Chapter 6: Kentucky

Friday September 27, 2013 – Freshman Year

When I exited the locker room, I saw Tom standing back behind a crowd of parents and well-wishers. I was shocked when they all stopped talking and clapped. We had come very close to winning the game, but time ran out. I was still flying high after the thrill of scoring three touchdowns in ten minutes of play. I would replay the last play in my head for a very long time. I knew Bill was crushed he hadn't made it into the end zone, but we were lucky to even be in the game let alone have a chance to win it.

I worked my way through the crowd and found Tracy standing by her Dad. I broke into a big smile as I took in her sexy cheerleading outfit. The JV cheer squad was part of a special halftime routine. I dropped my duffle bag and she rushed into my arms giving me one of her patented mind erasing kisses. I heard some girls giggling and then Luke Herndon must have come out of the locker room. "Dawson, get a room!" The crowd laughed and I felt my cheeks start to glow. I grabbed my duffle and Tracy and I went hand-in-hand to meet her Dad.

"You guys ready?"

Tracy smiled at me. "Yes Daddy, let's go."

As we worked our way to the parking lot, I was surprised to see so many fans still hanging around. They didn't seem to want to leave. I was a little nervous about all the attention I was getting until I looked over and saw Tracy just beaming. This was what she lived for. She had the star football player on her arm walking out of the game and all the fans were taking notice. When I saw her reaction, I relaxed and made it a point to introduce her to everyone that greeted me. If I had not been going with her Dad tonight I would have been a very lucky boy. She was quivering with excitement when we got to the car. Tom popped the trunk and I dumped in my duffle.

Mary was sitting in the front seat when Tracy and I slid into the back. "Hey David, you played a great game tonight. I had no idea you could play quarterback. How is Mike?"

On the last play, one of his fingers on his throwing hand had been injured.

"I'm not sure how bad Magic's injury is. From the looks of the training staff, it's not good. I really hope he gets back soon. It's a lot of pressure running the offense. I would rather just run over a few people and contribute that way."

Tracy smacked my arm. I think being a freshman starting at quarterback of the varsity fit her plans better. "Don't sell yourself short. You played great tonight."

I gave her a kiss as a reward. We all chatted about the game on the way to the airport. There was a separate terminal for small and corporate aircraft. I had never flown before so I was starting to get excited about taking my first flight. The owner of the firm where Tom worked was a University of Florida alumnus. He had a block of eight tickets for every home and away game and had given Tom two tickets for tomorrow's game at Kentucky.

Florida has a good team this year and I was looking forward to seeing them play. This was also the first college game I had ever been to. Tom said we might be able to meet some of the players before the game. His boss sometimes got field passes because of his booster level.

The only thing putting a damper on this weekend was that Tami was leaving on Sunday and I wouldn't be getting back until late afternoon. There was a chance I might not see her until she came home for Thanksgiving. I didn't even need to ask Tami if I should go on this trip. She would have just called me a 'stupid boy' and made me go anyways. I would call her tonight when we got settled into the hotel.

When we got to the airport, Tom pulled around the little terminal and drove onto the tarmac. There were three other cars there. It looked like we were the last to arrive. Tom parked and we all jumped out of the car. The trunk was popped and I went back and pulled out Tom's bag and my duffel. Tom's bag was one with a telescoping handle and wheels. Tracy grabbed it and we followed to where Tom and Mary were talking to the group making the trip. I was introduced to six other guys who all worked with Tom at Rigby, Thompson and Associates. Their boss, Mr. Rigby, was not making this trip. As they all talked, Tracy and I went to where the ground staff was loading the bags.

"I wish you were going with us." She looked sexy as hell in her cheerleading outfit. That seemed to be the right thing to say because she gave me a kiss that curled my toes.

"I wish I was too. If I was you would get sooo lucky tonight you don't even know."

We were looking into each other's eyes and my hands were on her hips. I pulled her closer so she could feel what I thought about getting lucky. I then let my hands slide around and I cupped her perfect ass. Her eyes got very big. "You are such a naughty boy. You realize my Mom and Dad are only ten feet away."

