Dodson finds the right fit at Midway University
Offensive linemen that weigh less than 200 pounds are still a regular part of high school football all over the country, especially in schools with smaller enrollment numbers where players that weight 250-plus are more of a luxury than a norm.
Nolan Dodson is one of those kids. Despite a smaller frame, Dodson has been a mainstay in the trenches for the Gordon Lee Trojans the past few years. He was even named honorable mention All-region 6-AAA this past season.
However, Dodson knew that colleges aren’t exactly looking for 5-foot-10, 185-pound players to man the trenches...or at least that’s what he thought until he got a phone call from the coach at Midway University in Kentucky.
That’s when Dodson first heard about sprint football.
So instead of hanging up the pads for good and becoming a regular college student, Dodson will get to continue playing the game he loves at a place he never dreamed he be attending.
“I had originally wanted to go to Kennesaw State to study, but I got this offer about two or three weeks ago and it’s really been a godsend,” said Dodson, who signed to play for the Eagles this past Wednesday. “I’m really excited about it and it’s a good offer too.
“It really just changed my mind completely. I never thought I’d be playing college football because I was an offensive lineman playing at 185 pounds. It wasn’t even in the vision, so this has really changed my mind a lot about where I’m going, what I’m going to study and just everything about college.
“I’m really excited. My dad (Kevin) played college football, so I’m glad get to do it too. The whole family is excited. I’m just really thankful and blessed.”
Sprint football is a fullpad, full-contact version of the sport, played with 11 on each side on a field 100 yards long. In fact, the rules of sprint football are identical to regular football, with one noticeable difference.
Every player, even the offensive and defensive linemen, can’t weigh more than
178 pounds. And, similar to wrestling, all players are required to make weight in the days leading up to each game, which emphasizes speed and agility and offers a faster-paced style of play.
Midway began sprint football last season and currently face seven other programs throughout Kentucky and Indiana in the newly-formed
Midwest Sprint Football League (MSFL).
Sprint football, though, isn’t new. The game has been in existence in the northeast corner of the United States since the mid-to-late 1930’s.
The University of Pennsylvania and Cornell University have been playing the game since its inception and both the U.S. Naval Academy and the U.S. Military Academy at West Point have been playing for 70-80 years, along with a few other smaller colleges that make up the
Collegiate Sprint Football League (CSFL).
Among the notables that played sprint football in college were New England Patriots owner Robert Kraft, former Secretary of Defense Donald Rumsfeld and former U.S. President Jimmy Carter.
“The coach said I was going to be a difference-maker for them being on the offensive line, so hopefully I can fulfill that role,” Dodson added. “In my mind it’s not going to be any easier. I’m
not thinking I’m going up there and start pancaking everybody I go up against.”
Still, Dodson won’t be having to try and block any 300plus pound defensive linemen like he would at almost any other college program.
“That’s the great thing about the league he’s going to,” GL head coach Josh Groce said. “He’s going up against guys that are all about the same size, so it’s really just one-on-one. I’ve learned a lot about (sprint football) since he told me about it.
It’s really neat.
“I’m sure they’re in a similar situation like us with what they do with smaller guys up front, just working angles and stuff like that. He’s been doing that for four years and he’s really helped us up front for four years, so he’ll bring a lot to the table.
“Plus, he’s a great kid. He played with a ton of heart, a ton of energy and he was always excited to get to work ever day.”
Dodson also added that the class sizes at Midway
(enrollment approximately 1,200) will be significantly smaller than where he thought he was going to go.
“I like how small the campus is,” he continued. “Kennesaw State (enrollment over 35,000) is a much bigger school. At Midway, the classes are very small, so you get more one-on-one time with the professors and they really care about you being in class and learning.”
Dodson said he plans to study biology in college.