Roquan Smith
Dear Roquan Smith:
We’ve never met, in case you might be wondering.
My letter is addressed to you, but I’m posting this on the internet in the hope it will catch your attention, as well as those of others who might find my advice beneficial.
This advice would probably be equally useful to any other young athlete who faces a tough decision about which school to attend…I am not speaking as a college football fan, but as a grandfather.
I am a grandfather. My intention is to speak to you as any grandfather would speak to his grandson, with no disrespect intended to your actual grandparents.
I want to offer you the exact same advice I plan to give my own grandson, if he works hard enough and grows into an athlete talented to be offered similar opportunities to those you currently have.
But before going any further, in the spirit of full disclosure I must tell you that I am a Georgia Bulldog fan, plain and simple. My opinions are often jaded. I shall make every effort to not show any favorable bias towards UGA in this open letter directed to you, but you should know that it naturally exists.
However, I don’t know or speak for Mark Richt, nor do I represent the university in any official capacity.
I do love UGA, graduating in 1983 with a degree in Management Information Systems from the business school that has served me very well in my professional career. For twenty years, I helped develop computer software that did everything from making an electronic deposit into your checking account to encrypting your PIN after a device captured it, and all sorts of other interesting problems that have been solved or simplified using computers. I got the opportunity to do a lot of pretty cool stuff. Those experiences included travelling the world on an expense account, spending other people’s money to see exotic places such as Australia, Hong Kong, Singapore, and Paramus, New Jersey. But it wasn’t quite as glamorous as that might sound. A lot of hard work was involved.
Then I “retired” early from my career in software development to become a professional writer. I’m currently working on my seventh book, the fourth novel. Clearly, UGA was the right school for me.
But it may not be what’s best for you.
What worked out wonderfully for somebody else may not be the best decision for you.
My uncle wanted to be a civil engineer, so he graduated from Georgia Tech.
If you really want to study marine biology, make absolutely sure the school you choose has a reputation for success producing graduates with that degree. Please never forget, you will eventually want to have a career plan so you can support your family to the degree you want, even if you plan to play professional football beforehand. You’ll still “retire” well before you’re forty years old. You’ll need a plan for what comes next.
As Jerry Glanville famously said, “NFL” really means “Not For Long.”
So, as much as it pains me to admit it, UGA may actually not be the best school for you. Only you know that.
Listen to your family. Your parents raised you to become the person you currently are, a marvelous athlete in high demand. They surely have your best interests at heart. If your choice is made for the right reasons, I suspect they will fully support you, even if your choice causes you to move several thousand miles away from home. They care more about your happiness than you do.
So trust your mother and father, or whomever happens to be the primary caregiver that brought you to this day.
When I read how your Coach Larry Harold defended you in the AJC this morning. I wanted to give the man a standing ovation. Your coach obviously loves you. Listen to him. Trust him, certainly more than you would trust a total stranger. Coach Harold clearly showed that he also has your best interests at heart. The last people on earth from whom you should get advice are these overgrown children on the internet that I’ve seen literally begging you and other uncommitted or unsigned prospects to come to their school. Please don’t bend to pressure from people who aren’t really your peers.
I’m very sad to say they haven’t all been Bruin or Wolverine fans, either. When these people aren’t pathetically begging you to come to their school, they act as if what they want is best for you.
I cringe whenever I see an alleged fan of college football making a highly critical remark about somebody they’ve never met, someone who happens to be struggling with an incredibly difficult decision — something which quite possibly they’ve never had to do themselves.
For example, UCLA was never an option for me…but only because I wasn’t offered a scholarship there, or anywhere else. My options at the time were considerably more limited than yours.
You’ve been blessed with a unique opportunity not many people have. I think you’re being exceptionally smart to think about your decision and try to do what is best for you.
The only reason my advice to you is better than that of any other idiot on the internet is because my advice is that you not to listen to me. Listen to yourself. Listen to your family. Listen to Coach Harold.
I don’t know any more about you than you know about me except in your case, your reputation as a football player precedes you.
On the other hand, life is a lot more than football. You won’t play football forever. Never forget, there will be life after football.
So take all the time you need. Choose wisely.
Speak Your Mind