College sports can be a long, winding road

The move from high school to college might be the toughest transition. While some see earning a college scholarship as the end of the journey, many fail to realize it’s really just the start.

And when it comes to college football, it’s extremely difficult. Because it is now a dog-eat-dog world. Nothing is guaranteed and college coaches are always recruiting players to take over an incumbent’s spot. There is no safety in being recruited. It just means it’s time to work even harder for a player to maintain their spot on the team.

The football talent on the Peninsula has grown by leaps and bounds over the last 20 years and the 2023-24 academic year was a banner one for local athletes. The Serra football team boasted nine players from the team’s spectacular 2023 team to sign with four-year schools.

But that Serra contingent has also gone through changes. Former quarterback Maealiuaki Smith was the big recruit, signing with Big 12 stalwart Oklahoma State. Smith showed some flashes as a true freshman last year, making two starts and appearing in four games.

He has since transferred to University of Mississippi.

Marley Alipati, who originally signed with Army, is in his second season at DVC; Danny Niu, who originally signed with San Diego State, is now at CSM.

All of which to say it’s tough at the college level.

But it’s not all doom and gloom for that heralded Serra class as five others from that signing day in the summer of 2024 are still in the programs with which they signed. Jabari Mann, who originally committed to San Jose State, instead flipped to Arizona, following former SJSU head coach Brent Brennan, who took over the Wildcats’ program last year.

Cole Harrison, a tight end, is a redshirt freshman at University of Tennessee and John Holthaus is a redshirt offensive lineman at Colorado State. Michael Pedrotti is a sophomore long snapper at Brown University.

The two former Padres who are having the most success, however, are playing at Division I FCS schools, meaning they play for schools that aren’t in bowl games. Kyon Loud, a defensive back, had a strong freshman year at FCS power University of Montana, earning Academic All-Big Sky honors and appeared in all 13 games last season.

Meanwhile, Jaden Green may be having the best collegiate career of them all. Green was still in the recruiting phase when Serra announced in June 2024 the other players committed to college. Green eventually settled on Lehigh University in Pennsylvania and has made an impact. As a freshman last season, the running back/return man rushed for 777, amassed 553 yards returning kickoffs and scored 10 touchdowns.

And this season, he’s picked up where he left off last year. Through four games, he has rushed for 355 yards and five touchdowns — including a 127-yard, two-touchdown performance Saturday in a 41-24 win over Bucknell Saturday.

There is no guarantee that an athlete’s college career will be a linear line. Like life, there are twists and turns, all of which makes life a learning experience, both on and off the field. The good news is, all of these guys are still playing ball, which can be half the battle sometimes.

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Before Serra, it was Menlo-Atherton that was loaded with a ton of Division I college talent. In 2022, the Bears scored a coup when Jurrion Dickey, one of the most heavily recruited players in the country, transferred from Valley Christian to M-A for his senior season. He was already committed to University of Oregon.

But it’s been a star-crossed few seasons for Dickey, who finds himself in his sophomore season at Diablo Valley College in Pleasant Hill.

He originally signed with University of Oregon, but had little impact his first two seasons, catching just one ball in both 2023 and 2024. He was suspended in August this year and transferred to DVC. It is the fourth school in five years for Dickey, who played in only a couple games with M-A before getting hurt.

But there were three other home-grown talents on that 2022 M-A roster that went on to sign with DI FBS teams. Soane Fa’asolo, an offensive lineman, redshirted his freshman year at University of Washington in 2023. Last season, he started the year by earning Big Ten All-Academic honors ahead of a season that saw him appear in all 13 of the Huskies’ games. This season, he has appeared in all three games.

Defensive end David Tangilanu signed with BYU, but has been on his Church of Latter Day Saints’ mission the last two years.

Meanwhile, Alek Marshall, a tight end/defensive end who graduated in 2023, is now in his sophomore season at Cal Poly-San Luis Obispo. Last season as a freshman, he caught four passes — two of which went for touchdowns.

Nathan Mollat has been covering high school sports in San Mateo County for the San Mateo Daily Journal. since 2001. He can be reached by email: nathan@smdailyjournal.com.