For aspiring football elites, dreams often follow a set of unwritten rules: start playing football as a kid, play high school ball, get recruited by power division one program and ultimately catch the attention of professional scouts.

This is the path many rising stars are accustomed to.

However, fate had a different playbook in store as the global pandemic upended this familiar narrative, casting uncertainty over the trajectory of countless young athletes.

The 2020 season, dubbed the “COVID year,” brought sweeping disruption to college athletics. March Madness was canceled, along with other spring sports.

Todd Stansbury, Georgia Institute of Technology’s athletic director from 2016-2022 and current deputy athletic director for North Carolina State University, details further disruptions college athletics programs faced, “during COVID, recruiting totally got stunted.”

Health protocols became a major focus, with schools navigating uncharted territory. “The amount of work and deliberation that had to go into how we even got to play games was significant,” said Stansbury.

The NCAA ultimately granted athletes an extra year of eligibility, due to irregular seasons recognizing the pandemic’s lasting impact on college sports.

Even before the pandemic, Stansbury said college athletics was experiencing historic changes.

“When you look at the combination of conference realignment, the transfer portal and the relaxation of rules associated with transferring and that combined with NIL, it definitely has been the most significant change to intercollegiate athletics in its history.”

With all of these changes and the impacts of COVID, Stansbury said, “the junior colleges ended up being very, very important,” noting it as the only option available for many student athletes under these new conditions.

And although Stansbury believes the importance of junior college – commonly referred to as JUCO – surged for student athletes during the pandemic, it has long been an option to give athletes a chance to further develop athletically while pursuing higher education.

Jim Trotter, a veteran football insider for ESPN, the NFL, and The Athletic, emphasized the potential for athletes who come out of junior college, saying, “there are Hall of Fame caliber players who started out at junior college.”

Trotter went on to provide further reason as to why a student athlete may have chosen the JUCO option, “It could have something to do with academics, the family, sometimes it has to do with them physically, not maturing at an early age in terms of being the player that they can be.”

While many football players have their route visualized from a young age, Cooper Lovelace followed his own playbook.

“I didn’t play football, I wrestled until the high school football coach convinced me to play my senior year,” said Lovelace.

With no scholarships offered after his sole high school football season, the Kansas City native chose to consider options outside the traditional four-year college pathway.

In 2019, Lovelace decided to enroll at Butler Community College in El Dorado, Kansas, “you have to love ball. If you play JUCO football, you have to love ball,” he emphasized. “There were times I questioned why I was doing it, but I had that belief in myself and knew I could succeed,” said Lovelace.

Then came COVID.

While many aspects of life were put on hold, Lovelace saw an opportunity for growth.

“COVID actually was maybe one of the biggest blessings I ever could have had,” ssaid the 6’5 315-pound offensive lineman, as the time spent out of the classroom and off the field of competition allowed him to make up for his late start in the sport.

During the pandemic, Lovelace consumed everything football.

“I was in the gym seven days a week. I was watching 20 hours of film a week going to the gym swimming and eating right,” said Lovelace.

This focus paid off when Lovelace learned he had gained an extra year of eligibility due to the canceled season in the fall of 2020. “I don't think I would have made it here if I didn't have those five months. It was a chance to get ahead while others fell behind.”

Lovelace's determination and commitment led to his transfer to the University of Southern California, in May 2022.

“I never imagined being recruited by and playing for such a storied program. I was blown away.”

Lovelace has remained focused on his goals. He understands that the road is steep and the chances of making it to the NFL are slim, but that doesn't deter him from pursuing his goals and facing the challenges ahead.

“That extra year of eligibility was huge. It's what's going to give me my shot,” he stated.

Seventeen-hundred miles from Kansas City, Sione Laulea was a scrawny 15-year-old at Junipero Serra High School in San Ma teo, California when COVID hit.

Having been in pads since he was four years old on the Pop-Warner field, Laulea had set out on the traditional trajectory, never expecting to be sidelined by a coach, let alone a worldwide pandemic.

Laulea only had film from practice and a couple of games for college coaches to evaluate, “[it] definitely affected a lot of people, including my own recruitment,” said Laulea.

Will Heck, the tight ends coach at Oregon State, discussed the impact on his recruiting footprint, while he was coaching at the University of California, Berkeley, “A lot of the schools on the West Coast were not playing football that year (2020) due to the pandemic.”

“[Recruits] just don't have film, they don't have junior year film for the juniors,” the most vital year in college recruiting according to Heck.

Canceled games and a lack of film were not Laulea’s only obstacle; his GPA posed another threat. “My grades really did tank me,” said Laulea, who struggled with remote learning.

Coach Will Heck, photo courtesy of the Heck Family.
Click the photo to hear more about the impacts on college recruting from COVID.

“If COVID never happened my grades would have been different. I would have graduated.”

When Laulea was being recruited out of high school, he recalls “the first question a coach usually always asked is ‘what's your cumulative GPA?’.”

Looking down, Laulea softly said, “That’s when I kinda lose the connection.”

Out of high school, Laulea only received one D-1 scholarship offer from Sacramento State

“I thought that maybe I wasn't this great athlete. Maybe I'm supposed to be a little bit lower.” He knew that frame of thought wouldn’t get him to the level he dreamed of, “I need to fix my mind,” Laulea said, adding that the rejections “taught me to overcome adversity.”

This led Laulea to the College of San Mateo and Coach Tim Tulloch.

“ “I felt like Junior College was that half step to division one. I can really prove not only to others but to myself that I am who I say I am.”

After his first season at the College of San Mateo, Laulea became a NJCAA Football National Champion.

By the end of his second season, Laulea, now 6’ 4 and 190-pounds, committed to play for the Oregon Ducks, and received his Associates Degree.

“He's a kid that didn't graduate high school. And he comes to our place and gets a two year degree in 18 months,” said Coach Tulloch.

"Junior college changed me," said Laulea with a small smile peaking across his face.

"It taught me resilience, taught me to push through adversity. And most importantly, it taught me the value of teamwork, of playing for something bigger than myself and for that, I'll always be grateful.”

As Laulea continues his journey, he remains focused on his goals while staying grounded in the lessons learned along the way.

"At the end of the day, it's about self-belief and resilience." "No matter what challenges come my way, I'll be ready to tackle them head-on.