Came across a good article in USA Today that vindicates one of my long held beliefs…I would rather have an athlete with great character over an athlete with great talent.
- By Andy Gardiner, USA TODAY
The college football season is only a month old but Vanderbilt, Wake Forest and Northwestern — the smallest schools by enrollment in their conferences — are matching academic success with victories on the football field.
Vanderbilt (4-0) and Wake Forest (3-0) are unbeaten in conference play and have victories over ranked teams. The Demon Deacons are 15th and Vandy 25th in this week's USA TODAY coaches' poll. Northwestern is 4-0 for the first time since 1962.
It might not be very "sexy," but according to coaches at three smaller colleges, each with high academic standards, one reason they're a combined 11-0 this season despite playing in major conferences has less to do with amazing athletes and more to do with concepts like consistency and stability.
"We're not looking for the best players we can find. We're looking for the best kids we can find. That means kids with character, kids that want a college degree - they don't have to be the top student in the class, but they have to be a college-bound kid that wants a college degree.
"Our thought at Wake Forest is: can we be the best football team without necessarily having the best talent? One of our goals is to make sure that we're doing the right things as coaches and our players are doing the right things so that we can actually have a good football team without necessarily walking [onto the field] with the most talented players."
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