Krishawn Hogan: Small-School Stud Ready for the Big Time

Beginning Thursday night, dreams will come true for over 200 young men in the NFL Draft. The
usual suspects will have multiple names called - Alabama, Clemson, USC, etc. - and there will be those from non-Power 5 Division I programs as well. However, there might be one name called from a school never heard from before. Krishawn Hogan of Marian University - Indianapolis.

Hogan, a 6-4, 225 pound wide receiver, wrapped up an illustrious career at Marian in November and he leaves the NAIA as one of the greatest players in history. And he did it all in three seasons. A graduate of Warren Central High School in Indianapolis, Hogan played just one season of varsity ball and ended his high school career with 20 catches and one touchdown. Suffice to say, he was lightly recruited and left Walsh University after just one season.

He came back home and took classes at Ivy Tech while working the night shift as a janitor. He enrolled at Marian University, fell in love with the weight room as he likes to say and started tearing up the NAIA competition. Hogan was a touchdown machine, finding the end zone 67 times in 40 games. He won a national title and finished runner-up a season later. All of his work and success led to a Combine invite where he was nearly flawless. Now, the Draft looms.

Stories like Krishawn Hogan's aren't necessarily new. There are guys like him every year in the Draft. But I don't and won't know them. I've had the pleasure of working with Krishawn for the past year at Marian so forgive me if my bias shows through.

Count on Hogan to make it in the league. Will he be drafted or eventually see playing time? That's not something I consider myself an expert on. But will he put in the work and do it the right way? Yes, that I know. Hogan wasn't born with an NFL body. He's made his into one with hours in the weight room at Marian. Last Saturday, the Marian football field was empty (a rare occasion at a school with 24 sports) around 3 p.m. in the afternoon except for one guy - Hogan. There's a million other things a 22-year-old kid could be doing on a Saturday afternoon, but for a guy trying to make the NFL, he was right where he needed to be, putting himself through various drills and exercises.

His journey and unlikely story has drawn national attention. The Indy Star ran a feature on him prior to the Combine and Sports Illustrated featured him as well.  ESPN came to campus last week and will run a story on him during Sportscenter this Saturday. On a small campus, it would be easy for the spotlight to go to Hogan's head. However, he has remained as humble as can be through the entire process and never big times anybody.

Plenty of teams are interested in Hogan, who has been projected as high as the fourth round. But despite all his talent, he must shed the small-school label as the Draft begins. The skills are there and the team that drafts him will get a steal, but it will take a risk. Yet it's a risk worth taking for a guy who can dominate on the field, but also be a quality individual off of it.

A lifetime of work has led up to this for Hogan. An unlikely story, but a story that is about to begin its greatest chapter.

Decision to Skip Bowl Games Sends a Horrible Message

It has been known for several days that star LSU running back Leonard Fournette will not be playing in the Citrus Bowl this year, but today another college standout followed suit. Stanford's Christian McCaffery has also chosen to forgo his team's bowl game, the Sun Bowl, to focus on the NFL Draft. Fournette and McCaffery, though full of both talent and potential, have also shown that loyalty and character are not exactly in abundance in college football.

Fournette was on perennial Heisman watch at LSU

Let me start off by saying this: the amount of bowl games in college football is absolutely stupid. You hear all these coaches complaining about society, about youth sports. Everyone has an issue with every single kid getting a trophy and, quite frankly, I completely agree. I hate that. I think it sends the wrong message entirely. Yet college football adopts that same mindset and sends how many schools to a meaningless bowl game every single year? That needs to change and the reason I bring that up is because the bowl games play a huge part in the way these athletes and coaches who leave early are being viewed.


First off, let's address the way the media is relaying their decisions not to play. "Skipping the bowl game" is sugar coating it. Call it like it is. They are quitting. Fournette and McCaffery have decided not to join their teams in preparation for the game and they will not be in uniform. They have quit the team. What kind of message does that send?

The Citrus Bowl and the Sun Bowl. I would be lying if I said I had any desire to watch either of those games. But you know what? They're still games. They're still on the schedule. The teams still have to prepare, show up, and play. There is still a winner and a loser. The decision to not play by Fournette and McCaffery is wrong, regardless of how much money in the NFL is on the line.

