By Christian James of CUSportsNation.com
Colorado commitment Dante Sparaco surprised many when he recently decided to transfer to IMG Academy for his senior year but his commitment to the Buffs is not something that he plans on changing.
"I have assured everyone that I have talked to that this move is not to go down there and get offers. It is to prepare myself to get to Colorado in January. A big down side is that some people felt that I was going down there to get more exposure and questioned why I was doing it because I had my college plans set. I am not going to get exposure. I am going to prepare myself."
Sparaco spoke with the Colorado staff and feels that they understand his decision.
"Most of them were pretty sad that they weren't going to see my play this year. Cherry Creek is about a thirty minute drive from Boulder. I think most of them understood the pros and the cons of knowing and understanding this will make me a more polished player when I arrive in January."
The decision was something that Sparaco feels will help him make the biggest strides going forward as a player.
"I felt like it was better opportunity for me to go down there to mentally and physically prepare myself to compete for the starting job in January at CU."
Sparaco knew that it would not be easy due to the connections that he had made at his most recent high school.
"I knew if I left Cherry Creek I'd get people questioning my loyalty. It is three years at three different schools and I have made good bonds with those guys and coaches. I really respect all the coaches at Cherry Creek and it was hard to leave somewhere I knew I was going to get playing time. It was hard to leave those guys that I have worked so hard with. The hardest part was making myself understand this opportunity would be to better myself as a player and having to leave those guys."
The decision is not just sports related but also prepping Sparaco to thrive in the classroom as well.
"A lot of people look at just the football aspect and that is a huge part being able to play against the best players every day in practice along with playing in the prime time. It is big time national level high school but I always wanted to put myself into a college level environment academically so I could teach myself good time management and study habits. I wanted to prepare myself for that aspect of college as well."
IMG was a program that came strong as of late when the opportunity became available.
"This was extremely recent and it all transpired in about a week and a half. They were interested, we talked, and we decided. It was just an opportunity I felt I needed to take. It was one of those things that would be tough leaving Creek. Looking back ten years from now, I know I would regret not playing at the highest level of football in the nation."
Sparaco felt his commitment to the Buffs initially was a no brainer when they offered him a scholarship.
"Growing up in Colorado, it is always kind of a pride thing to go to your home state school and be able to play there. They have had a couple of down years but I want to be able to say I went there and was able to make an impact to help build CU up. When I am talking to my kids about going to college, hopefully CU is winning national titles and I want to say that I was at the start of it. I was in Boulder when we helped put all that together. There is no better place in my mind than Boulder. The school is beautiful."
The current crop of commitments has Sparaco excited to see how this class will wrap up.
"We are already excited. We have a group message for all the commits. When me and Jon (Van Diest) first committed, we didn’t know we would get the caliber of these guys. I respect all of these guys for buying in and coming down to Boulder for a team that is not a national power but has the potential to win national titles. Hopefully we can keep this going. We want to get a couple of more big offensive linemen and defensive linemen. That is our main goal."
Sparaco has been part of a group that has been working hard to continue the momentum with other potential recruits.
"We have been talking to a bunch of guys. Me, Jon Van Diest, Jaylon Jackson, and Tyler Lytle message some of the coaches about what guys they want us to hit up. We'll follow them on twitter and talk to them about recruiting."
While he reports on July 17th, Sparaco felt that leaving his former and future teammate in Jon Van Diest was difficult overall.
"When telling a good friend like that, I could tell he was hurt. He was happy for me like any friend but he was hurt I was leaving for senior year. It wasn’t a fun conversation but I think he respected my decision. He is a good kid and I can’t wait to get back to Colorado and be able to play with him."
Colorado commitment Dante Sparaco surprised many when he recently decided to transfer to IMG Academy for his senior year but his commitment to the Buffs is not something that he plans on changing.
"I have assured everyone that I have talked to that this move is not to go down there and get offers. It is to prepare myself to get to Colorado in January. A big down side is that some people felt that I was going down there to get more exposure and questioned why I was doing it because I had my college plans set. I am not going to get exposure. I am going to prepare myself."
Sparaco spoke with the Colorado staff and feels that they understand his decision.
"Most of them were pretty sad that they weren't going to see my play this year. Cherry Creek is about a thirty minute drive from Boulder. I think most of them understood the pros and the cons of knowing and understanding this will make me a more polished player when I arrive in January."
The decision was something that Sparaco feels will help him make the biggest strides going forward as a player.
"I felt like it was better opportunity for me to go down there to mentally and physically prepare myself to compete for the starting job in January at CU."
Sparaco knew that it would not be easy due to the connections that he had made at his most recent high school.
"I knew if I left Cherry Creek I'd get people questioning my loyalty. It is three years at three different schools and I have made good bonds with those guys and coaches. I really respect all the coaches at Cherry Creek and it was hard to leave somewhere I knew I was going to get playing time. It was hard to leave those guys that I have worked so hard with. The hardest part was making myself understand this opportunity would be to better myself as a player and having to leave those guys."
The decision is not just sports related but also prepping Sparaco to thrive in the classroom as well.
"A lot of people look at just the football aspect and that is a huge part being able to play against the best players every day in practice along with playing in the prime time. It is big time national level high school but I always wanted to put myself into a college level environment academically so I could teach myself good time management and study habits. I wanted to prepare myself for that aspect of college as well."
IMG was a program that came strong as of late when the opportunity became available.
"This was extremely recent and it all transpired in about a week and a half. They were interested, we talked, and we decided. It was just an opportunity I felt I needed to take. It was one of those things that would be tough leaving Creek. Looking back ten years from now, I know I would regret not playing at the highest level of football in the nation."
Sparaco felt his commitment to the Buffs initially was a no brainer when they offered him a scholarship.
"Growing up in Colorado, it is always kind of a pride thing to go to your home state school and be able to play there. They have had a couple of down years but I want to be able to say I went there and was able to make an impact to help build CU up. When I am talking to my kids about going to college, hopefully CU is winning national titles and I want to say that I was at the start of it. I was in Boulder when we helped put all that together. There is no better place in my mind than Boulder. The school is beautiful."
The current crop of commitments has Sparaco excited to see how this class will wrap up.
"We are already excited. We have a group message for all the commits. When me and Jon (Van Diest) first committed, we didn’t know we would get the caliber of these guys. I respect all of these guys for buying in and coming down to Boulder for a team that is not a national power but has the potential to win national titles. Hopefully we can keep this going. We want to get a couple of more big offensive linemen and defensive linemen. That is our main goal."
Sparaco has been part of a group that has been working hard to continue the momentum with other potential recruits.
"We have been talking to a bunch of guys. Me, Jon Van Diest, Jaylon Jackson, and Tyler Lytle message some of the coaches about what guys they want us to hit up. We'll follow them on twitter and talk to them about recruiting."
While he reports on July 17th, Sparaco felt that leaving his former and future teammate in Jon Van Diest was difficult overall.
"When telling a good friend like that, I could tell he was hurt. He was happy for me like any friend but he was hurt I was leaving for senior year. It wasn’t a fun conversation but I think he respected my decision. He is a good kid and I can’t wait to get back to Colorado and be able to play with him."
