I got to see two kids get the boot from a walk-on informational meeting in the McCareins Auditorium at the Yordon Center Wednesday afternoon.

Adam Clark, director of football operations, asked the room of about 30 eager students if anyone did not play high school football.

The two kids never did so they raised their hand and got the boot.

“You guys can leave now,” Clark told the students. “This probably won’t work out.”

An awkward feeling ensued as the two kids looked around, stunned.

Clark is probably right. The two kids didn’t look the part of collegiate athletes as they exited the room.

But logic is a key part of decision making. Does it necessarily follow through that because a student never played high school football that he therefore couldn’t play D-1 football successfully?

No.

And judging by Clark’s use of “probably won’t work out” leads me to believe that he knows it doesn’t necessarily follow through. So why not give the kids a chance?

An interesting plot I immediately concocted was if a 6’8”, 350 pound student raised his hand. Would Clark had been so sure to send him out the door, also?

For all Clark knows, the two kids who got the boot played soccer in high school, developed unbelievable leg power and started kicking 70-yard field goals with perfect accuracy this past summer.

I proposed these scenarios to Clark.

“If a kid played soccer instead of football and wanted to try-out for kicker, I would think he would have the intelligence to speak up and say, ‘Hey I’m trying out for kicker,’” Clark said.

I would agree. But again, it is still possible that the kid was just incredibly shy and intimidated. I say just let the kid try-out.

“A lot of kids just see [the advertisement] and say ‘Hey, I want to try-out.’ But that’s a waste of our time and their time,” Clark said.

Again, I agree. But how much time does it take to see a kid run a 40-yard dash in seven seconds and then give him the boot? About seven seconds.

I argue that as long as there is a chance that a kid could be a contributor to the team, you at least watch him.

I understand the odds are the two students who were asked to leave wouldn’t have made the team. But it’s not like the coaching staff were going to lose their jobs for watching the kids tryout.

I just hope those kids don’t transfer to Ball State and light it up.

Unlikely, but it is possible.

All comments are moderated before being published. We will not edit your comments, but we also will not approve those that are abusive, off-topic, attack another poster or contain information we know to be libelous or false.

During peak weekday viewing times, most comments will be reviewed within six hours. For more detailed information, click here.

After submitting your comment, check below for a confirmation message.

• Your name:
• Enter text from image:
  

• Your comment:

* 300-character count. HTML formatting will not display.