I remember the first time that I saw Terry Eaton lace up his cleats. It was October 2013 and Trinity High School (Euless, TX) was prepping for their big game against cross mid-city rival, L.D. Bell. As the new Offensive Coordinator of the UL Monroe Warhawks, I had been sent down to Euless to scout a 4-Star Receiver named Christopher Jeffcoat. Now we knew bringing in a receiver like Jeffcoat was unlikely but we hoped most of the attention in this game would be paid to his 5-Star Receiver Counterpart, Mason Allen. Yes you heard correctly, two of the best Receivers in the nation were both coming out of the same damn school. Throw in the fact that Chase Steele (3 Star) was throwing them the ball, it was clear that Euless Trinity was State bound. So there was some hope...err desperation, that if Allen got most of the attention from the scouts, we could slip in and make a splash with Jeffcoat.

I always felt like a salesman on these visits, I thought to myself while watching both teams do their Pre-Game stretches. Coming out to a school, badgering a kid and his parents in hope that for four years, he'll grace you with his presence. Truthfully, it always sat with me wrong. But I was thankful to even get a chance at the College level and the little University in Monroe, Louisiana had been treating me mighty nice. They let me implement my own Pistol Offense and I had my own choice of what Offensive Recruits I wanted us to target. So I decided I'd make the most of this visit, do my job and go back home to Louisiana in hopes that I didn't let down the AD too much. And hey, I spent many years in Euless in my younger days as I had family in the town. So it wasn't all painful, right?

The game went about as expected, Trinity pulling away in the 2nd Half to seal their spot in the upcoming Texas High School playoffs. And much to my dismay, it was Jeffcoat who looked particularly special that night. I made my way over to the area chalked off for the team's walk back to the Locker Room and I gave a friendly shout in Jeffcoat's direction. The two young men he was walking with gave a quick snicker as he jogged over in my direction. As quick as I could open my mouth to make my pitch, he'd already ended the discussion. Jeffcoat - "Look sir, with all due respect. It ain't gonna be you. We both know it. You're just not there...ya know?" And with that it was over. Five hours of driving all summed up in a few snide sentences. I began the walk back to my car but not until after I saw Jeffcoat shaking hands with a Texas Tech scout. I couldn't blame the kid, Tech's system would make him a star.

I walked back out onto the track surrounding the ruffled field and prepared to make my way back to the car when I ran into #83. He was a quiet kid standing all of 5'10 weighing around 180, Trinity's number three receiver who played mostly in the slot. I remember finding his play pretty impressive. Even more impressive was the fact that I'd never heard of the kid prior to watching him play. Did he hold a candle to Jeffcoat or Allen? No, they were far and above. But I saw a kid out there trying to help his team win and making an impact. With a modest four catches for 48 yards on the day, he did what he was supposed to do. He was with his dad and a few scouts from Division II schools like Tarleton State and Harding University. The look on their faces when they saw me really told a story. To schools like Texas, Tech, ATM, Baylor and TCU, UL Monroe wasn't anything to concern yourself about. But to these DII schools, we were the "Texas", "ATM" and "Tech's" in their world. I felt for them...by now I knew the feeling. I patted Eaton on the back, shook his hand and congratulated him on the win before heading to the car. I wasn't prepared to offer a scholarship at the time but I was prepared to do my homework.

Over the next few weeks I made sure I had a copy of Trinity's game tape and I zeroed in on Terry Eaton. He never had a game where he could be considered the star but living in the shadow of Allen and Jeffcoat didn't make that easy. What he did do was play consistently and come up in clutch situations. And after two more weeks of consistent play and motivated performances, I decided to give the kid a call. He was a soft-spoken young man but he had a real excitement to his voice. And probably my favorite part of the call was when he spoke so highly about getting an education, earning his spot on a team and wanting to stay closes to home. These were humble and mature traits to have for such a young guy.

After our call I ran into the big man's office and told him that I was ready to offer Eaton a Scholarship. He wanted a few days to think on it before he got back with me. The next Saturday, after a great Offensive outing against Louisiana Tech, I got my answer. Coach - "If you think he's right, make the offer. Great job out there today!" That Monday night I made the call and extended Eaton the offer. He was excited but let me know he'd need to think about it. As it turned out, Southern Methodist University in Dallas had also made an offer. Unbeknownst to me, while I was game planning for Louisiana Tech on Friday night, Eaton was having the game of his career. And now some of the growing schools in Texas were starting to pay attention.

The fight for Eaton was unrelenting and the odds were stacked against me. With Houston and SMU getting into the mix, Eaton leaving for Monroe felt like it was slipping out of reach. I decided to make one last call so that I could make the kid a promise. "You won't sit in anyone's shadow." I told him. "I can't promise you a National Championship. I can't promise you that you'll ever play on National Television. But I can promise you that you will get your shot to shine. You will get your day." We scheduled a visit to the Campus and that weekend he made his commitment. He was considered a 3 Star prospect by the end of the season but we knew we'd got a real gem.

It's summer now and Eaton is prepping for his Sophomore year at UL Monroe after making a huge splash in his freshman year. And I know without a doubt, I'll never forget the first time I saw Terry Eaton.