Few backs have the physicality and durability of McCaffery

Everybody wants to say that the risk of injury is too high and that it could cost them millions of dollars and draft stock. That's true and there is no denying either of those things. Everybody wants to argue that this game means nothing. Again, also true. But LSU and Stanford's last five regular season games meant nothing. If playing for a spot in the playoffs is the only way a game can mean something, then Fournette should have stopped playing when LSU lost two of their first four games, and McCaffery should have quit taking the field when Stanford lost three out of four games in mid-October. That's when their playoff hopes were shattered, right? So every game after that essentially meant nothing just like these bowl games, right?

No. Fournette and McCaffery signed up to play football. It's a dangerous game and you can get hurt at any moment. Welcome to the world of being an athlete. If injury is the big fear here then those guys should have never played another down once LSU and Stanford dropped in the AP Poll and had no hopes of making the playoffs. They are quitting not only on the teammates that helped shape their careers and bring them to the spotlight, but they are quitting on the coaches that helped them grow, and they are quitting on the schools they represented. If I'm a teammate, a coach, or a member of either school's athletic department, I would be immensely disappointed.

If Fournette and McCaffery can leave their teams because these games don't mean anything anyway, then how do you look the guys in your locker room in the face and say you're walking away? Those guys that blocked for you, those guys that handed the ball off to you, those guys that came to practice and analyzed film every single day so that they could do their job to protect you and you leave them in the final game of the season to focus on yourself? I understand the safety concerns, I truly do, but I believe that is a selfish move to leave your teammates to protect yourself. Those guys are going to be out there fighting and trying to bring home a win. You should be too.

It would be interesting to see how NFL scouts and executives view situations like this. To me, I think seeing guys make decisions like this tells me all I need to know: he's out for himself. They could be nice guys with great work ethics, but their final moment as college athletes was them quitting on their teams and walking away before the season was over. I don't want a guy like that on my team. I want loyalty and dedication whether it's the national championship or a scrimmage in practice. 

So where does this leave college football? It's been an on-going issue with coaches bailing on schools before bowl games, but now players are doing it too. You can't hardly stop it, but there's no doubt it hurts the NCAA, and God knows the NCAA doesn't need another reason to look foolish. Maybe we'll see a fix to this issue, or maybe we'll eventually see coaches and athletes that put their present team first all season long. I hope it's the latter. Regardless, the decisions have been made and they aren't going to change. Fournette and McCaffery will go on to get drafted, but not without leaving a final bad impression.

If I Could Get A Ticket...

Sports bless us on regular occasion. Buzzer beater threes for national titles, chase down blocks to seal a city's long-awaited title, walk off home runs to beat a rival -- we crave that kind of drama and heroism. Lately, sports has provided some instant classics, and as a viewer of many games each week, I've loved every second.

Still, for all the games and plays that have made me say wow and for all the moments I've relished the Twitter explosion, I wish I could go back in time. I wish I could have been there for the biggest of games because there is truly nothing better than witnessing it all. So, here's the deal: I've made a list of five games I wish I could have been present at. Some of these I watched on television while others took place long before I was even thought of on this Earth. But if I could go back in time and somehow get a ticket then here's where I would go...

Boston Braves 3 - Brooklyn Dodgers 5 - April 15, 1947
Just over 26,500 fans were in attendance at Ebbets Field on April 15, 1947 and if I could have been one of them I would certainly have taken the opportunity. Jackie Robinson broke the color barrier that day, starting at first base and batting second. It was a monumental moment in history at the time, but it seems even bigger now as we look around sports today. African Americans have provided some of the finest play we've seen and Robinson blazed the trail for all of them, suiting up for the Dodgers on that April afternoon. Robinson was not particularly great in the opener, finishing 0-for-3 with a run scored, but there are some things that go beyond the box score and this certainly qualifies as one of them.

Villanova Wildcats 77 - North Carolina Tar Heels 74 - April 4, 2016
You really don't need a play-by-play for this one because certainly you remember. Even before Marcus Paige hit his acrobatic three-pointer to tie the game with six seconds left and before Kris Jenkins made the greatest shot maybe ever, this game was magical. Carolina took a five-point lead into the break, and Villanova led by five with three minutes to go. Paige's three may be forgotten as time passes, but it was one of the greatest clutch shots we've seen. The only problem: Jenkins topped it on the other end of the floor with a buzzer-beating three to give the 'Cats their second national title.

