The Courting of a D-1 Recruit

By Marcis Fennell

Twitter: mfchunky51

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I remember the overwhelming feeling that brought me to tears, it was receiving my first recruiting letter from the University of Texas. Football recruiting letters were common at the football powerhouse, Long Beach Polytechnic High School, but it was a grand accomplishment for an inner city kid.

After I received the letters, the recruiting process became very hectic and very confusing very quickly. I began to field phone calls, D-1 coaches visiting me on campus, and tons of letters. As an elite student-athlete at Poly high, there weren’t many weeks that I didn’t see or shake the hand of at least five Division 1 coaches. I know you’re probably thinking of school such as Sacramento State University and Cal Poly, but I am speaking of powerhouse programs such as Nebraska University and the University of Southern California. As a high school kid, the thought of having a coach that has won multiple national championships let me flabbergasted.

As a student-athlete I always valued academics, which was beneficial for my football recruiting process. My academic successes allowed me to receive a scholarship at the University of Miami… It’s all about the U baby. Going to the U was my dream but I ruled it out because I wanted to be closer to home. But after speaking with Pete Carroll, Larry Coker, Karl Dorrell, and Mike Kramer, I decided to look out-of-state. My mother wanted me to attend UCLA but I wanted a shot to play early in my career so I contacted some mid-major colleges and that is where Nick Holt came along.

Nick Holt was the Defensive Coordinator at USC prior to taking the head coaching position for the Mighty Vandals of the University of Idaho. Nick Holt and I immediately clicked and we had a great coach-player relationship and that was apparent when he came to my home in Long Beach for an in-house visit. I committed to use one of my “official visits” on the Vandals and go on a recruiting trip. Coach Holt was so excited he ran into the middle of my street (which is not a safe thing to do in my neighborhood) and yelled “WE WANT MARCIS TO BE A VANDAL!” My parents thought he was crazy and I loved it... To Be Continued.