University of Virginia quarterback, Matt Johns, finished his career with 4,233 passing yards and 30 passing touchdowns. He was the starter for all 12 games in 2015, leading the Cavaliers to a 4-8 record. After a fierce quarterback battle in 2016, he was replaced as the starter by East Carolina transfer, Kurt Benkert. Johns was able to earn the starting job back at the end of the season and ignite the potential for an NFL career. As a 6-5 pro-style quarterback, Johns believes he can compete at the next level.
August Klatt (AK): You’ve had a very successful career at the University of Virginia, finishing in the top 5 of many all-time UVA football records, how would you describe your time there and how your experience at UVA has helped prepare you for the next level? Matt Johns (MJ): UVA has been a very special place to me and a second home away from Chalfont, PA. The coaches and teammates here helped prepare me to be mentally and physically strong enough to compete at the next level. My coaches showed me how to prepare and handle a pro-style offense.
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On a crisp October evening in Hamden, Connecticut, two high school football teams face off. The crowd roars as the Hamden Hall football team takes the field with the head coach, Joe Linta, slowly jogging behind. Tonight it is all about coaching his team to an undefeated season and getting to the conference championship game. The next day, Linta is in the office talking to NFL executives, negotiating a contract extension for Joe Flacco, and watching film on dozens of Division III football players. Joe Linta is more than a high school football coach and more than a sports agent; he is one a kind.
Joe Linta is a sports agent, but more importantly, a talent evaluator and an advocate for players who are overlooked or come from smaller schools. He has a knack for finding the hidden gems of college football, giving players a chance to fulfill their dreams when no one else sees their potential. Linta views these players in a different light by putting them through an intense evaluation process and only signs the best of the best; players who he thinks have the potential for a long NFL career. In just about every NFL Mock Draft, analysts are predicting that Clemson’s Deshaun Watson, North Carolina’s Mitch Trubisky, and Notre Dame’s DeShone Kizer will be the three quarterbacks selected in the first-round of the 2017 NFL Draft. There has been much debate about which quarterback will be selected first, but this is the wrong conversation. Analysts and NFL scouts need to reevaluate this quarterback class and determine who can lead a franchise. Deshaun Watson is the only quarterback that has demonstrated the ability to lead, win and perform against talented defenses, making him the only quarterback worthy choice of a first-round pick.
When drafting a first-round quarterback, teams look for a leader to build their franchise around. Deshaun Watson is that guy. He is a strong leader and has performed well against top defenses. Watson led his team to a national title, two conference championships, and a 28-2 record as a starter. Against top 25 pass defenses, Watson averaged 303 yards passing, 2 touchdowns, and 1 interception. In the two national championship games against a strong Alabama opponent, Watson had a combined 825 passing yards and 8 total touchdowns, proving he can perform under extraordinary pressure against the best defenses. Dymonte Thomas just finished his final season as the safety for the Michigan Wolverines. Hailing from Alliance, Ohio, Dymonte was a four-star football recruit out of high school who was also a very talented baseball player and wrestler. Dymonte Thomas started 21 games at free safety for the Wolverines and earned 2016 All-Big Ten honorable mention and 2014 Academic All-Big Ten. Dymonte graduated the University of Michigan with an undergraduate degree in general studies with a minor in sales and entrepreneurship. He is currently training in Carson, California for his Michigan Pro Day. Our conversation shows Dymonte’s journey as he fulfills a lifelong dream of preparing for the NFL Draft.
August Klatt (AK): So you played baseball, football, and wrestled in high school. Did you ever consider playing a different sport in college or was football always your main goal? Dymonte Thomas (DT): I kind of thought about going into baseball, but I wouldn’t have gone to school. I would’ve tried to go straight to the draft, but I decided to come to Michigan to get a great education— that’s the reason why I came to college. I also thought about maybe trying to walk on for the baseball team, but football takes up a lot. During this year’s college football bowl season, the spotlight turned away from the actual games and towards conversations surrounding star players skipping bowl games. LSU running back, Leonard Fournette and Stanford running back, Christian McCaffrey both decided to skip the final game of their collegiate career in fear of injuring themselves prior to the NFL draft- a highly controversial move that makes sense. While these players receive an incredible athletic and academic experience playing college football, there’s one goal on these players’ minds: the league. Players are willing to put their body on the line while these universities are making millions of dollars off them just for the chance to a part of the 1.6% of college football players to be drafted by an NFL team. These players dream of the NFL for several reasons, whether it’s the love of the game, competitive drive, or simply support their family. However, what they all have in common is their talent is worth a substantial amount of money. After 10 plus years of playing the game, it’s time to cash in.
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August KlattSenior at the University of Michigan studying Economics and Applied Statistics CategoriesArchives |