I kneaded her ass and grinned at her. I jumped when I heard someone clear their throat. When I turned around, I found her Mom and Dad smirking at us. Her Dad said, "Time to go Romeo. Give my daughter a kiss and get your butt on the plane."

As I was frozen in stunned silence, I felt Tracy grab my ass making me jump and twirl around. She giggled. "Paybacks are hell."

I gave her a menacing look, then broke into a smile, and gave her a kiss. "Are you picking me up when I get back?"

"You bet. Now go have fun with my Dad."

We all got on the plane to leave.

The airplane seated twelve and all of Tom's work mates headed to the front. Tom indicated two seats towards the back where we would have privacy. The seats reminded me of home theater chairs. They were covered nice leather with large arm rests with cup holders. Once we got seated, the pilot came onto the intercom and told us the flight to Lexington would take an hour and a half. Tom and I settled in and shortly we were airborne.

Tom seemed excited about something. "I have been talking to Joe Phips about your running game. He is the recruiting coordinator for Florida. When you threw your third touchdown tonight, I called him again. He is setting up a workout for you tomorrow morning. If you are everything I think you are they will start recruiting you."

I was in shock. I thought this weekend was just to get to know Tom better and see a football game. It now had a lot more meaning. To be honest, I really have not thought a lot about college other than for an education. I figured I would worry about it my junior year. When we got the hotel in Lexington, I needed to call Tami and get her advice.

"Dang it Tom, do you think there is a little pressure on me now? Florida is one of those dream destinations for football. I would hate to mess this up after only playing less than a quarter of high school ball at quarterback."

"Don't worry about it. Joe's job is to identify talent early. They are not asking you to come in and play next week. They will want to see you develop over the next three and a half years. At this point you are just a prospect."

"I am a prospect who has done nothing to this point."

He gave me an appraising look. "David, you're going to have to grow a pair. You are a damn good player and your confidence is going to have to grow if you ever plan on leading your team to the playoffs. Magic is not coming back in time to salvage the season. You're it."

"Have you noticed all the recruiters who have been showing up to your games," Tom asked.

"Aren't they there to see Luke, Mike and Kevin?" I asked.

"In part, even though they are making offers to those three, they were not coming until you had your superhero game. Those three owe you big time. Last night I saw you throw, off your front foot, a fifty yard pass that hit Bill in stride. Your throwing mechanics suck. You are doing everything just off of your arm strength alone. If you ever get your technique down you will be a high major prospect."

"Combine your potential at quarterback and your toughness running the ball and you are the perfect college quarterback. Currently your only obvious problem is your height. Most major programs are looking for someone at least 6'2"," Tom said.

"It just seems like this is too soon," I complained.

"Like I said, you need to man up. Tell me, how many freshmen are starting on a team with this level of talent?"

I thought for a moment. Luke had pulled it off three years ago. Mike and Kevin had not started to play varsity ball until their junior year.

"I would guess not many."

"You would be correct. The only other one I can think of is the freshman back over at Washington. He is starting, but not putting up near the numbers you are. By the time he is a senior, he will be a beast. The problem with him right now is he doesn't make everyone around him better. You do. Luke's numbers have almost doubled since you started. The whole offense is better. Hell since you went all superhero in your first game the whole team is better. You have the potential to be special. I wish you could see what I see. You know I love Tracy. For her to be going out with a good guy he has to be good looking. You have the looks to be the poster boy for a program, and if you don't think that plays into it you are nuts. Big time football is all about marketing and selling tickets," Tom told me.

"Okay, I'm not sure how to take the last part."

"Look, tomorrow is just a look. Nothing is written in stone. Hell, by the time you graduate, Florida will probably have a new coaching staff. So get your head out of your ass and have some fun with it. If you have to, just play the role of a big time recruit; then own it. You have nothing to worry about."

I felt myself relaxing. Tom was right. I need to look at this as an opportunity and just get over my fears of inadequacy. It was time to either put up or shut up. If I failed, I would just dust myself off and move on, one day at a time... , right?

