“I really liked them. The football culture they’re building is great. I loved the school, and I know they would challenge me academically. It’s basically in a town that’s the same size as where I live now. They have a lot to offer.”
“What about the Pac-12?”
“I visited Oregon after the Elite 11 camp. That was a complete mess. They didn’t know who I was until my mom made them aware.”
“They seemed nice after that,” Mom said.
“But I’m not going there,” I said.
“I agree. USC is a better fit,” Mom said.
I looked at Dad. Where was Mom getting her football knowledge?
“Yes. USC probably makes the most sense if I plan to keep doing movies. And the women …” I said with a big smile. “Where else could you walk out of a football game and have a hooker approach you?”
“What?” Bo asked.
“Yup, even with my parents there, and Brook, she tried to pick me up,” I said.
“At least you didn’t get anyone pregnant there,” Mom said to ruin my fun.
We got sidetracked, and I had to tell Bo about the two girls I’d spent time with at the Alabama camp and the resulting children I met last night.
“Sucks to be you,” Bo observed.
“Tell me about it,” I said and glanced over at my mom, who was scowling at me.
“Back to USC,” Bo said before I got yelled at once again.
“Did you know they have a practice field underground? Why would you ever want to practice indoors if you lived there?” I asked.
No one had an answer for that, so I went on.
“If it were just me, I might pick USC. I think that if I went there, they could get over the hump and win their conference.”
“They have some stiff competition. You have to get past Stanford, Washington, Oregon, UCLA, and Arizona,” Bo ticked off.
He’d left out Utah, Arizona State, and Washington State. All had solid programs.
“Do I need to go through the SEC list?” I asked.
Bo just smiled. The SEC was a meat grinder.
“If you go to Alabama, it shouldn’t be a problem,” Dad said.
“Check’s in the mail,” Bo joked. “That still leaves the SEC.”
“I’ve visited Georgia, and they were honest and told me they had other quarterback priorities. It looks like they’re in the hunt for some good ones. Coach Mason sat me down, and based on the number of recruits in a state versus the number of Division I football programs, he concluded that Rutgers and Georgia were two schools that were underperforming.
“I think Georgia may have figured it out and is starting to put together some special recruiting classes. They just got a new coach, and that may or may not have solved their problem. No one can know right now.
“I’ve liked Kentucky from day one. If this were just about going to play and having fun, I would go there and never worry about it.
“Finally, there’s Alabama,” I said.
“I can go either of two directions with this,” Bo said. “I can stick to the script and tell you why you need to come to Alabama. Or, I can help you decide what’s in your best interest, which very well could be Alabama. Which do you want me to do?”
“I’d rather you helped me pick a school. I keep flipping back and forth as to what to do. To be honest, I’ve considered making the decision based on what’s best for me.”
“What about Tim and Wolf?” Brook asked.
“That’s what has stopped me from going off on my own,” I admitted.
“Let me tell you a few factors that you may want to consider if you come to Alabama,” Bo said. “Baseball is not going to be the priority, football is. I’m telling you that might not be so bad. I just don’t want you to think that we’re going to be as flexible as other schools may be in allowing you to play two sports.”
“Does that mean David wouldn’t be able to play baseball?” Dad asked.
“No, I didn’t say that. I am saying if there is ever a conflict, football will take priority. At some point, you will be asked to make a choice, and the answer will be football.”
I let that sink in. I thought about the circles of trust my uncle had talked about. Bo Harrington was moving closer to the center group of people you wanted around you.
“You said you wanted to play with your friends. I think Wolf has the ability to make it to the field and, under the right circumstances, could someday play in the NFL. I’m not sure Tim has the talent to be more than a backup or special-teams player for us.”
“Ohio State basically said the same, except they refused to make him or Wolf offers. They had higher-rated recruits they liked better. The two of them were Plan B types if the higher recruits chose to go somewhere else,” I shared.
I could see that Brook was shocked that we were talking so frankly about this. I’d never shared with her that Tim wasn’t a high-level Division I prospect after his knee injury. Personally, I thought they were being shortsighted because he had come back stronger and faster.
“Is that why you said you might go it alone?” Brook asked.
“Yes. If Ohio State had offered them, I would be done with all this.”
Bo nodded his agreement.
