“That is one of the greatest fallacies in sports. I see it on message boards all the time. They think that if they take a marginal player, their coaching staff is going to make him a star by the time he graduates. I agree that in some cases, it does happen. They start out as the two-and-a-half kid and then reach a six-point-five as a junior. Then, with playing time, they work up to a seven or eight. But the reality is most ones, twos, or threes are just that when they become seniors,” I explained.
“So, you’re saying that there’s no way for Southwest Central State to challenge for a top bowl game by your senior year?” Stewart asked.
“No. No way in hell,” I said.
“Why is that?” Mr. Morris asked, naturally interested in hearing this.
“First of all, they haven’t had consistency with coaching and schemes. Southwest Central State is not Wisconsin that can do more with less because they have this. At Wisconsin, they’ve trained and trained and trained their players the same way for the last thirty years. It all started with Barry Alvarez. He installed the system and then worked his way up to athletic director. They may have changed coaches several times over the years, but Coach Alvarez created a system that they still use. So, by the time his incoming players become juniors and seniors, they are ready to play Wisconsin football.
“It’s the same way at Alabama. Their ‘process’ is designed to get the most out of their players’ development. The scary part is they’re starting with eights, nines, and tens, and making them even better,” I said to enlighten everyone.
“But wouldn’t Southwest Central State benefit from having a top-twenty-five class?” Stewart asked.
“Talent is only one part of winning football games. You also must have depth. You need three starters for every two positions. If you have two offensive tackles, you need three guys who you could plug in and start. Even if you planned it out perfectly, one recruiting class isn’t going to cut it. There are not enough players in a class to fill those spots. Consider attrition due to transfers, early entry into the NFL, injuries, grades, or doing something stupid. When you take all that into account, plus a few other odds and ends, you’ll be lucky if two-thirds of your star class make it to their senior year.
“Why do you think Alabama is always in the conversation for the National Championship? It’s because they’ve learned that you have to stack your players’ development. Behind those three starters are freshmen and sophomores who are learning the system, getting bigger, stronger, and faster. If someone goes down, they simply reload. That’s because even below the top tier of their depth chart, someone has worked hard to be good enough to step in as a starter.. The number four and five guys at Alabama play at a high level and are good enough to start at most colleges.
“It’s almost impossible to build a college football program. Even the programs that have had a lot of stability with their coaching staff struggle at times. A good example is Michigan State. The first three years their coach was there, their record was 7–5, 9–4, and 6–7. Then when he had his guys in place, it looked like they’d turned a corner. They were 11–1, 10–2, 7–6, 11–1, 11–1, 11–1, and this last year, 3–9.
“If you ask me, their coach lost control of that team. They got too full of themselves and thought they were football gods. They had significant issues off-field that destroyed their team chemistry. I look at Southwest Central State’s recruiting class, and I see it filled with potential problem children. There’s a reason, other than money, why they are ending up there.
“So, no. I have no desire to go there,” I said.
“What if I told you that the NCAA has a strong desire for you to do just that? We need someone to help us root out this problem, and you’re in a position to help us,” Stewart said to finally get to the heart of the matter.
“We have an agreement in place that says David is only committed to the one meeting,” Mr. Morris said over the phone.
“The NCAA takes a dim view of student-athletes taking money,” Stewart said.
Both Dad and Mr. Morris tried to jump in.
“Stop. I’ve got this, and it’s my future he’s threatening,” I said to cut them off.
Dad glared at Stewart, probably wanting to do more than verbally assault him. I reached over and touched his arm to get him to look at me.
“Please, let me handle this,” I said.
Dad blinked at me as he tried to decide, and then he smiled.
“Mr. Morris, I’m hanging up now. I’ll call you when Stewart and I have come to an understanding,” I said and disconnected the call.
“If he doesn’t string you up, then Ms. Dixon will,” Dad said.
“Probably, but I don’t need a lawyer to protect me when I have the truth to on my side. Why don’t you give us a minute?” I asked my dad.
Again, he looked unhappy, but got up and left.
“I didn’t mean to threaten your future. I’m just trying to find some common ground,” Stewart said once we were alone.
“What would this common ground entail?” I asked.