When I got settled in at the hotel, I pulled my iPad out and sent a text to Tami to jump on the video conference. I could see she was in her living room kicking back and watching a movie with her Mom.

"Hey gorgeous, you all packed for Wesleyan?"

"Almost. I was stressing about getting everything perfect but Mom reminded me that all I need to do is call you and you can just run it over."

"Really? And how long a drive is it?"

"Just a couple of hours, it's no big deal for my BEST friend to drive over to come see me."

"If you need me to come see you all you have to do is ask. I will drop everything. You just say the word. Only problem is I don't have a driver's license."

"There is that. The move is so much easier knowing you are in my corner."

"I have some news," I offered.

"Spill it."

"I'm working out for the University of Florida tomorrow. If the workout goes well they will start recruiting me."

"Bullshit." She can read me so she could tell that I was telling the truth. "I swear David you just fall into it don't you?"

"Yeah, I was thinking I should go play the lotto. I need some cash."

"So tell me, how did this all happen?"

"Actually it is all through Tom. His boss is a booster. Tom's boss called their recruiting coordinator and set up an informal tryout. I about had a cow when he told me on the flight here, but he calmed me down. I just figure I will go with it and have some fun. He told me to pretend I was some big time recruit and to own the place. It actually sounds like fun."

"That's great advice. I know you. You worry about stuff like this and over-analyze it to death. When it comes time, you are a different person. You just exude confidence. Do me a favor. Don't get caught up in the surroundings. I want you to focus on the task at hand and do your absolute best."

"I hear you. I do tend to get distracted. I'll treat it like a game and just get into the zone."

"What time are you getting back Sunday?"

"Probably late afternoon. What time are you going off to school?"

"Mom is going to take me and spend the night. I can't move into the dorm until Monday. She wants to leave around five at the latest, but I can get her to wait. I really want to see you before I leave."

"I'm hoping we will be back before three. Tracy is picking me up. Is it okay if she comes along?"

"Of course 'stupid boy'," Tami answered.

"You had to get one last 'stupid boy' in. I'm going to get even when I see you."

She stuck her tongue out at me. We chatted about a few other things and then decided to we better log off. I was keeping Tom up.

Saturday September 28, 2013 – Freshman Year

I was up at six so I could go running. The Hotel was on the edge of campus. I talked to the desk clerk to get an idea of the layout so I could plan my run. It was going to be a beautiful Indian summer day. The Kentucky campus is impressive. I really enjoyed my three mile run. After I got back and stretched, it was almost seven. I decided against swimming today and headed up to the room. Tom was just getting out of the shower when I came in.

"Did you go run?"

"Yeah, I kept it light and ran three this morning."

He just looked at me as if I had two heads. I jumped into the shower and was ready to leave before Tom got dressed. He didn't seem like a morning person.

There was a restaurant attached to the hotel. When we were seated, Tom filled me in on the details for today. "Joe has made arrangements with the Kentucky staff to provide you with some gear for today. Kentucky has a couple of quarterback prospects coming in for their campus visit today. They are letting you do some drills with them. It will give Joe a chance to do a quick evaluation. Then the rest of the day is ours to enjoy."

We were interrupted by our waitress. She was obviously a coed who had a little too much to drink the night before. She was cute so I naturally went into flirt mode.

"What can I get you boys to drink?" She was focused on Tom.

"Coffee."

She turned to me and did a double take. She actually smiled.

"You have too much to drink last night?" I asked.

"Sugar, you have no idea. Are you in town for the game?"

"Yes and I'm doing a private workout. They are trying to decide if they want to recruit me or not."

"Let me guess -- you're a quarterback," she said rolling her eyes. I think she had heard this line before.

"You must get hit on a lot to be so jaded."

"You wouldn't believe me if I told you. Stand up," she ordered.

I arched my eyebrows and smiled as I slid out of our both. When I got up, I pulled my shirt up so she could see my six-pack. I sat back down and she seemed a whole lot more interested. "Oh my, you're a sexy one aren't you? My only concern is you might be too young, and I would go to jail for what I would like to do to you."

