Chapter 59: Letter of Recommendation
It was a typical coach's office. The desk was piled with all kinds of messy documents, and there was a whiteboard full of plays on the wall next to the door. In the corner across the room was an old desktop computer and a television, with a stack of videotapes piled precariously next to it. That must be the corner for analyzing opponent game footage.
"Have a seat," Rick said, walking around the desk and gesturing with his hand. "If you're worried about your sweat staining the chair, I'm sure the school would be more than happy to get a brand new chair for a Rose Bowl hero."
Normally, Rick's face was always stern, and he rarely showed any emotion, let alone made a joke. This uncharacteristic humor made Lu Ke a little stunned, and for once, he didn't have a comeback. First Kevin, now Rick—this morning was truly strange.
Rick didn't mind Lu Ke's reaction. He smiled slightly and continued, "You're a senior this year, right? Have you made a decision? To enter the draft? Or to find a breakthrough in another field?"
"Yes, I've decided. I want to give it a try," Lu Ke's words were calm, but his tone was incredibly firm. His understated way of speaking revealed his inner strength.
This time, it was Rick who was a little stunned, and he chuckled. "Well, that's perfect then." All the words he had prepared vanished. He opened a drawer next to him, took out an envelope, and handed it to Lu Ke. "I was just worried that if you gave up, this letter would be a waste."
Lu Ke was confused. He took the envelope and saw the words "Letter of Recommendation" written on the outside. He looked up at Rick, who gestured for him to open it. After getting permission, Lu Ke opened the unsealed envelope, took out the letter, and started to read.
It was a letter of recommendation from Rick Neuheisel, the head coach of UCLA, officially recommending Lu Ke to participate in the rookie training camp.
The official professional football league was the National Football League (NFL), which had 32 teams. It was divided into two conferences, the American Football Conference (AFC) and the National Football Conference (NFC). Each conference was made up of four divisions—North, South, East, and West—with four teams in each division.
This league was not only the top of the four major professional leagues in North America but also the largest professional football league in the world. The commercial revenue, viewership, and market influence of the league games made it the most powerful professional sports league in North America. The annual championship game was called the Super Bowl, and it easily had over 100 million viewers. In China, it was jokingly called the "American Spring Festival Gala."
Similar to the familiar NBA draft, the NFL also had a draft every year. This was the best way for rookie players from all over the world to showcase themselves and enter the professional league. Before the official draft, the league would hold a rookie training camp, where rookies would gather for a four-day showcase and testing. Scouts would then make further evaluations and judgments, which would be provided to the teams for their selections.
However, there were thousands of rookies every year, but not everyone could enter the league. The draft had seven rounds, and about 250 rookies would be selected. The rest would be undrafted rookies, and among them, only a handful would make it into the league. Naturally, the rookie training camp couldn't accommodate all the potential draftees.
Generally, before the official rookie training camp, the league would send out a series of invitations based on scout reports, in-game performance, and recommendations from professionals, inviting rookies to gather for state-level training camps. After the tryouts, about 330 rookies would be selected to go to Indianapolis for the training camp.
At the training camp, not only would there be veteran scouts, but also executives, coaches, and team doctors from all 32 teams would be present.
For Lu Ke, he had only played in one quarter and two minutes during his four years of college. The scouts had no information on him. Even if they had paid attention, all the data from his first three years was blank. He was like the Monkey King who emerged from a stone—an "unknown" to everyone.
So, even though he had decided to enter the draft, his future was very uncertain. He might not even be able to get into the state tryouts, let alone the rookie training camp.
But now, the problem was solved. This letter of recommendation from Rick was enough to open the door to the state tryouts for his draft journey.
This gift was truly precious and significant. Lu Ke looked up, his eyes filled with surprise. "Coach!"
Lu Ke and the coach had never had a chance to talk. He was more familiar with Anthony than with Rick. Before the Rose Bowl, when the coaching staff chose Kevin to be the starting quarterback, Lu Ke thought...
No words were needed to explain; a single look was enough. Rick's eyes showed that he understood, but he didn't explain. He just said casually, "The team's strength is still lacking. In this year's lineup, the only players with the ability to get drafted are Logan, Rahim, and you. Logan and Rahim should be fine. I thought maybe you needed an opportunity to show everyone what you can do, just like you did in the last two games."
