God and football often go together when recruits have to make tough decisions about their future.
5-star Vonn Bell recently made headlines when he admitted that he prayed for a sign from God to help with his college decision. Bell said he got the sign just before it was time to sign last February. “I just woke up out of my dreams. Me and God just had a conversation. He said ‘I want you to go to Ohio State.’ Then I just knew …”
More recently, one of UGA top commitments for 2014 made it clear on national TV that spirituality played the most important role in picking the Bulldogs over Clemson and Ole Miss.
“Honestly, there are two ways I can answer this,” 4-star tight end Jeb Blazevich of Charlotte explained on ESPNU. “One way, (UGA is) just where God was calling me to go. But I know a lot of people won’t understand that. Honestly, I just loved the coaches – Coach Richt and (tight ends coach John Lilly). I love what they’re doing there, an they are having a lot of success.”
When Blazevich was later asked about his TV comments and why felt like some people wouldn’t understand, he told the AJC, “I was talking about why I picked Georgia. That’s pretty much the sole reason. I felt like a lot of people won’t understand that because a lot of people don’t really get the call from God -- just quite frankly because they don’t listen. But that’s just how it is. I didn’t mean any disrespect by it. I pretty much just wanted to say for those who understand and really get this, that should be all right (and) that should be good enough for you. … But there’s a lot of people that don’t have those same values and views, so I was going to give them a more logical answer on why I picked Georgia.”
Was he called to pick UGA? Blazevich, who is a devout Christian, didn’t have a Vonn Bell-like experience but felt led to UGA. “Of course, it would be a lot better if God had told me in an audible voice. I spent a lot of time in prayer and reading my Bible. And it was just always on my heart. You know, I was always thinking about (Georgia.). I always liked it. Other places might have been more logical for different scenarios, as a lot of coaches would try to tell me. Really, I felt like Georgia was the place for me. It was in my heart, in my gut, and logically it made sense. I know it wasn’t just an emotional decision because I waited so long to make the decision, and this had always been on my mind. So I believe that it was a calling of God. If it’s just a spur-of-the-moment thing, that’s going to change over weeks and months. This was a steady thing. Georgia has always been one of my top schools, especially lately. It has always been in the back of my mind like ‘This is where I want to go.’”
If possible, the star football recruit wanted to play in college for a coach who has their spiritual life as a top priority. That was something that ended up being in common among all three of Blazevich’s three finalists – UGA’s Mark Richt, Ole Miss’ Hugh Freeze and Clemson’s Dabo Swinney. All three coaches are known publicly for their Christian beliefs.
“That’s a very big factor for me with Georgia, Clemson and Ole Miss,” Blazevich said. “All the other places, they had strong believers on their staff, too. It was just one of those things that I got from my main schools, especially Coach Lilly and Coach Richt. The head coach is a Christian, and he’s going to run the team accordingly. My position coach is a Christian, and I’m going to be there around him every day.”
Did Blazevich feel a spiritual connection with Richt? “I don’t know about that. I just know what he proclaims and he proclaims matches up with (his actions). If he believes in the Bible and Jesus Christ with his whole heart, we’ll be going after the same things, no matter what. Even if football ended, we’re going after the same things. He’s my coach in Christ, too. That was the main thing. Same thing with Coach Lilly, too.”
Blazevich said he hasn’t specifically sought out any faith-based conversations with Richt. But he feels like he could. “It’s one of those things, if it’s a part of you, it’s going to come up in conversation,” he said. “I don’t think you can really ask somebody if they’re a Christian. The Bible says we’re not supposed to try to discern whether they are or not. But knowing what (Richt) proclaims and professes, and hearing what he’s said in interviews, I get the sense he is. He says he’s going for all of that, so that’s good enough for me. I really do trust him.”
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