Tom cleared his throat to slow us down. "I think your Dad wants to eat breakfast."

"Not my Dad, but he's right. I need to eat something before I go workout."

"Oh, I think I like you. What are you having?"

"I want two large milks, an orange juice, two sausage egg and cheese omelets with wheat toast and home fries," I ordered.

Tom looked shocked. I just shrugged. "They are trying to bulk me up."

Tom ordered and we settled in for breakfast. As we were leaving, she gave me her phone number and told me she was off at one. Tom just shook his head as we headed over to the athletic center. The Kentucky staff was very gracious. They set me up with everything I needed for the workout. They pointed me to one of their practice fields and Tom and I got there early. I was glad because it gave me time to stretch out and run to get warmed up.

Tom and I were goofing off when I saw a blur run past me and shout back, "Hit me long."

Without thinking, I dropped back and threw a forty yard bomb that hit the receiver in stride. When the receiver trotted back I said, "Man, you're fast! I wish I had someone like you to throw to." As he came up, I shook his hand. "David Dawson."

"Mike Ware. Kid you have a cannon for an arm. I don't recognize the name. Are you a late addition to the workout?"

"They added me last night."

"Let me go get someone you can throw to. I think they only have me and Tim scheduled." He jogged off and five minutes later Mike was back with Tim and Jack.

While we waited for everyone to get there, the three of us goofed off with them running routes. The three guys were shocked when a group of Florida coaches showed up. Tom took me over to introduce me to them. Joe Phips was the former coach at Kentucky before he joined the Florida staff. He recognized the three guys I was throwing too. He went over to talk to them as Tom introduced me to Brad Peace. He was the offensive coordinator and quarterback coach.

Joe jogged back. He went up to Coach Peace. "Hey, we need to move this workout to a more private setting. David's for real and we don't need the Kentucky staff watching this."

"Seriously," Coach Peace said. What was that supposed to mean?

"Yep, Mike tells me David has a cannon for an arm. He has terrible foot work but the arm is for real. He hit Mike on a forty yarder in stride. He also had him throw all the other key passes and he made them without any effort. I want to get our own receivers and video team."

Kentucky's coaches and recruits showed up. Joe saw Mike hurry over and talk to one of the coaches. Joe and Coach Peace looked at each other and Joe said, "Fuck."

I was easy to pick out because I had on Kentucky gear. Two of the Kentucky coaches came over. They turned out to be Don Berta and Ned Braun. Don was Kentucky's recruiting coordinator and Ned was their offensive coordinator and quarterback coach.

Don and Joe stepped away to discuss the situation. Mike had clued the Kentucky staff in on what was going on. Joe and Don came back laughing. They came up to me and Joe led the discussion.

"David, Coach Berta and I have agreed to go ahead with the workout as planned. We really never hold workouts on other campuses. They were just doing it as a favor because I was the coach here in 2012. Are you okay with that?"

"I don't see why not. I might look silly throwing with seniors, but I told Tom I would just do it for the fun of it."

Don looked at me funny. "What grade are you in?"

"I'm a freshman."

Don got a worried look on his face. Joe broke into a big grin and clued me in. "He's worried you're going to make his recruits look bad and they are going to be pissed when they find out you are a freshman."

"Don, I won't tell them if you don't."

Don looked a little better. Shortly all three of us were running drills. I did as Tami said and just focused on what I was doing. I didn't pay attention to how well the other two were doing. They had paired me up with Mike. We were running a drill where Mike would go down field ten yards and then do a button-hook. He had dropped the ball three straight times. I was noticing Mike was dropping a lot of balls, and I had finally had enough of it.

"God damn-it Mike! Catch the ball with your hands not your body."

Mike got in my face. "Listen sport. Learn to take a little off the ball. You don't have to rip it in practice."

"Bullshit Mike. I haven't even ripped one yet. Hell my high school receivers catch better than you do."

His face went beet red. "Okay pussy. Let's see what you can do."