The era when Ivy League schools dominated the NCAA football field was long gone. Now, it was the era of Ohio State University, the University of Southern California, Auburn University, the University of Alabama, the University of Florida, and Louisiana State University.
Even USC, after an investigation into Reggie Bush for receiving bribes from a sports agent before the 2006 draft, was found guilty last year. This led to a heavy penalty from the NCAA, and they were now in a slump. This year, they even lost to UCLA, entering a dark period after ten years of glory for the Trojans.
Although the Bruins won the Rose Bowl this year, they couldn't even make it into the top eight in the national rankings. Their overall strength was completely outmatched by a bunch of state universities, and they were behind in every aspect, from offense to defense to special teams.
As Rick said, there were only two players on the Bruins with draft potential: tight end Logan Newman from the offense and middle linebacker Rahim Moore from the defense. However, both of them were not first-round picks. Whether they would be second- or third-round picks would depend on their performance in the upcoming rookie training camp. If they weren't careful, their draft round could slip even further.
As for Lu Ke, Rick couldn't make an accurate judgment.
From a physical and technical standpoint, Lu Ke still had too many weaknesses. He couldn't even meet the average standard for an undrafted rookie, let alone get drafted. But from a game-time perspective, Lu Ke had shown top-tier talent. Whether it was his judgment in crucial moments or his decisions in a crisis, his decisive and resolute style often led to an exceptional performance. His deep passes, short passes, footwork, and elusiveness were all impressive.
Yes, his skills were still lacking; yes, he led the Bruins to win the Rose Bowl. This was a contradictory phenomenon that even Rick couldn't explain.
Every head coach of a school had the right to recommend players, especially the head coach of a Rose Bowl winner. Rick had considered it and hesitated. Running back Marcus Lynch, defensive tackle David Carter, and others were all within his consideration.
After careful thought, Rick still chose Lu Ke. It was because Lu Ke had more uncertainty and also needed a chance to showcase himself more. His letter of recommendation was enough to get a player into the state tryouts, but it wasn't enough to get into the rookie training camp. For Marcus and David, they would have no problem getting into the state training camp and could get selected with their own abilities.
After weighing his options, Lu Ke stood out. Rick knew this was a risk and a gamble. But wasn't the substitution during the Rose Bowl also a gamble?
"Thank you!" All the words he wanted to say were finally boiled down to a simple thank you. Lu Ke said.
In Lu Ke's eyes, Rick could see vitality and passion. That love and madness in his bones made Rick's heart leap with joy. He knew he had made the right choice. "You won the last two minutes of the game. The least I can do is win you an opportunity to showcase yourself."
Without any more pleasantries, Rick stood up and patted Lu Ke's shoulder. "I look forward to the day I see you in the professional league."
"Thank you," Lu Ke repeated. It seemed that at this moment, no other words could match this simple phrase. He turned to leave, and then he heard Rick's voice from behind. "It's better if I keep the letter of recommendation. I need to send it to the association."
"Oh!" Lu Ke suddenly understood. He turned back and handed the letter to Rick, and said with a smile, "Well, I'm going to go train now. I haven't finished my training mission for today."
This was a day filled with both joy and sadness.
The joy was that he had taken the first step on his draft journey. The Bruins had won the Rose Bowl, and today was the day everyone celebrated while sober. After a rollercoaster of a season, they could finally get some rest.
The sadness was that the time for goodbyes had come. The seniors were hugging each other and saying goodbye. After graduation, they would all go down different paths, and whether they would see each other again was unknown.
"Did you hear?" Logan's gossip was almost impossible to hide. He quickly walked over to Lu Ke, bumped shoulders with him, and said with a sly smile, "Kevin Priess has decided not to enter the draft."
Lu Ke's mouth fell open slightly. It was unexpected but made perfect sense. Quarterbacks—the league always needed them, but it also got rid of them every year. It was harder to make a name for yourself in that position than in any other. Even if Kevin had entered the draft, he would have probably been an undrafted rookie.
Now, Lu Ke finally understood why Kevin had come to the training field this morning. It was a goodbye. Kevin was also saying his goodbyes.
Looking at the lush green training field in front of him, Lu Ke's joyful mood was now tinged with a little bit of sadness.
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