Texas Rangers 9 - St. Louis Cardinals 10 - October 27, 2011 (11 innings)
Texas and St. Louis gave baseball fans arguably the greatest World Series game ever in Game 6 of the 2011 Fall Classic. With Texas leading the series 3-2, the Cardinals were facing elimination in their own ballpark. Needing a win to force a Game 7, the Cards led 2-1 after the first inning in a game that featured at least one run in every inning but one. The Rangers chased Jaime Garcia after three innings and led 7-4 after seven innings. St. Louis got one back in the eighth and went to the ninth trailing by two. Down to their last strike in the ninth, David Freese unloaded a deep fly to right that Nelson Cruz couldn't handle. Freese wound up with a triple and drove in Albert Pujols and Lance Berkman to tie the game and force extra innings. Josh Hamilton homered in the 10th to give Texas the lead again, but Berkman singled on a 2-2 count in the bottom of the frame to tie the game at nine. In the bottom of the 11th, Freese played the role of hero again, launching the walk off home run to centerfield, forcing a Game 7 which the Cardinals would win for their 11th World Series.

Florida State Seminoles 34 - Auburn Tigers 31 - January 6th, 2014
One of the greatest BCS National Championship games in history featured a 21-point comeback and a game-winning touchdown pass with 13 seconds left on the clock. The Seminoles entered as the top-ranked team with Jameis Winston fresh off a Heisman trophy win, but Auburn looked impressive out of the gate, leading 21-3 late in the first half. FSU scored a touchdown right before the half to trim the lead to 11 and then connected on a field goal in the third quarter to make it 21-13. Then things got fun in the fourth. Winston threw a touchdown pass with 11 minutes to play to make it a one-point game, but Auburn pushed it to four with a field goal at the 4:42 mark. However, on the ensuing kickoff, Florida State ran it back 100 yards to take a 27-24 lead. The Tigers didn't give in though, scoring a touchdown with 1:19 to play to take a 31-27 lead. That set the stage for Winston's signature moment. The Heisman winner drove the Seminoles down the field and threw a two-yard TD pass to Kelvin Benjamin with 13 seconds remaining to win the game.

Chicago Bulls 87 - Utah Jazz 86 - June 14, 1998
After failing to close out the Jazz in Game 5 at the United Center, Michael Jordan and the Chicago Bulls had to go back to Utah for Game 6 to try and complete the franchise's second three-peat. The Jazz won the first three quarters and led by five heading into the fourth quarter. Jordan, playing in his last game as a Chicago Bull, poured in 45 points on 15-of-35 shooting, but saved his best for last. Down by one with under 10 seconds to play, Jordan drove left and pulled up for his final shot as a Bull. He sank it and sealed the win as only the greatest to ever play could do it. Six rings, six Finals MVPs and one lasting memory for Bulls fans.

These five games were something special that fans still talk about today. However, there are hundreds of others that could be talked about. What are yours? Leave a comment with games that you wished you could have attended...

The Greatest Stretch in Sports

A sadness crept over me Tuesday morning as I realized college basketball was out of my life until November. The game had been so good to we the fans, producing unscripted drama throughout the NCAA Tournament that culminated with Kris Jenkins' title-winning 3-pointer to defeat North Carolina Monday night. For three weeks it was hoops heaven, but suddenly it was gone for seven months.

Fear not though, baseball and the Masters have come to the rescue. MLB Opening Day was conveniently placed in between the NCAA Final Four and National Championship, while the Masters began Thursday. The sadness of college basketball being over quickly faded as baseball and golf started up. In addition, the NBA and NHL playoffs are looming and that begs the question: is this the greatest time of year for a sports fan?

Within a month there is the NCAA Tournament, beginning of the NBA and NHL playoffs, The Masters and MLB Opening Day. Depending on your taste in sports, MLS also starts up and the European soccer leagues are coming down to the wire. The NFL Draft will take place April 30 and for those college football fans, spring football has begun.

Whether it's the best time of the year or not, there's no denying that your remote gets a workout around this time of the year.

