Being a student athlete was very different from what I expected coming into college.
I think we are a lot different than what we are perceived to be.
When I look back at being a student-athlete, I think about many things. Mostly I think about how much time I invested in football on a regular basis. In my senior year I invested 40-plus hours a week to ensure that I would play well in a game on the weekend.
Those hours included practice, meetings and film with the team, workouts, studying the playbook, and watching film on my own to get an edge on opponents. That time did not include class, schoolwork, traveling, eating, resting and just down time to relax. For me, being a student-athlete became a full-time job. I earned my scholarship every day.