April 20, 2007
One of the aspects of college football I valued most during my time as a player, were the many opportunities to try again if I failed at any one thing. Now that we are fully delved into spring football I could not help but to address the great feeling of having a clean slate when starting spring football practice. Looking back to my experiences during spring ball, there were several times I had to wipe the slate clean and take advantage of getting a fresh start in the spring in order to help myself and my teammates improve.
After being recruited to UNM as a linebacker I was moved to defensive line during the spring of my sophomore year. Initially I was not happy with the move, but with guidance from coaches and family I realized this was a fresh new start for me and that I should be thankful and take full advantage of the situation.
In hindsight, I’m sure glad I changed my viewpoint and took advantage of my fresh start that spring. Things ended up working out pretty well for me over the next few years on the defensive line.
In spring ball there is always the chance that someone, well known or not, is going to make or break their upcoming season by the way they perform and carry themselves during practices. Many times there are expectations placed on individuals and whether or not they are met is often decided during spring ball.
One player I think is ready to take full advantage of his clean slate this spring is junior defensive end Kevin Balogun. After talking with Kevin, it is evident that he, like I did, has learned from the different situations he has been through and is eager to turn his experiences into success with a fresh start this spring.
After suffering a season ending injury to his Achilles tendon the week before the 2006 opener Kevin quickly transformed his extreme disappointment into motivation and strength. Sitting out last year with the injury did not meet the expectations he had for himself, but Kevin worked hard to get healthy and now is poised to become the player he and many others think he has the ability to become.
The slate is wiped clean for Kevin in 2007 and he said he is happy be an integral part of the team again and eager to show what he can do on the field as well. Click on the link below to check out my entire interview with Kevin Balogun:
ALL-ACCESS: Interview with defensive end Kevin Balogun
-D.J.
David J. Renteria was a four-year letterman (1999-2003) and two-year starter on the defensive line at New Mexico. Renteria was a first team all-Mountain West Conference selection in 2003, when he helped lead the nation’s fifth-ranked run defense, and a second team pick in ’02. The Roswell, N.M. native finished his career tied for ninth all-time at UNM with 34.5 tackles for loss. He also had 14 sacks and 111 tackles in 49 games (29 starts). Renteria played professionally for three years with the Houston Texans, St. Louis Rams, San Francisco 49ers and Denver Broncos organizations. He is currently working as a student assistant in the UNM Athletics Media Relations office while he finishes his degree in Communications.