Five years ago, Josh Speidel suffered a traumatic brain injury in a car accident when he was a senior in high school, shortly after the former prep standout and three-star recruit committed to playing for Vermont. . . .And . . .
When his parents reached the hospital, doctors told them that Josh had nearly lost his life and that the prognosis for the future was not bright. Josh was in a coma for five weeks. Doctors told his parents to prepare for their son living in a vegetative state and needing 24-hour care for the rest of his life. He would never read above a fourth-grade level, they said.Josh Speidel will graduate from Vermont this spring with a 3.4 GPA and on Senior Night in Burlington he scored a basket in a touching display of true sportsmanship by two teams and two head coaches.
Grab a hanky and watch and don't miss the excitement of a player on the Albany bench as well as the moment Speidel had with the Albany coach Will Brown.
Here's what ESPN's Scott Van Pelt said about it all last night (LINK).
For a look at just how far Speidel has come at UVM, watch this older video (LINK) from America East and then come back and watch the one above one more time.
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Music City Miracle, “a Tennessee Titans community” on the SB Nation platform, has a piece under the headline, Introducing Niko Lalos, Dartmouth’s ferocious pass rusher. Find it HERE. From the intro to the Q&A:Every year, it seems at least one small-school prospect catches your eye during the all-star circuit, proving they can compete with some of the best players college football has to offer.
One of this year’s biggest winners in that category? Dartmouth’s defensive end Niko Lalos.
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Craig Haley, writing for Athlon under the headline FCS Football: 10 Best Returning Quarterbacks for 2020, has a familiar name at No. 10. Here's what he wrote:EJ Perry, Brown
Year: Senior
Height: 6-2; Weight: 210
His speed and toughness help set Perry apart in the Ivy League, where he established the league record with 3,678 yards of total offense in 10 games last season. The 367.8 yards per game average led the FCS and the Boston College transfer — also Brown head coach James Perry's nephew — produced 30 total touchdowns.
