Capital City Sports Report

Running Down a Dream

He’s got the statistics. He’s got the honors. Most importantly, he’s got the heart. Then why is it this Austin High football player can get a serious look?

As Hayden Bowers sits on the campus of The University of Texas on a chilly January morning, his eyes fill moist with passion. In all of his 17 years, the senior linebacker from Austin High never thought it would come to this.

Begging.

It would be enough to bring most guys to tears. Heck, in a different place and time, it might even get Bowers. But not today.

On this day, Bowers’ competitive spirit kicks in. Suddenly, his body stiffens and the eyes harden with a squint. In almost a single breath, the vulnerability is gone.

Bowers isn’t quite ready to give up the dream of being a college football player. More specifically, Bowers isn’t quite ready to give up the dream of playing big-time college football.

At this point, he takes a deep breath and swallows hard. None of the 160 tackles or four forced fumbles that he produced in 2007 matter. The all-district and all-Central Texas honors from this past season are about as relevant as the Pee Wee trophies he won as a kid when he played against current Texas Longhorn commitments Mack Buchanan and Nolan Brewster.

Try as he might to fight it, the 5-10, 232-pound fire hydrant might not have a say in the matter. Like thousands of other high school football players across the state, Bowers is having his mortality challenged by college coaches across the country that don’t believe he possesses the physical tools needed to play at the highest level.

“It’s just a difficult situation, this recruiting process,” Bowers says with full understanding of the situation. “You keep trying to get a look and you keep getting denied. It is rough.”

For those that can’t quite figure out how a guy like Bowers can’t pick up a single scholarship offer, let him explain it to you.

“I’ve heard this about 100 times. They watch my highlight tape and they come in and talk with me. Then they ask me how tall I am. As soon as I say 5-10, they completely bolt,” Bowers said. “It’s kind of difficult to hear. It’s genetics, what I can I do?”

Truth be told, the lack of height is just one of the issues holding him back.

“He’s just not a player that we could recruit,” one recruiting coordinator from a non-BCS school in the state of Texas said. “If you look at him, he’s everything that you want in your players. He eats, breathes and thinks football all the time. On the field, he leaves every ounce of effort he has on the field. You’d like to think there’s a place in your program for a guy like that.”

Here it comes.

It’s the word that Bowers knows all too well at this point in the recruiting process.

There’s always a “but.”

“But, if the guy from that area told me that this was a player we needed to offer a scholarship, I’d look at him like he’d lost his mind. He might have all the character in the world, but if he can’t run, he can’t play. If it were just his height that would be one thing, but he’s not a great athlete.”

Mentioning to Bowers that he’s not viewed as an elite-level athlete is the equivalent of poking a hornet’s nest with a stick. “I hear coaches say all the time that they are going to transform guys into football players,” he says without hiding the hint of disgust. “I don’t buy into that. You’re born a football player.”

With two weeks to go until National Signing Day, Bowers is sitting in the largest dormitory of the school that both of his parents attended. One of his best friends has just recently enrolled at the school and will be a freshman offensive tackle for Mack Brown in the spring.

The only offer that he has at this point from the Longhorns is the invitation to join the program as a preferred walk-on. He’s got the same deals at Texas Tech and TCU.  A born football player he might be, but if he’s going to fulfill his dreams of playing in front of 85,000 screaming fans, it’s likely going to be on his own dime and the odds of ever becoming a contributor will be long.

“I’ve sat down with my parents and talked about it. There was even one point where I didn’t even know if I’m going to play football next year,” Bowers said. “I don’t know if I even want to deal with it. I’ve never been on the bench. I’ve never held a dummy in my life.

“The worst part of it is the begging process and just trying to get a look. You’re calling these people and you’re trying to get them to look at you.”

The frustration in Bowers’ voice is obvious and you can feel the pain in every word, even if he’s long since closed the door on that window into his soul. Yet he’s still a football player at heart and a kid with dreams on top of that.

All you have to do is look in Bowers’ eyes to know that this dream won’t die without a fight. He shudders at the mere mention of being a modern day “Rudy,” but if it comes to that, so be it.

“I can’t even think about it. Football not being a part of my life would be absolutely devastating to me right now,” Bowers said.

The only thing left to do is hope. Hope that the phone rings. Hope that a scholarship comes in at the last moment. Hope that you just get a chance.

“Zach Thomas is obviously my favorite player,” Bowers said. “He’s only 5-11 and he tore it up for years. I guess the night before signing day he only had one offer from like Western New Mexico State and Texas Tech called him at 9PM and said, ‘We’ve decided we’ve got an offer for you.’ Obviously, the likelihood of that happening…”

But…

At that moment, Bowers gives a sheepish, confident grin and he knows. Whether his dream of receiving a scholarship from the Longhorns ever becomes a reality or not, Bowers knows deep down that he’s not likely played his last down of football.

The when, where and how of it all might not be determined until the spring, but Bowers will play again. In the meantime, he’ll cross his fingers that the same last-minute opportunity that was extended to Thomas, will somehow find its way into his possession.

“You hope. You can always hope.”

Posted in NCAA Football