This time of year, most stories about football players revolve around recruiting and the NFL draft. Which is why it was so surprising to read that Texas A&M running back Bradley Stephens is passing on his final year of eligibility to go to work in the private sector up in Dallas.
↵Brent Zwernemann provides the details here, but the gist is that Stephens got his degree in sports management in 3 1/2 years and decided to walk away instead of enrolling in graduate school. He was a third-string running back who couldn't even get many carries after Christine Michael's broken leg ended his season.
↵Stephens leaves an interesting legacy. For years now, he'd been discussed as a guy who could break out at any moment. The coaches praised him during spring ball and he always seemed poised to become a big contributor. Of course, his biggest problem was hanging onto the ball. No college stats site I've seen tracks fumbles, but that was what head coach Mike Sherman often cited as his biggest problem. It was also the main reason Stephens was taken off kick return duty his freshman year.
↵Thinking about Stephens reminds me of Vince Vaughn's character in Rudy. Lots of potential but never puts it all together. Hopefully Stephens will find Vaughn-level success in his operations management job.
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