"You better get your hands up or this is going to hurt."

"Whatever. Do your worst."

What I didn't realize was that everyone had stopped to listen to our exchange. Mike did his route and on the break, I let loose. It sounded like a fastball. To his credit, Mike caught it and was grinning from ear-to-ear, "Dawson you're a freak."

I then heard the Superman music start, oh hell no. Tom had the other two recruits and the coaches all watching my YouTube video on his cell phone. Everyone's head snapped up and Joe started chuckling. I just turned around and Mike and I continued the drills. After we were done, Mike took me aside.

"Look, sorry about earlier. They have us deliberately drop passes to see how you will react. You're the first recruit ever to dress me down. You handled it just right. You called me on it and coached me up to help me do better. You caught me off guard because I'm not used to being told I don't catch as well as a high school kid, but it got me motivated. What they are looking for is leadership."

"I was just trying to get you focused. This is a big deal for me and I just wanted to do my best."

"Look, you're young. If you work hard, you're going to be scary good. Arm strength can't be taught. Let me give you a tip for the rest of the day. Get the recruits to like you and show leadership. If you do that, they will make you an offer just on that alone. Your development will take care of itself."

"So how do I get them to like me?"

"Get them laughing. Tease them some, but don't be mean. Get them to laugh at themselves. If you want them to follow you, let them know you care about them." He smirked. "Heck, the same thing works with girls."

Mike took me back to the training facility and I took a shower and changed. When I came out Tom was waiting for me.

"Okay, that went pretty well. Both coaching staffs agree you are nowhere near ready. They said you telegraph your throws, your footwork is terrible and you have to shorten your release. The good news is they both are going to start watching you. I thought Joe was going to cry when I told him you play on a team that runs the veer option."

"Well I guess that means mission accomplished. I want to thank you and your boss for setting this whole thing up. Even if this trip never turns into anything, that's fine with me. I will always remember that you did this for me. Now FEED ME! Growing boy here," I said with a big grin.

The one thing I'll give the University of Kentucky was the hot chick ratio, it was phenomenal. Every time I turned around there was one better looking than the one before. I was finding I liked Kentucky more and more. We picked up our tickets at the will-call window, and were informed that the Kentucky staff had left me a field pass. I went up to where Tom was sitting so I knew where to find him then headed to the gate to let me on the field.

Waiting at the gate was a very pretty coed named Marcy. She was assigned to be my chaperone. She explained that recruits were assigned someone to show them around. Normally it was someone on the team, but I was a last minute addition. Marcy plays volleyball. To be honest I thought it was just fine that I had gotten Marcy.

"So what are we supposed to do before the game starts?"

She gave me an irritated look. "I guess I could show you around."

"What's wrong?"

"I need to run. Sorry, I am being a bitch. I don't know why I agreed to come in."

I thought about it for a while. Kentucky had lost something like 26 straight to Florida. I could really care less about the actual game.

"Do you need to run sprints or distance?" I asked.

"Distance."

"What's your pace?"

"I do six minute miles." I hate to run with someone that runs at a different pace than I do. Her pace was a little slower than mine was so I could relax.

"How far?"

"I need to run three today," she said.

"Okay, get me some gear and I'll run with you."

She looked surprised. "I sleep in a pair of my brother's shorts and t-shirt. That should work."

We headed to her dorm room and she gave me the clothes. I changed in the restroom. The shorts were fine, but the t-shirt was tight. When I got back to her room there were two other girls ready to run. They all giggled when they saw the t-shirt. Someone made a rude comment about me looking like a gay porn star. I just shrugged and told them to get moving.

Turns out all three girls were freshmen on the volleyball team. Sue and Janet were twins. I honestly couldn't tell them apart. They were strikers and nearly as tall as I was. They were cute. Marcy was a setter. She was defiantly doable. I would rate her a solid 7. All three girls were very athletic looking and I enjoyed their company. When we got about a mile and half into our run, the t-shirt got to be too much. It was starting to restrict my breathing so I just pulled it off.

