“Jesús, hey, you made it.”
David could tell that Nick liked his roommate.
“Only my family calls me Jesús. My friends call me Chuy.”
David saw a flash of hurt cross Nick’s face.
“It’s a good thing we’re all family then. Welcome to USC, Jesús,” David said.
Jesús rolled his eyes at his family, who were all sporting giant smiles. He knew right then that everyone would be calling him by his given name, no matter how much he protested.
◊◊◊
David quickly gathered all his new teammates, including Todd, at a huge round table near the stage. The parents were in the process of getting to know each other with David’s father’s and his brother Greg’s help. They were used to networking and quickly had everyone laughing and having a good time.
David found he liked all the new players except one. He was on the fence about how he felt about the Australian punter. Oliver Shaw was twenty-five and acted like he was better than everyone else, like he was a suave, older guy surrounded by kids. Oliver had one of those punchable faces, all twisted mouth from a constant smirk.
David sat back and took in his surroundings. The dying rays of the evening sunlight painted the sky in a dark hue of violet. Orange clouds lazed above, seemingly unaffected by the turbulence of humanity below. The smell of steaks being grilled promised a great dinner, in David’s humble opinion.
His mom caught his attention. It was time for him to welcome his guests.
“I’ve been summoned,” David said as he got up and jumped on the stage.
“Welcome, everyone. If you could find your seats, it smells like the steaks are about ready,” he said and then waited until most everyone was settled before continuing.
“I wanted to welcome all the new football players to the USC family. When I call your name, you and your family please stand so you can be recognized,” David said.
He then called out each player’s name in turn, and the crowd all clapped.
“Next, I want to introduce some special guests. First are Ron Pennington and Gabe Francis. Without these two men donating as much money as they do, our athletic department would be a shell of what it is today. USC has the best facilities in the Pac-12, and we can compete nationally because of them.
“I want you all to take the time and speak to these two men before you leave tonight and thank them for everything they do. It has been my pleasure to call them my friends, and I would hope that you will feel the same way,” David said.
After another round of acknowledgment, David introduced USC’s Athletic Director, Jaxson Pettis. He then switched to the coaches.
“Unfortunately, most of the coaching staff is on the road recruiting this weekend, but their families are all here. When I call out the coach’s name, I would like his family to stand and be recognized.”
He ran through all the coaches that were on the road. Then he started on the ones that had shown up to give them recognition.
Coach Clayton hadn’t bothered to come or take David’s call.
“Lastly, I wanted you all to meet our head coach and his family, but apparently, he was too busy,” David deadpanned.
His comment wasn’t lost on those that mattered to USC football.
“Now, I want to bring up three people who are going to be critical to your success here at USC, and the sooner you get to know them, the better. First, I want to introduce Dr. Carter, who helps all our football players achieve academic success through the Stevens Academic Center for student-athletes.
“Next is Tank Bryce, our strength-and-conditioning coach. And third, Chari Wylie, our nutritionist, who will get you fueling your bodies correctly,” David said. The three of them joined him on stage.
“While I have these three up here, let me share some truths that I’m sure you probably already know, but I’d be remiss if I didn’t repeat them. When you were in high school, you all were the big dogs on campus. You need to forget about that and not get caught up in living in the past. You’ve been given an opportunity to play in one of the most storied programs in the country. You are going to discover that playing college ball is nothing like you’ve ever experienced.
“The one advantage you’ll have over other freshmen this summer is that you joined a family here that will support you. That includes these three people on stage and everyone else I introduced tonight. You can also add the rest of your teammates and USC’s support staff when you meet them in the next few days.
“If I could give you some advice, it is to be consistent. I know it sounds simplistic, but I want you to think about this summer as stacking days. Build on each day, and get the most out of it. Don’t look back. Focus your eyes forward.
“What am I going to do today to become the best me possible? Be that way when you are going to your tutoring sessions, working out, getting plenty of sleep, putting the right stuff in your body, or doing whatever else is needed. Then do it all over again the next day.
“Start with working with the strength-and-conditioning staff. They’ll take all kinds of measurements, including body composition, stretching, flexibility, movement, and the like to give them a starting point. When workouts begin, they’ll be for an hour and a half. You’ll want to come in fifteen minutes early and hit the hydration and fueling station to get something in your body to prepare you for your workout.
“The staff will help you transform your body into what it has to be to play Division I football, and also with an eye to injury prevention. Honestly, this is your number one goal this summer. I want to be clear that it’s not about strapping a weight to your body or pushing weights. It’s about building balance in your body.
“It’s vital that you listen to these guys because there are no shortcuts and more is not always better. They’ll talk to you about stuff like recovery and proper nutrition. They’ve scienced the hell out of things. They’re pros, and their profession is getting you ready physically to play at your very best.
“You’re not going to skip a step, but like you, they want to get you in the best shape now. We want to win at USC,” David said as he noted that Coach Farrow was nodding his agreement.
David took a breath and smiled at his guys.
“Something you have to realize is that football is a team sport, and you can’t do it all on your own. The lifeblood of every college football team is recruiting. We need to show potential teammates that we’re a family of like-minded players and encourage them to join us. Early next week, I expect each of you to go to USC’s recruiting office and ask how you can help out. Get them to give you graphics you can send to prospects via social media.
“And just as a hint, someone’s brother should be made to feel welcome,” he said, smiling at Steve Barber.
David thanked everyone for coming again and took his seat. His mom had the waitstaff start to bring out the meal.
◊◊◊
After dessert, USC’s athletic director got up and welcomed the new players to campus. That was followed by the ambassadors of the University of Southern California—the Song Girls. They did a dance routine that had the boys excited.
These girls cheered and danced at Trojan athletic sporting events, including ‘jock rallies’ at Heritage Hall on Friday afternoons before all USC home football games. They also did other activities for alumni and the university. The girls were involved in charity work, so they were easy to convince to come out and help.
After their dance, two of them came over to David and whispered in his ear to ask if they could stay for the next phase of the party. Dawnseeker was playing, and the girls wanted to hear them. When they bounced off as happy girls, all the guys looked at him.
“Did they offer you a threesome?” Oliver asked with his patented smirk.
“It’s a whole lot of none of your business,” David answered.
“You know them, though? So, you should help your friends out and hook us up, mate,” the punter pressed.