Green Cookie Monster
January 30th, 2006, 10:09 PM
Guillory to sign with Sac State Wednesday'
Bethel star: 'They believe in me more than the other schools did'
By BRAD KVEDERIS, Times-Herald sports writer
Guillory: Times-Herald's Athlete of the Year for 2004-05 performance in football, track
The big schools came calling for Bobby Guillory Jr., but they all backed off at the wrong time.
So he won't become a Trojan at USC or a Duck at Oregon: Last week, Bethel High's star quarterback made a verbal commitment to stay local and play football for Sacramento State, he told the Times-Herald on Sunday.
For Guillory, whose blinding speed helped him to more than 2,100 rushing yards and 37 touchdowns on the ground - and a Times-Herald Athlete of the Year Award - over the past two seasons, the decision basically made itself when the bigger schools stopped calling him. Although his numbers and pure talent had Division I programs drooling, everyone but Sacramento State backed off from their offers when Guillory's initial SAT scores came back.
Even though his original scores were high enough to allow him to play, Guillory planned to complete an SAT prep course and take the test again, which he did over the weekend. But even though he told the big schools about his plan, he barely heard a word from them in the meantime.
"Basically, they just kind of vanished," Guillory said on Sunday. "It's like, I told all the schools that's what I was doing, and Sac State was the only one that stayed."
When his scores from the second go-around at the SAT come back, they'll probably be higher, but Guillory isn't going to change his mind after being slighted by the big football powerhouses. He'll officially sign with Sac State at the Bethel campus on Wednesday.
"My mind's made up - I'm not going to change my mind or anything now," he said. "If they stayed with me when I was down and low ... well, Sacramento State, I'll help build them up big and high. All the other schools said, 'He's not going to make it.' Sacramento State said, 'He's going to make it. He's going to pull through.' They believe in me more than the other schools did."
Another benefit of playing for the Hornets is that Guillory will have the chance to keep playing quarterback, whereas most of the bigger programs wanted to use
Advertisement
homes for sale
him as a tailback or even a defensive back. But coach Steve Mooshagian and his staff have designs on using him as a triple threat to beat defenses running, throwing or catching the ball.
"At Sac State, he wants me to play running back, but he also wants me to play quarterback," Guillory explained. "They want to put in an option this year, put in some wide receivers to run some screens and hook-and-ladders and stuff. ... He'll try to get me 15 carries a game, and most of the time have me at QB, and do a little bit of the option when I get my blocking schemes down."
But for a player who definitely has the speed, and possibly the other tools, that the pros might come looking for someday, won't going to a Division I-AA school make it harder to be noticed?
Again, Guillory isn't even worried about that, saying that Sac State's loyalty and the opportunity it will give him to succeed academically comes first - and if he's good enough to go pro someday, that will take care of itself.
"Not really," he said when asked if he was worried about a lack of exposure in Sacramento. "At first, I'm really going there for the school. In my mind, if I'm good enough to go pro, they'll come see me. It's not a matter of what school you go to or how big it is. Some of the players at the big schools don't even get recognized.
"It was like, everybody kept asking me where I'm going ... Sacramento State, on the other hand, was kind of nurturing me, saying, 'Don't worry about it, it's going to be OK; we're going to see where you go.' Basically, they got my trust."
- E-mail Brad Kvederis at [email protected] or call 553-6822.
This is why I-AA is a great game, there is still the personal touch to college football. If you love to play, go I-AA.
Bethel star: 'They believe in me more than the other schools did'
By BRAD KVEDERIS, Times-Herald sports writer
Guillory: Times-Herald's Athlete of the Year for 2004-05 performance in football, track
The big schools came calling for Bobby Guillory Jr., but they all backed off at the wrong time.
So he won't become a Trojan at USC or a Duck at Oregon: Last week, Bethel High's star quarterback made a verbal commitment to stay local and play football for Sacramento State, he told the Times-Herald on Sunday.
For Guillory, whose blinding speed helped him to more than 2,100 rushing yards and 37 touchdowns on the ground - and a Times-Herald Athlete of the Year Award - over the past two seasons, the decision basically made itself when the bigger schools stopped calling him. Although his numbers and pure talent had Division I programs drooling, everyone but Sacramento State backed off from their offers when Guillory's initial SAT scores came back.
Even though his original scores were high enough to allow him to play, Guillory planned to complete an SAT prep course and take the test again, which he did over the weekend. But even though he told the big schools about his plan, he barely heard a word from them in the meantime.
"Basically, they just kind of vanished," Guillory said on Sunday. "It's like, I told all the schools that's what I was doing, and Sac State was the only one that stayed."
When his scores from the second go-around at the SAT come back, they'll probably be higher, but Guillory isn't going to change his mind after being slighted by the big football powerhouses. He'll officially sign with Sac State at the Bethel campus on Wednesday.
"My mind's made up - I'm not going to change my mind or anything now," he said. "If they stayed with me when I was down and low ... well, Sacramento State, I'll help build them up big and high. All the other schools said, 'He's not going to make it.' Sacramento State said, 'He's going to make it. He's going to pull through.' They believe in me more than the other schools did."
Another benefit of playing for the Hornets is that Guillory will have the chance to keep playing quarterback, whereas most of the bigger programs wanted to use
Advertisement
homes for sale
him as a tailback or even a defensive back. But coach Steve Mooshagian and his staff have designs on using him as a triple threat to beat defenses running, throwing or catching the ball.
"At Sac State, he wants me to play running back, but he also wants me to play quarterback," Guillory explained. "They want to put in an option this year, put in some wide receivers to run some screens and hook-and-ladders and stuff. ... He'll try to get me 15 carries a game, and most of the time have me at QB, and do a little bit of the option when I get my blocking schemes down."
But for a player who definitely has the speed, and possibly the other tools, that the pros might come looking for someday, won't going to a Division I-AA school make it harder to be noticed?
Again, Guillory isn't even worried about that, saying that Sac State's loyalty and the opportunity it will give him to succeed academically comes first - and if he's good enough to go pro someday, that will take care of itself.
"Not really," he said when asked if he was worried about a lack of exposure in Sacramento. "At first, I'm really going there for the school. In my mind, if I'm good enough to go pro, they'll come see me. It's not a matter of what school you go to or how big it is. Some of the players at the big schools don't even get recognized.
"It was like, everybody kept asking me where I'm going ... Sacramento State, on the other hand, was kind of nurturing me, saying, 'Don't worry about it, it's going to be OK; we're going to see where you go.' Basically, they got my trust."
- E-mail Brad Kvederis at [email protected] or call 553-6822.
This is why I-AA is a great game, there is still the personal touch to college football. If you love to play, go I-AA.