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Four days after committing to Georgia, Erik Walden hopped into a
car with two of his Thomas County Central teammates and Bill
Shaver, his position coach for the past three years. They were
headed to Jefferson City, Tennessee, to visit Carson-Newman, a tiny
Southern Baptist college with a powerhouse of a Division-II football program.
In Erik's mind, the eight-hour trip was nothing more than a good-faith
gesture. The Carson-Newman coaches had been recruiting him since his
junior season. They wanted him to follow in Leonard Guyton’s footsteps,
and Guyton was now on the Eagles’ staff as a graduate assistant coach
working with the quarterbacks.
Erik and Guyton had grown close during the recruiting process. Even
though neither of them seriously expected Erik to choose a small school
like Carson-Newman over the likes of Georgia, Alabama or Florida, they
had a common bond in that they both played quarterback at Central. And
each appreciated the way the other one played the game.
Most importantly, Erik trusted Guyton. He had leaned on Guyton for
support throughout the recruiting process, even when he was making his
decision to attend the University of Georgia. So when Shaver was taking
two other players on a visit to Carson-Newman, Erik felt like he owed it to
Guyton to at least check out the campus.
Still, he wanted to make sure the Carson-Newman coaches didn’t have
any false hopes.
“I’m committed to Georgia,” he told them.
Carson-Newman head coach Ken Sparks wasn’t the least bit offended
by Erik's candor. During his more than 20 years at the school, Sparks had
grown accustomed to losing head-to-head battles with larger universities.
From television exposure to 80,000-seat stadiums to first-class facilities,
the major Division-I programs had the upper hand in just about every facet
of recruiting.
But Sparks was happy to just have a chance at a player with Erik's talents.
It would be a long shot, for sure. But a long shot was better than no shot. Having seen Erik play, Sparks knew he would be a perfect fit for the
Eagles’ option-oriented offense. As productive as Guyton had been at
Carson-Newman – breaking several team and conference records – Erik could be even better.
And Sparks had some inside information that might just tip the scales of
this recruiting battle in his favor.
Just before Erik came on his visit, Sparks spoke with an old coaching
buddy on the phone. It was none other than University of Georgia coach
Mark Richt. The two had become friendly over the years, meeting frequently
during their involvement in Fellowship of Christian Athletes. And
since they both were recruiting Erik, the conversation naturally shifted in
that direction.
“I don’t know what you all think about him, but he’s a quarterbackdeluxe
for us,” Sparks told Richt. The Georgia coach responded that his
staff liked Erik more as a receiver or a defensive back.
Not surprisingly, this information quickly made its way back to Erik.
Though the Bulldogs’ coaches had told Erik all along that they viewed
him as an athlete – and had never made him any guarantees that he could
play quarterback – he always thought that he’d at least get a chance to
compete there. But suddenly, that didn’t seem to be the case.
Erik was floored. Receiver was one thing. But defensive back?
“I’ve played offense my whole life – quarterback, receiver or running
back,” said Erik, shedding his normally calm exterior and displaying a rare
tinge of emotion. “I never played defense my whole high school career or
my whole little league career. Why am I gonna do it now?
“I’ll play anything on the offensive side of the ball. But defense? I’m
not a defensive man. I’m not a hitter. I’m a passer or catcher or runner.”
If this was true – if Georgia really wasn’t interested in giving him so
much as a look at quarterback – Erik would have to reevaluate his options.
He already was bothered about the risks associated with going to prep
school. The thought of not graduating from high school had been weighing
on him for days.
Now this.
Frustrated, he called Georgia’s coaches and asked for reassurances.
Maybe there had been a misunderstanding. Surely, he hadn’t been misled.
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