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WEST LAFAYETTE — Purdue wide receiver Leland Smith was living with six people inside of a crowded two-bedroom apartment in Fullerton, California, a 23-mile drive from the busy freeways of Orange County to Los Angeles.
Smith gambled on himself when he left his home state of Texas in 2023 after he’d been a walk-on at TCU to join Fullerton College.
“I didn’t feel like it was a good fit for me,” Smith said of his experience at TCU, where his mother Yolanda attended and played college basketball.
Instead of playing for the Horned Frogs, Smith opted for the more adverse route: playing junior college football, where there aren’t scholarships for athletes and playing time isn’t guaranteed.
His epiphany came while reading the Bible.
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“We were still in spring ball at TCU, I had my own Bible study and the verse I read was John 13:7: ‘And though you may not understand right now, later you will,'” Smith said. “I understood I wasn’t happy where I was at, so I reached out to one of my old 7-on-7 coaches and told him I didn’t feel I was progressing, growing or reaching my full potential here.”.
Smith later received a phone call that would chart his course to California.
“I don’t really believe in coincidence,” Smith said. “When God gives you a sign and gives you an opportunity you don’t turn your back on it.”
Purdue Boilermakers wide receiver Leland Smith (12) celebrates after blocking a punt Saturday, Aug. 31, 2024, during the NCAA football game against the Indiana State Sycamores at Ross-Ade Stadium in West Lafayette, Ind. Purdue Boilermakers won 49-0.
A dream and an ‘All-American’ gamble
Smith accepted the risks he was taking on at Fullerton College, where the class of…
Source link : https://sports.yahoo.com/purdue-football-wide-receiver-leland-080841945.html
Author : Journal & Courier
Publish date : 2024-10-24 08:08:41
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