I had been running behind the girls checking out their asses. Marcy turned back to make some comment when she saw my change of attire. She tripped and started to go down. I grabbed her waist and picked her up before she hit the pavement. "Whoa! You okay?" I asked.

Sue, or Janet, said, "Dang David! Catch me, I think I'm falling!"

I set Marcy down. She was a little shaken up. She nearly had done a face plant on the sidewalk. "Thank you that could have really hurt."

She seemed to be okay. I smiled at them. "Okay, I've looked at your cute butts long enough. If you can catch me you can have mine."

The three girls squealed and the race was on. I made a point of staying just out of reach. Marcy almost caught me when she cheated and took a short cut through a parking lot. I finally led them back to their dorm and we all collapsed on the lawn. When we caught our breath we helped each other stretch. I think the girls were being pretty free with their hands. We went in and all took showers. Then Marcy and I headed back to the game.

When we got back, it was halftime and the band was playing. Florida had the game well in hand and the crowd was thinning out. I took Marcy into the stands and found Tom. He gave me a funny look when he saw me with Marcy.

"Look Tom, see what Kentucky gave me for my recruiting visit. What do you think Florida will give me when I visit them? I bet it's some crummy baseball cap."

Tom didn't miss a beat. "I'm not sure that is going to fit in your suitcase."

"I hadn't thought of that."

Marcy smacked my arm. "Tom, I'm Marcy. I'm David's guide for the day. We're supposed to make sure our guests stay out of trouble, but this one has been more trouble than he's worth. He made me chase him all over campus."

"Yeah, she got two of her friends and they tried to grab my butt, but I was too fast for them."

Tom was chuckling. "David, you're not very smart, are you?"

"What do you mean?"

"I think the whole object is to LET them catch you."

"No way! They dressed me up like a gay porn star, and then chased me all over the campus. I'm not sure I would have been safe with any of them if they'd caught me. I had to wear them out first."

Now the whole section was cracking up. Marcy was just shaking her head. Tom was not sure what to do with me. Our row had thinned out so everyone scooted down to allow Marcy to join us. I put her next to Tom so she could explain what really happened. Towards the end of the game, Tom asked Marcy what her plans were for me for the rest of the day.

"We normally take the recruits to the athletic dorm and feed them. Then we have a social gathering that lasts till about midnight."

Tom looked at me. "That is plan A. Plan B is going with me and the guys I work with to dinner, and then we head to the hotel. Which do you want to do?"

"Hmmm, spend the evening with my hot chaperone and go to a party, or spend the evening with you and six other old guys and listen to you talk about work. I think I will go with the hot girl."

"Thank God. I was afraid I was going to have to feed you again. Marcy I hope you have plenty of food because this one is a pig."

"Love you too, Tom."

Marcy and I headed to the football dorm after the game. Marcy was something of a social butterfly and seemed to know everyone. She introduced me to so many people I stopped trying to learn their names. We finally found the rest of the recruits. The two quarterbacks started giving me shit about having a girl chaperone. There were a total of ten guys visiting this weekend. The chaperones left to talk to the recruiting staff to update them on how things had gone. Once we were alone the ribbing began in earnest.

"Dude, how do you rate? We all got guys that play for the team."

"When you filled out your weekend form you were supposed to check the box whether you were gay or not. I checked not," I said.

"You are so full of shit. They told us there is supposed to be a party with plenty of pussy for all of us."

"Did you all bring condoms?" I asked the other recruits.

They looked confused. "Guys, think about it. If these girls will do all of us, what do you think they do every week when a new batch of recruits come in?" I asked them.

"Dammit Dawson, now you have ruined that for me. I hadn't thought of that."

"I'm just saying I would double wrap it if I was going to take one of them on," I sagely offered.

"Don't listen to him. These are supposed to be some hot chicks."

I looked at them seriously. "Guys, all kidding aside, but do you seriously want to risk going home and giving your sister a venereal disease?"

It took a while, but finally one of them got it. "I'm not fucking my sister!"

"Hm. Looks like you're the only one," I said, trying hard to keep a straight face.