Junior Year Box Set

This was why I played football: the way you felt after a hard-fought game—there was nothing like it. Jim found me after I’d taken my shower, gotten treatment from the training staff, and was getting dressed.

“Are you going out tonight?”

“No, I’m beat. Plus, we have to get here early so we can be in East Lansing on time.”

“Mona sent me in to make sure you were going to her party tonight. She said it would be worth your while. I can only imagine what that means,” Jim said with an appropriate leer.

I almost caved in, but really did need to get some sleep or tomorrow would be a struggle. I thanked Jim and told him I would see him tomorrow.

◊◊◊ Saturday September 12

We took Mom’s car since it was much more comfortable for my long legs. Brandon had stopped at the local 7-Eleven and picked up various newspapers. Jeff Delahey had broken the story about what Coach Crouch had said at Washington’s fundraiser. Over the next week, Jeff would run more stories as he dug deeper into the matter. The one that caught my interest in today’s paper was where he talked to each person who voted for All-Conference and found the selections would have been very different if Coach Crouch’s brother-in-law hadn’t rigged the voting.

Two other stories seriously plagued the Washington program. The first was targeting opponents. This was unacceptable at every level of football. The second was the six transfers. The powers-that-be made it clear that if the six players stepped foot on a football field, and it was later found there had been some form of inducement, Washington would have to forfeit those games.

When we got to the high school, we had the usual fire drill as to who rode with whom. Mom drove our car, and Brandon claimed the front seat. Dad rode with Coach Hope and Cassidy rode with us, because she said this was her weekend with me. Before she was allowed in the car, there were explicit ground rules laid down. It all boiled down to we had to watch out for each other, and there was to be no drinking or funny business between us.

I was still tired, so I laid my head back and closed my eyes to get some much-needed sleep. I half-listened as my mom put Brandon to the question. By the time she was done, she knew everything about him. He also filled her in on my recruiting. Brandon told her interest was already high, but after the televised game it would go through the roof. My touchdown throw, with time expiring, had made SportsCenter’s top ten list. It must have been a slow night, in my opinion. Brandon showed her that the recruiting phone had received several hundred text messages since last night. He warned her that not everyone played fair, and we should expect some illegal inducement offers. I would need to be careful, or I might lose my eligibility. Bo had also alerted me to that danger during the summer.

◊◊◊

When we got to East Lansing, the whole town was abuzz for football. We checked into our hotel so we could focus on our weekend. ESPN had picked the Oregon vs. Michigan State game as their College GameDay location. We drove by Spartan Stadium, and it was already packed. We had been directed to go to the Duffy Daugherty Football Building across from the football parking lot. We walked in and found the place was like a museum for Michigan State football. We were given a tour of the building, and then we met the other recruits and their families.

Tami and her Wesleyan contingent showed up. She had Harper, Missy, and Lisa with her.  Alan had also made the trip. Maybe they could hook up again. I might not be as entirely over it as I’d tried to convince myself I was. I suppressed a grin when Cassidy grabbed my hand to remind me that I was with her this weekend. She had seen how Missy, or was it Lisa, eyed me. Harper and I hadn’t really kept in touch after my trip to Chicago.

We were all ushered out to an open area, adjacent to the building, where they had a raised dais and microphone. A guy in Michigan State gear got up to speak. He had several people in football jerseys off to the side.

“I’m Coach Bailsman, recruiting coordinator and quarterback coach for Michigan State. I want to welcome everyone for coming for a visit this weekend. We want you to enjoy the pregame festivities and experience what it’s like to attend a Michigan State football game.

“After the game, we’ll give you tours of the facilities and campus. A few of you have requested information on our Honors College program. That’s not something we often see,” he joked, “but we strongly encourage it. We have a special tour set up for that group. After the tours are done, we’ll return here and give you a chance to talk to position coaches so that you and your families can get all your questions answered. Then the recruits will venture off with their chaperones to explore what Michigan State has to offer. Moms and dads, don’t worry, we haven’t lost one yet.