Elijah Kolegov '22 Recruiting Profile

Tell coaches about your collegiate goals and aspirations.

I have a big goal to which I strive very much and I believe that I will definitely achieve it.  My goal is to enter a university where I could get a good education and profession in the field of marketing, as well as be part of a football team and play for the university.  I have already decided what I will do in my student years, but I would like to tell you about another goal in my life.  I have a huge dream to become a professional NFL player and I really believe that the coaching staff of the university, as well as my great desire, drive and perseverance in training, will help me achieve this. Football has attracted me since early childhood and I want to say that this sport itself has formed good qualities in me that help me both in my studies and in life.  These qualities made me a purposeful, persistent, and a hardworking person.  Life itself teaches me many lessons and I have no reason to be upset about any failures and I'm very grateful in life to the difficulties that I overcome.  I know that these challenges make me wiser, tougher and stronger.  I'm currently busy with my studies at school, and training for the upcoming games in the season.  The knowledges I have acquired both in school and football, I can only multiply them and bring all this to the university that I will enter.

What makes you a good candidate for their team?

In life, everything is achieved by hard work and it can be both in the field of study and in sport.  In order for me to play football, I realized that I need physical training, which may take a long time.  At the age of 11, my father brought me to the athletics gym and now thanks to him, I'm in very good shape.  Another great benefit for me was brought by the "Ford Sports Performance", and in particular by my personal football coach (Damion Turpin), who taught me a lot.  All training with him was not in vain, and as a result he saw in me a potential player in the "Defensive End" and "Middle Linebacker" positions.  Today, I have good physical characteristics that allow me to play very easily in "Defensive End" and "Defensive Tackle" positions.  I always keep fit and believe that I can bring my abilities to my team in order to achieve victories together.

What makes you different from other recruits in character, athletics and academics? 

My parents played a big role in my life, because thanks only to their love and upbringing, the character of a person was formed in me, which does not allow being exalted over other people, and they taught me to respect each person.  I very calmly accept any criticism and any remark addressed to me.  I really enjoy setting high standards for myself and reaching them.  For my part, I always try to support and encourage the guys both in the class and in the team, and I'm very happy when they succeed.  Being a part of the team means a lot to me.  I know what respect, support, encouragement, understanding and honesty are, because I learned this in life.  All this will be useful to me to build relationships with students, players, teachers, and coaches at the university.