“Congrats on being admitted to the University of Southern California for the Spring Semester.”

Spring Semester?

Not sure what to make of that nice little surprise from USC, I shut my laptop and casually told my parents I got into USC for the spring semester.

“Spring semester?” my Mom said.

For those who do not know, USC admits a certain number of applicants to their deferred Spring semester. Whether I was at the bottom of the barrel of the acceptance pool or I have some “special traits” to be a spring admit, I will never know.

During this free fall semester (so generously given by the USC admissions team) many spring admits will go abroad to study, or live in LA and attend classes at a local community college. That wasn’t for me.

I wanted to coach football. JV Football.

What would go down as one of the most fun semesters of my life mainly consisted of building connections with High School Freshmen and Sophomores, learning from my fellow coaches who were around twice my age, and spending long nights watching JV football film.

Coaching in the fall was able to fill the hole in me left from my lackluster senior season. While I was voted captain and was primed for a solid year, the final season of my playing career consisted of three concussions and disappointing performances for the few times I was healthy. After all the hard work I put in leading up to that final season, hanging my cleats up with few memorable plays to remember and not many games played made me wonder, “did my hard work pay off … At all?”

I spent most of the following winter and spring asking myself that same question. Hesitant to grow that passionate about anything because I wondered if I put the same amount of work into something as I did with football, then I would be presented with the same unsatisfying ending. My admittance to USC in the spring was no different.

But everything happens for a reason.

My spring then consisted of weighing my college options, especially trying to think of a plan of what I could do for the fall to keep myself busy if I choose USC. One thing excited me. Football.

I talked to the head coach of the program, and after some negotiations with the principal and the athletic director of the school, I was let on as an intern football coach.

What I did in the fall was anything short in the internship. I was able to work one on one with kids and shape their football experience and be apart of something bigger than just myself.

While attending community college during the day to get credits done for USC, I

would daydream about football and draw up playbooks around the notes I took. While most 18-year-olds would spend their Friday nights partying, I would be watching JV football film late into the night to prepare for the upcoming game.

Over the course of preseason and summer practices, I had worked my way from being an intern to the JV defensive coordinator, which meant I was responsible for the implementation and operations of any defensive strategies and schemes we played with.

And I know its JV football. But the thing about coaching any JV team is that the coaches are responsible for fostering their athlete's love for the game. The players’ experiences on the JV level play a great role in their attitude and mindset for years on. So to have the opportunity to help mold and build players that would later go on to play for the varsity program that I had loved so much when I was in high school was incredible.

With the help of some knowledgable and passionate coaches, we were able to take a 3-5 team to a stellar 7-1 year. Our defense pitched five shutouts and only allowed and average five points a game. We were good, and everyone knew it.

With a season like that, you can build a program and get the school community excited about football. Which is pivotal in such an area as Bethesda, Maryland where football is slowly losing interesting at the highschool level.

My brother was also the team’s quarterback. While we will always disagree with things on and off the field, to have that brotherly connection and share that experience on the field together was an opportunity few brothers could ever get.

I was also able to learn from a not only football savvy, but inspiring coaching staff that taught me life lessons that no run of the mill internship could ever teach me. The interactions I had with my players and the things they taught me about being a leader and communicating with others gave me an education that no classroom could ever offer.

But what capped it all off was a text from two of my freshmen players a couple days after our last game. They thanked me for an amazing season and the opportunity I gave them to prove themselves.

I remember being a freshman who just wanted to not only prove himself as a player, but as a person on the field. Then to hear that I personally impacted these kids’ lives through the sport I felt so strong too made all the long nights and countless hours of coaching worth it. The experience made me realize that if I can impact others’ lives for the better through something I am passionate about, then my definition of success has been fulfilled.

Just last week I was telling someone how my parents are both business consultants and that the only thing I knew I really wanted to do was coach football and teach high school. He didn’t believe me.