Spring Spotlight – The Early Enrollees
Mar 20, 2018 | Football
By Tom Symonds
TulaneGreenWave.com
Change is never easy, especially when the change includes leaving high school to begin college in the fall.
For Tulane University football freshmen Christian Daniels, Jeffery Johnson, Chris Joyce and Davon Wright, that life-changing moment occurred eight months ahead of the normal college freshman when each decided to enroll early to begin their respective collegiate careers.
"There have been days where I have just sat in my room and said to myself, 'Man, I'm really here playing college football,' but the overall benefit you get from starting early has been great," Joyce said.
Joyce, like each of his fellow early enrollee classmates, stepped on the Tulane campus in January and dove into life as a student-athlete head on, which has given these Green Wave freshmen a unique bond early in their collegiate careers.
"It helps a lot to have those guys here since they are going through the same thing I am and it has made us a pretty tight-knit group," Daniels said. "We're always in contact and we have a group chat, so we text each other a lot. It just helps to know that you're not the only person in this situation."
The life-changing moment of attending college can be difficult for anyone, but the support of Tulane's upperclassmen has aided the transition for each of these early enrollees.
"My teammates have been very accepting to me as soon as I started here on campus," Wright said. "We've all gotten along very well and it's been great."
With the team in full swing of spring practice, this year's freshmen have received a full dose of what preseason camp will look like when the calendar shifts over to August.
"It would have been very hectic if I didn't start now," Daniels said. "I probably would not have had an understanding as to what was going on if I had started later. At the quarterback position, you really have to know your playbook and what's going on around you because you are the captain of the offense. If I had come in at the start of August, that would have set me back a little bit and I wouldn't be at this point right now."
In addition to the work on the field and in the classroom, Tulane's early starters have gained valuable information on proper nutrition, which has translated into immediate results both on and off the field.
"It's been a big adjustment for me since I got here," Johnson said. "Coming out [of high school] I was 344 [pounds] now I'm about 317. They (the coaches) have high expectations for me. They expect me to work my butt off and perform."
Although all four of the newest additions to the Green Wave football roster are different in their own way, one thing these four individuals share in common is a strong desire to be successful at the collegiate level and help guide Tulane to its first bowl game since 2013.
"The biggest thing that played into my decision was to get ahead of the rest of my class and get into the playbook so I could get on the field early and help my team," Wright said. "From a football aspect I've gotten more physical, and from an academic standpoint I've learned to stay more on top of my classes and my grades."
TulaneGreenWave.com
Change is never easy, especially when the change includes leaving high school to begin college in the fall.
For Tulane University football freshmen Christian Daniels, Jeffery Johnson, Chris Joyce and Davon Wright, that life-changing moment occurred eight months ahead of the normal college freshman when each decided to enroll early to begin their respective collegiate careers.
"There have been days where I have just sat in my room and said to myself, 'Man, I'm really here playing college football,' but the overall benefit you get from starting early has been great," Joyce said.
Joyce, like each of his fellow early enrollee classmates, stepped on the Tulane campus in January and dove into life as a student-athlete head on, which has given these Green Wave freshmen a unique bond early in their collegiate careers.
"It helps a lot to have those guys here since they are going through the same thing I am and it has made us a pretty tight-knit group," Daniels said. "We're always in contact and we have a group chat, so we text each other a lot. It just helps to know that you're not the only person in this situation."
The life-changing moment of attending college can be difficult for anyone, but the support of Tulane's upperclassmen has aided the transition for each of these early enrollees.
"My teammates have been very accepting to me as soon as I started here on campus," Wright said. "We've all gotten along very well and it's been great."
With the team in full swing of spring practice, this year's freshmen have received a full dose of what preseason camp will look like when the calendar shifts over to August.
"It would have been very hectic if I didn't start now," Daniels said. "I probably would not have had an understanding as to what was going on if I had started later. At the quarterback position, you really have to know your playbook and what's going on around you because you are the captain of the offense. If I had come in at the start of August, that would have set me back a little bit and I wouldn't be at this point right now."
In addition to the work on the field and in the classroom, Tulane's early starters have gained valuable information on proper nutrition, which has translated into immediate results both on and off the field.
"It's been a big adjustment for me since I got here," Johnson said. "Coming out [of high school] I was 344 [pounds] now I'm about 317. They (the coaches) have high expectations for me. They expect me to work my butt off and perform."
Although all four of the newest additions to the Green Wave football roster are different in their own way, one thing these four individuals share in common is a strong desire to be successful at the collegiate level and help guide Tulane to its first bowl game since 2013.
"The biggest thing that played into my decision was to get ahead of the rest of my class and get into the playbook so I could get on the field early and help my team," Wright said. "From a football aspect I've gotten more physical, and from an academic standpoint I've learned to stay more on top of my classes and my grades."
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