W ill Hawthorne sat on a table inside the Gil- bert High School training room feeling 20 pounds lighter than in the previous few weeks. A decision — the biggest of his young life — had weighed him down for the better part of the summer, but the answer had finally come to him. Iowa State or Nebraska? The school right in his backyard, or the school 228 miles down the interstate that owns one of the richest traditions in the history of college football? It really was almost like a flip of the coin because there was no bad decision that could be made. Both schools offered the Gilbert senior his dream — to play college football on the grandest of stages. In the end, a scholarship offer from Iowa State and head coach Matt Campbell was too tempting to pass up. As Will said himself: There’s no place like home. “It’s Iowa State,” Will said with relief in his voice as he sat on that training table. “It was close because both schools are great. But I feel really good about my decision.”
He was going to tell the world just a few hours later with a so- cial media post. And once that was done, the 3-star prospect and one of the state’s best high school linebackers could turn his entire focus back to what he loves doing most. Playing football. ••• From one corner of the coun- try to the other this fall, more than one million high school students will lace up their shoes, throw on the shoulder pads, buckle the chinstraps, and compete on the football field. The sport’s popularity is immense; there’s a reason why all you have to say is “Friday Night Lights” and everyone un- derstands exactly what it means. On a yearly basis, it’s esti- mated more than 260,000 of those players are seniors. How many do you think will get the chance to play the sport at the collegiate level? How many will compete at the Division I level? Hey, we’re glad you asked. According to the NCAA, ap- proximately 7.5 percent of all high school football seniors will
44 GAME ON | FALL 2024
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