Nathanyal Leyba '15 Recruiting Profile

 First and foremost, attending and graduating college is the most important goal in my life. I am 16-years-old and in the 11th grade, and I wish to major in human physiology to pursue a career in sports medicine and I wish to minor in creative writing to pursue a career in writing and publishing my own books. I thank my parents, my family, teachers and coaches for supporting me and giving me the strength to push me academically and athletically. I currently maintain a 4.0 grade point average and I am enrolled in Advanced Placement english and history. My faith is very important to me and one of my favorite activities that I enjoy outside of school and sports is serving the Christian Brothers at their home on campus at my school. Due to recent budget cuts, my class and I go to their home monthly and serve them meals. Recently I was the assistant coach for my little brothers basketball team. I am also assisting the student council at school and I am also a member of the National Honor Society. I can honestly say that football is a way of life for me. I take the same work ethic that I am taught in the classroom to the football field. I play defensive end, linebacker and running back and was a starter for my varsity team as a junior during my 2013-2014 season. I started at running back and defensive end along with middle and outside linebacker. I have attended O-D summer camps to improve my skills as a defensive end and running back. As a participant in the  Offense-Defense summer football camps from 2009--2013, I have received the honor of Defensive MVP from 2010-2012 and as a Running Back MVP in 2013. As part of a team I also identify myself as a leader and motivator to my teammates. I understand that to make it in the sport of football hard work, determination, and drive are essential to reach my goals. My second athletic goal is to play college football. This has been a dream of mine since I began playing full-contact football at 5-years-old. I grew up watching Emmitt Smith and DeMarcus Ware and I consider them to be true football players that demonstrate great character and positive sportsmanship on and off the field. I consider them to be my true role models after my parents. I know that I must be open to change and flexibility and just to have the honor of playing college football would be a dream come true. Although I really do not have a geographic preference, my college choice will primarily be made on what is offered academically and what allows me to focus on my areas of interest. Coming from a family in which I am the oldest of three children, it is always important to have tuition assistance. I do plan on taking the ACT and the SAT in 2013-2014 as well as continuing to achieve the highest academic status possible in hopes that I can qualify for academic scholarships. My parents have also started to educate me on the importance of financial assistance (FAFSA). This is very important to me because it will help me with financing my post-secondary education. If I have the opportunity to earn an athletic scholarship (of any sort) in addition to any academic and/or financial assistance that I may earn would be an honor.