Two other stories seriously plagued the Washington program. The first was targeting opponents. This was unacceptable at every level of football. The second was the six transfers. The powers-that-be made it clear that if the six players stepped foot on a football field, and it was later found there had been some form of inducement, Washington would have to forfeit those games.
When we got to the high school, we had the usual fire drill as to who rode with whom. Mom drove our car, and Brandon claimed the front seat. Dad rode with Coach Hope and Cassidy rode with us, because she said this was her weekend with me. Before she was allowed in the car, there were explicit ground rules laid down. It all boiled down to we had to watch out for each other, and there was to be no drinking or funny business between us.
I was still tired, so I laid my head back and closed my eyes to get some much-needed sleep. I half-listened as my mom put Brandon to the question. By the time she was done, she knew everything about him. He also filled her in on my recruiting. Brandon told her interest was already high, but after the televised game it would go through the roof. My touchdown throw, with time expiring, had made SportsCenter’s top ten list. It must have been a slow night, in my opinion. Brandon showed her that the recruiting phone had received several hundred text messages since last night. He warned her that not everyone played fair, and we should expect some illegal inducement offers. I would need to be careful, or I might lose my eligibility. Bo had also alerted me to that danger during the summer.
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When we got to East Lansing, the whole town was abuzz for football. We checked into our hotel so we could focus on our weekend. ESPN had picked the Oregon vs. Michigan State game as their College GameDay location. We drove by Spartan Stadium, and it was already packed. We had been directed to go to the Duffy Daugherty Football Building across from the football parking lot. We walked in and found the place was like a museum for Michigan State football. We were given a tour of the building, and then we met the other recruits and their families.
Tami and her Wesleyan contingent showed up. She had Harper, Missy, and Lisa with her. Alan had also made the trip. Maybe they could hook up again. I might not be as entirely over it as I’d tried to convince myself I was. I suppressed a grin when Cassidy grabbed my hand to remind me that I was with her this weekend. She had seen how Missy, or was it Lisa, eyed me. Harper and I hadn’t really kept in touch after my trip to Chicago.
We were all ushered out to an open area, adjacent to the building, where they had a raised dais and microphone. A guy in Michigan State gear got up to speak. He had several people in football jerseys off to the side.
“I’m Coach Bailsman, recruiting coordinator and quarterback coach for Michigan State. I want to welcome everyone for coming for a visit this weekend. We want you to enjoy the pregame festivities and experience what it’s like to attend a Michigan State football game.
“After the game, we’ll give you tours of the facilities and campus. A few of you have requested information on our Honors College program. That’s not something we often see,” he joked, “but we strongly encourage it. We have a special tour set up for that group. After the tours are done, we’ll return here and give you a chance to talk to position coaches so that you and your families can get all your questions answered. Then the recruits will venture off with their chaperones to explore what Michigan State has to offer. Moms and dads, don’t worry, we haven’t lost one yet.
“Sunday we’ll have breakfast and then have the workouts. You’ll get an opportunity to meet with the coaches once again. Are there any questions?” Coach Bailsman asked.
I started to see a pattern as far as activities on a visit. I thought Louisville had a better format. They hired escorts to make sure the players had a good time, if the reports were accurate. I’d yet to see that approach used elsewhere.
“Normally, I don’t single out a recruit on a visit, but we have someone special with us today,” Coach Bailsman said, and I looked around to see who was here. “I wanted to let you know that the number 1 recruit in the Junior Class, and Elite 11 Co-MVP who led his team to a last-second victory last night, is with us. Of course, I’m talking about David Dawson.”
My teammates all knew how much I hated that kind of thing, so they started chanting “Our House!” to embarrass me. There was already a video out that had gone viral showing my declaration, followed by my backing it up on the field. The problem with being singled out like that was you had to be on your best behavior. I couldn’t just be one of the guys after that. If I did anything questionable, like drink or have sex with a college coed, it would be talked about. Being a leader had its drawbacks, but if that was the price I had to pay to get us to a State Championship, I would gladly carry the load.
We were then introduced to our chaperones for the weekend. I was further embarrassed when I received one of my very own. Chip Ellis was a redshirt freshman quarterback. It seemed Michigan State had rolled out the red carpet. If this kept up, the other recruits would start to resent me.
“Everyone that’s with David, please gather ’round,” Chip called out.
Of course, I expected Cassidy and Coach Hope, my parents, and Brandon. I didn’t expect the Wesleyan girls and Alan to join us. My mom stared me in the eyes, and being in no mood to restart that fight, I just smiled.
“We have some time before the football game, so I thought I’d take you to my fraternity. They’re having a pregame event for alumni and parents. So the girls should be safe,” Chip said.
I won’t repeat what the Wesleyan girls said, but I was happy when my mom gave them ‘the eye,’ and they fell back into line. Poor Chip was blushing. While we walked to the fraternity house, Chip played tour guide and pointed out the different sights. I liked the feel of the campus and town. It didn’t seem quite as crowded as Northwestern had been. We eventually came to a large house that was vaguely Tudor style in design. It had brickwork on the bottom floor and light-colored paint on the second story. All that was missing was the decorative boards. The sign out front said Lambda Chi Alpha–Founded 1927.
We walked into a dated interior. The entry hall had green and brown slate flooring and a large crest for the fraternity. We were ushered into a formal living room that had mismatched couches that looked like something out of my Grandma Felton’s house. Chip left us to do something.
“If this is what a fraternity looks like, you’re not joining one,” my mom informed me.
“Do you think they get their furniture from Goodwill?” Harper asked.
“Actually, you’re not too far off on that,” said a guy who had to either be an alumnus or someone’s father. “They’ve been raising funds for a new fraternity house. This one has seen better days.
“You must be David. Why don’t you all join us out back? They have some doughnuts and coffee we brought with us. We don’t trust them to make coffee here.”
Dad and I were happy boys when we saw they had a full box of Bavarian Cream doughnuts. We did our circuit to meet everybody. It was evident that Chip had brought us with the intention that if I came to Michigan State, I would rush Lambda Chi Alpha. Cassidy amused Tami because she never left my side. If you had just met us, you would bet that we were a couple. Tami knew that Coach Hope wouldn’t allow it, and she kept watching him and his daughter to see if there was going to be any fireworks. I knew that Cassidy was still getting over the loss of Jeff, so wasn’t worried that anything would get out of hand.