Tucson RB Joins Recruiting Class

Q and A with Catalina Foothills running back Vince Alentado

2007-04-18
Matt Bracken
AZ Daily News

Catalina Foothills’ Vince Alentado recently accepted an offer to play Division II college football at Hillsdale College in Michigan.

The 6’0, 200-pound running back, who rushed for 1,046 yards and 10 touchdowns as a senior, will receive an academic scholarship and compete for the starting job when he arrives in the fall.

Here’s what Alentado had to say about his pledge to the Chargers:

Q: When did you make your commitment?

A: On the 11th.

Q: Signing Day was in February. Why did you wait until now to sign?

A: I was actually in the middle of wrestling when they wanted me to make my visit, and that’s when they usually offer scholarships, so I had to wait.

Q: How was the visit?

A: It was fun. I got a good glimpse of the team doing their workouts and got a good feel for it.

Q: How did you find out about Hillsdale?

A: They actually called me in December or January, sometime during the winter. And I just kind of looked them up on the internet once they contacted me.

Q: Had you ever heard of Hillsdale before they contacted you?

A: Not at all.

Q: How did Hillsdale found out about you?

A: They got an email from a recruiting service that I was doing.

Q: How did you arrive at your decision?

A: It was a combination of things. The opportunity to play Division 2 football as opposed to Division 3. And a lot of it came down to the sincerity of the coaches and commitment they had to getting me on the team.

Q: What other schools did you consider?

A: College of Wooster, a D3 college that wanted me as a linebacker. Occidental College in Los Angeles. NAU had offered me a walk-on position as a running back, I believe.

Q: Was the recruiting process stressful?

A: Oh yeah definitely. It was really stressful especially having to make the decision. You get to know all these coaches and a lot of the players and then you have to let some of them down when you really don’t want to.

Q: What do you expect out of your freshman year?

A: Well they graduated a running back last year that led the team in career rushing yards, and I know they have three young guys and one other guy they recruited this year. I’d like to be first or second string. I think I can make an impact early.

Q: Will it be difficult being so far away from home?

A: Yes and no. It’ll be difficult I’m sure, but I’ll have a strong supporting family around me with the football team, so I think I’ll be okay. Because there aren’t any Division 2 or 3 schools around here, it was kind of inevitable that I’d go away, so I was expecting it.