Turned down a scholarship to play fullback at an HBCU to stay home and walk on at Coastal Carolina University. Still regret not taking that scholarship but the experience of playing and competing with multiple future NFL players is something I cherish because I know I was at that level too. Politics is definitely a real thing when it comes to playing time for a legit football university. I felt disrespected because I had put in the work and was standing out in practice but my position coach (safety) held me out of the spring game on some bull. You put in all this work, wake up at 4:30 in the morning for workouts that most people with literally pass out doing all winter, hitting the weight room daily, hitting all the check marks they ask of you for the guy you been working under to get better to tell you that you can't compete to prove yourself.
I made a decision then that football was not my life and focused on my education.