Small a Big Find for Coastal Carolina Football Team

[CSN Log]

03-26-2009 10:31 AM

Small a Big Find for Coastal Carolina Football Team

S.C.’s second all-time leading rusher will play for Coastal.

Coastal Carolina football is making a Small addition to its 2009 signing class.

Cheraw tailback Travis Small, who ranks second on South Carolina’s career rushing list, plans to enroll and play football for the Chants in the fall, the 5-foot-10, 188-pounder said on Tuesday. The only question that remains is whether he’ll do so as a scholarship athlete.

Small said Coastal has promised him a scholarship, but the Chants may have already reached the Football Championship Subdivision limit of 63. In that case, Small plans to walk on before going on scholarship in January. If the Chanticleers lose any players through attrition before August, Small said he’ll be on scholarship from the beginning of his career.

Read more ... (http://www.championshipsubdivisionnews.com/index.php/2009/03/26/small-a-big-find-for-coastal-carolina-fo?blog=2#more4513)

[Syntax Error]

Small was lightly recruited, because college coaches questioned whether he has the breakaway speed to play tailback at the next level, Cheraw coach Johnny White said.

“Schools like South Carolina were looking for a 4.4 or 4.3 type of guy,” White said. “Right now he’s in the high 4.5s. Schools I’ve talked to were looking for breakaway speed and felt like he didn’t have that.

“If Travis gets into a college weight program he’ll get stronger and faster. I don’t see the speed as a liability. When he gets the ball in his hands, he just makes people miss. … He’s been an extremely good football player. I’d be surprised if he wasn’t [successful in college].”

At one point or another during the recruiting process, Small had offers from Duke, Middle Tennessee, Liberty, The Citadel, South Carolina State and Newberry. He only recently attained the necessary SAT score to compete at the Division I level, a factor that also limited his college options.Sound familiar? I hope this kid proves them all wrong.