While there is some merit with the bolded, there are also a lot of other factors involved. I'm from Benkelman. I know the Sanford kid and his family. He has a lot going for him in terms of work ethic (he's a workout warrior) and intelligence. Unfortunately, he may never play much. First of all, I think a lot of people don't really understand the jump from 8 man high school football out here in the middle of podunk and 11 man D1 big boy football. He has a lot of catching up to do in terms of skill and development. He has great speed, but I'm not sure he has the swiveling hips so to speak to play corner. At his size, the only logical position is safety. Another thing to consider when you see someone from this end of the state from a small school go to Lincoln is just how much can one's body take. There are not a lot of great athletes out here. When a school gets one, they pretty much ride this horse to death. One of his best events in track was pole vault. Because of a messed up shoulder, I don't even think he got to compete in this event his junior or senior year in high school. I believe he had a surgery or two after he completed high school which kept him from playing football his freshman year at Hastings College. We're all rooting for him and hope he's the exception rather than the rule.
I've seen some great athletes from around here go to Lincoln only to never play. We sent an outstanding prospect back in 98'. In fact, it was his school records that Sanford broke. The biggest difference between the two was this kid was 6'3 and weighed 250. His junior year I believe he finished third in the strength and conditioning tests. His senior year I believe he finished first and had the fastest 10 yard dash time on the team. The only time I remember him playing was the 2000 season when he was a redshirt sophomore. He played special teams until after the Notre Dame game. After Notre Dame scored on both a kickoff return and a punt return, I don't remember his ever seeing the field again. A guy I knew who finished his career at Nebraska on the 87' team once told me that just about everyone that is on the team whether they're scholarship players or walk-ons have a window of opportunity. He said it's just some players window is much smaller than others. An injury here or a mess up there can lead to one never seeing the field again.
At the end of the day, I haven't figured out if it's impressive or scary that a kid from southwest Nebraska that played 8 man class D football is one of if not the best athlete in terms of the strength and conditioning tests on the team.
