. Gordon Says:      October 11th, 2007 at 10:17 pm e
    In 2004 Linfield was an at-large team in the respect that the NWC did not have an AQ. The Wildcats won the title. They played another at-large team, Mary Hardin-Baylor, in the Stagg Bowl after the Crusaders beat Mount Union in Alliance. UMHB probably does not make the tournament in a smaller bracket that year and proved they were very worthy of the playoff opportunity.

      If you consider Pool B to be at-large teams, then you can also put Pacific Lutheran (1999) on the list of national champions.

      Other at-large teams who won their regional bracket (national semifinalists):

      2006: St. John Fisher, Wesley (Pool B)
      2005: Wesley (Pool B)
      2004: Mary Hardin-Baylor, Linfield (Pool B)
      2003: RPI (Pool B)
      2002: John Carroll
      2001: Pacific Lutheran (Pool B)

      I may be forgetting one or two.

  44. D3Keith Says:      October 12th, 2007 at 11:19 am e
      PLU was a seven-seed the year they won.

      Both UMHB and PLU played five road games on the way to Salem. (Actually, four; five includiing Salem)

      The purpose of expansion was/is access.

      Previously, under the 16 team system, four playoff teams came from each region based solely on the committee's rankings. In 1998, Trinity (Texas), Catholic, Western Maryland, Lycoming and Emory & Henry all went undefeated, and it was up to the committee to vote on which of those teams was not deserving of a playoff spot. A lose-lose situation.

      The automatic qualifier system gives each team a direct, understandable route to the postseason, and therefore the championship, each season. Every team that doesn't make the playoffs can point to which games it didn't win to explain why it didn't get in, as opposed to a committee's opinion.

      Why should the past results of who has won determine who has a chance? If a Muncie would beat a Milan (or whichever) 99 times out of 100, who's to say we shouldn't play the game? The "100th" ends up a great moment.

      Division III is saying everyone has a chance. What they do with that chance is completely unrelated to the fact they always will have a chance.
#14
General football / Division III football rivalries
June 13, 2007, 01:37:14 AM
We've often had separate boards for Monon Bell or Cortaca Jug chatter, and we've posted rivalry stuff all over the place. This works for those in the know, but I'd like to assemble a D3 rivalry primer.

I've done some stuff for ATN and for USA Today that would work here, but I don't have the links handy.

I did want to share this though, and open the floor for people to post rivalry stories, history links and the link as they find them:

Football Digest: We go to Divison III for a look at the best rivalries
#15
I'm sure we have had threads devoted to this in the past, and I'm not sure if there should be rules on this one (like no local features about some guy on some team with no hook that would be interesting to other D3 readers), but I thought I'd start a new thread anyway.

Byron Westbrook (Salisbury), brother of the Eagles' Brian, trying to get an NFL look.

There are also a ton of papers which ran something this week on UW-Stout implementing random drug testing.
#16
Here's another recurring topic that comes up a lot. Instead of repeating ourselves all over the place, I think it's a good idea to ground this discussion here on Post Patterns. Next time someone suggests a venue, we say here are the reasons people like Salem ... now what'chu and your city got?

Cut-and-pasted from the Daily Dose last week:

QuotePurple Crush Says:
The 20th of November, 2006 at 4:29 pm

Food for thought. Why not play the Stagg Bowl in a warmer climate, larger city, and central part of the country. I think the turnout would be much better. If played in a big city football lovers would show up just to watch the game even if they had no ties to the program.

Quotesabretooth tiger Says:
The 20th of November, 2006 at 4:39 pm

I nominate the Rose Bowl to host the Stagg Bowl. A great warm-up for the Grandaddy of them all, and no so big as to garner a fight from the neighbors. I'd be happy to help in the process!

Live from Pasadena, CA where it is 85 degrees and sunny.

sabretooth

Quotesabretooth tiger Says:
The 20th of November, 2006 at 4:40 pm

Make that "not so big."

QuoteHScoach Says:
The 20th of November, 2006 at 4:41 pm

Salem, VA is the perfect host. Most of D3 is located east of the Mississippi and located in cold weather states. While a December game in Florida might be nice, I'm not sure how many fans it would draw from the participating schools when 90+% of the D3 towns would be too far away to drive?

QuoteBucksFan Says:
The 20th of November, 2006 at 4:48 pm

^^^^^^What he said!

QuoteD3Keith Says:
The 20th of November, 2006 at 7:58 pm

PurpleCrush,
Not to dis, but you're harping on two old-news points here.

(skips 1st not-relevant-here point):

2. "Host the Stagg Bowl in a warmer climate."

Been done. It was in Bradenton, Fla. for years and then Phenix City, Ala.

Problem with that is it's not near any D3 schools. No fan base nearby. And unless you can drive or the school organizes a charter, flying to the Stagg Bowl is a tough thing to do on less than a week's notice.