Here are some other potential candidates for best time of the year...

October - November
The weather becomes a little unfriendly, but the games are wonderful in the fall. NFL and NCAA football are in full swing, which occupies America for the entire weekend. The MLB playoffs take us through October and the World Series caps the postseason in the beginning of November. In addition, the NHL, NBA and NCAA basketball seasons all get underway sometime during the two month stretch. For soccer fans, MLS season is winding down and European soccer leagues are just starting up.

May - August
The summer months are kind to sports fans as several sports give us championships. The NBA and NHL playoffs are played during May and June, while the MLB season is in full swing and the weather is perfect for attending a game. Golf gives us three majors within a six-week stretch and tennis also has three majors in the span. The Triple Crown horse races are run at the beginning of the summer and, depending on the year, the Olympics or the World Cup are played.

December - February
December and February sometimes get lost in the shuffle, but there's plenty to watch in the thick of winter. NCAA football bowl season takes us through Christmas time before the NFL playoffs take over, which leads to the Super Bowl in early February. NCAA basketball conference play gives us enticing matchups every week and the NBA season is in full swing. NHL and European soccer are also in the middle of the season and the Winter Olympics come once every four years. The winter months also feature some of the best stand alone days in sports. Besides Super Bowl Sunday, Christmas Day is fantastic for NBA games, the Premier League takes over Boxing Day with a full slate of games and New Year's Day is must-see TV with college football bowl games and the NHL Winter Classic.

Which time of year is the best? Did we miss anything? Let us know by commenting below with your opinions and be sure to vote on our Twitter poll @WorldofWadley.

Topic of Gay Athletes Receiving Unnecessary Attention

Michael Sam and Jason Collins are two African-American athletes who are both trying to make it at the professional level. But there is just one thing that sets these two gentlemen apart from the rest of the field and that, as I'm sure you know by now, is that they are both gay. There. That's all you need to know...right? Well sadly news stations, specifically ESPN, believe it necessary to litter the headlines with a breakdown of every second of Sam and Collins' lives. Why? I understand that these two men are displaying immense amounts of courage by bringing their difference in lifestyle to the public eye, but why do we insist on alienating them even further by continually placing their names in the news and drawing attention to them?

Sam revealed he was gay after the college football season

Now I have a view on homosexuality but I refuse to express that in this post. This is not the place to discuss something like that and if you feel led to comment on this post I encourage you to be mindful of those who may have differing opinions. With that in mind, I fail to see how the announcements Sam and Collins have made warrant this kind of attention. Is it big news? Absolutely. Could it cause discomfort to the athletic world? Most definitely, but if we know that these two men will be viewed differently as it is, why do we continue to force their name into the news? Everyone on this earth, whether they're black, white, short, tall, rich, or poor is a human being and should be treated as such. Just because Michael Sam and Jason Collins are gay does not mean that we need to be acting like they're both charity cases that deserve special attention. They lace up their shoes and put their jersey on the same way heterosexual players do. There is no need for this kind of attention, let them worry about themselves and let them go and play the sport they love without all the extra attention. I'm sure that Sam and Collins don't want to have to deal with the constant interviews anyways.

Collins has played for multiple NBA teams

Another thing that bothers me is people seem to have changed their opinions on these two athletes just because of their sexual preference. I think that says a lot about society today and the same thing happened when basketball stand out Britney Griner revealed that she is lesbian last year. All of the sudden it was no longer about praising her success on the court, it became about her sexuality and whether or not WNBA teams would welcome her. Seriously? These athletes enjoyed stretches of success before people knew that they were gay. Now all of the sudden their entire careers are viewed differently because of their sexuality. Whether a player is homosexual or not should not change a fan's view of how they play the game. It's bothersome to see people turning on these athletes because of a difference that has no bearing on their ability in their sport.

The last thing I want is to come across as saying we should not talk about gay athletes. That is not my intent of this post nor is it a feeling that I have. My view is that we should treat gay athletes just like we do straight athletes. They are no different when it comes to how they play the game, so why add all the unnecessary drama to their lives that are already stressful enough? It's exciting that we have athletes like this that are willing to come out and are leading the way for future gay athletes. But the constant news coverage needs to be laid to rest.