Salem is a willing host that does a great job with the game for the size it is. I don't think, outside of moving it to Collegeville or Alliance, you'd really guarantee a bigger crowd anywhere else.

I also think you're wrong on the big city point. It seems to me small places where there's nothing else in town garner more interest for D3. CUA gets lost in D.C., Hopkins does in Baltimore. I don't remember huge crowds at Occidental (L.A.) or even this weekend in Pittsburgh (Carnegie Mellon). There's lots to do, but the general populous is interested in the big pro or college teams.

D3 tends to draw people with ties to the school, except in small towns where the team is also a source of local pride and/or the thing to do in town.

From my experience, anyway ...

QuoteD3Keith Says:
The 20th of November, 2006 at 8:03 pm

As far as Salem,
I've never heard anyone say it's broken, so why fix it?

And as far as logical D3 places to move it, like Ohio, New York, N.J., Illinois, Minnesota or Wisconsin ... well, none of those sound like much warmer climates than Salem, Va., even though Salem isn't balmy and 70 degrees in December.

But few are the teams coming to the Stagg Bowl from warm climates, so this is the best replication of a regular game, except for the teams not used to grass.

The thing is, there's a lot of behind-the-scenes work that goes into putting the game on, and Salem has the size, the proper venue and experience, and it does get treated like the big game in town when it's there.

I think they contract the game on 2-year cycles, but I've never even heard rumblings of another place putting in for the Stagg Bowl.
#17
Hey all,
I get this sort of e-mail a couple of times a year, and instead of typing out the same heartfelt response each time, thought I would share it here and point people in the direction of it next time it comes up ... and of course, open up the floor to anyone who wants to chime in. E-mails and real names withheld, of course (I think)

QuoteDear Mr. McMillen,

    I am the mother of a high school football player.  I will be honest with you--my son is neither an outstanding athlete nor an outstanding scholar.  He has, however, enjoyed being part of his high school football team, even though he gets very little playing time.  This is partially due to his lack of size (5'8", 165 lbs.), and his lack of speed.  Also, our team is one of the best in the state of Florida, and we have a lot of very talented boys, which means a lot of depth in each position, and not much chance for an average player to get much playing time.
   
     Even with all of the above, my son still really enjoys being on the team, and wishes he could get to play more often. Being part of the football team has truly been a life-changing experience for him.  It has given him self-confidence and self-discipline, and has helped him develop good leadership skills. And, though he rarely gets into the game, he still makes all the practices, and works very hard.  He has a good relationship with the coaches, and his best friends are his fellow players.

   My son is a senior this year, and, as we have been researching potential colleges, he has said that he wishes he could go to a small college that has a football program, where he could try out for the team as a walk-on.
   
      I am realistic enough to know that my son's chances of making any college team, no matter how small, are about zero. But as a concerned and caring parent, I would like to find out if such a small-college program exists.  As someone knowledgeable about small-college football programs,  I would appreciate your opinion and your insight on this subject. Thank you for your time.

Sincerely,
Mrs.xxxxxxxxx
xxxxxx@aol.com

Mrs. xxxxxxxxxxxxx,
first off, you might be the most rational parent I've ever heard from, maybe even too rational. Size is not really the issue at Division III, I weighed 170 (and was 6'2" ... rail-thin) when I went to a D3 school as a freshman, and ended up playing four years, starting two, and filling out to about 195 with weight training and natural growth. A lot of kids come into Division III programs in your son's situation, or similar ones ... having played for a very small high school, being a good player on a losing high school team, missing the time they would have been recruited because they were hurt, or just being very average and not standing out among the players next to them. The good news is Division III and NAIA football is the place for kids like this if they still really want to play.

  I won't bore you with all the details right now, but feel free to write back and ask more. I definitely think your son should look into these levels, based on what you've written. Division III schools are all about recruiting students who happen to be athletes anyway. They want talent of course, but the chance to walk-on is very real. Maybe your son just hasn't discovered his talent yet, or the particular thing he's good at. I played with a guy who made the travelling team (you can usually only take 55 of your players on the road) all four years as a tight end because he was also our best long-snapper.

What I'm trying to say is that if your son has the enthusiasm to play and wants to go to college, he can stick with football as long as he wants. Most Division III programs recruit as many kids as they can, and let them weed themselves out ... in other words, some talented kids emerge immediately, some take a few years, some realize they don't really like football that much and would rather just be a student. But all of that is better than not having an opportunity at all ... Certainly you'll want to look for something that's his speed socially, and academically, but you can probably tell I have great enthusiasm for small college football because of the opportunities it provides for people like myself and your son and tons of other kids who love football, but weren't born with the perfect physique, or didn't master the game fast enough to get a big-college scholarship.

In any case, I'll be available if you want some more specific questions answered. There aren't many small schools near Florida, but I'll tell you what I know.

Keith McMillan
Keith@D3football.com